Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1856-06-25

! ty at Louisville. having been but seventy
hours descending upwards of seven hun
dred miles. The novel appearance Of
the vessel, and the fearful rspidity with
which it made its passage over the broad
reaches of the river, excited mixtur1
of terror and surprise among many of the
settlers on the banks, whom the rumol
of such an invention had never reached
and it is related that on the unexpected
arrival of the boat before Louisville, in
the course of a fine, still, moonlight night,
the extraordinary sound which filed the
air as the pent-up steam was permitted
TO escape from the valves on rounding to,
produced a general alarm, and multi
tudes in the town rose from their beds
to ascertain the cause.
1 have heard that the general impress
sion among the good Kentuckians was thai
tie comet had fallen into the Ohio; bu
this does not rest on the same founda.
ton as the other facts, which lay before
you, and which I may at once say, 1 had
directly from the parties themselves
The small depth of water in the rapid:
prevented the boat from pursuing hel
voyage Immediately, and during the con-
seuuent detention of three weeks in the
upper part of the Ohio, several trips were
successfully made between Louisville
and Cincinnati. In time, the waters rose,
and in the course of the last week in No
vember the voyage was resumed, the
depth of water barely admitting theil
passage.
When they arrived about FIVE miles
above the Yellow Banks, they moored
the boat opposite TO the first vein of coal,
which was on the Indiana side, had been
purchased in the interim of the State
Government. They found large guam
tity already quarried TO their hand and
conveyed TO the shore by depredators
who had not found means TO carry it off,
and with this they commenced loading
the boat. While thus engaged, our voy
ayers we're accosted in great alarm by
the squatters of the neighborhood, who
inquired if they had not heard strange
noises on the river and in the woods in
the course of the preceding day. and
perceive the shore shake-insisting that
they had repeatedly felt the earth trem,
BILE.
Hitherto nothing extraordinary had
been perceived. The following d4y they
pursued their monotonous voyage in
those vast solitudes. The weather was
observed 10 be oppressively hot; the all
misty, still and dull; and though the sur
was visible, ike a glowing ball of cop
per, the rays hardly shed more than a
mournful twilight on the surface o.
the water. Evening drew nigh, and
with it some indications of what was
passing around them became evident
And as they sat on deck, they ever and
anon heard a rushing sound and vio'
lent splash, and saw large portions OF the
shore tearing away from the land and
falling into the river. II was, as ny in
formant said, 'an awful day; so still thai
you could have heard pin drop or
deck They spoke little, for every one
appeared thunderslruck. The GOMEZ
had disappeared about this time, which
circumstance was noticed with awe by
the crew.
The second day after leaving the Vel,
low Banks, the sun rose over the forests
the same dim ball of fire, and the all
was thick, dull, and oppressive, as be-
fore. The porteuious signs of this ter
rife natural convulsion continued and
increased. The pilot alarmed and. con
fused, affirmed that he was lost, as ht
found the channel everywhere altered
and where he had hitherto known deeE
water, there lay numberless trees will
their roots upward. The trees wer'
seen nodding on the bank, without wind
but the adYenturers had no choice but t.
continue their route. Towards evening
they found themselves at a loss for
place of shelter They had usual.
brought to under the shore, but every
where they saw the high banks disap
pearing, overwhelming many fiat boa
and raft from which the owners LANDED
and made their escape.
A large island, in mid channel, whicl
was selected by the pilot as better al
tentative, was sought for in vain, having
disapr cared entirely. Thus, in doub
and terror. they proceeded hour afte
hour until dark. when they found small
island, and rounded to, mooring them
selves to the foot of it. II re they lay
keeping watch on the deck during th,
long autumnal night. listening to III
sound of the waters which roared an,
gurgled horribly around them, and hear
ing from time the rushing earth slid
from the shore, and the commotion a
the falling mass of earth and trees wa
swallowed up by the river.
The lady of the party. a delicate fe
male, was FIRE quently awakened from he
restless slumbers by the jar given to th'
furniture and loose articles in the cabin
as several times in the course Of III
night the shock Of the passing earthquake