Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1857-09-23

EAsTMANvILLE, MICHIGAN WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23

feeling, and / trembled like leaf. There
was a light in the press room, surely l felt
compelled to rise from my chair and walk to
the door. A sort of fascination drew ME for
ward; and advanced noselessly. The door
was slightly ajar and / looked in; the gas
was burning in binding flashes, and as my
eyes rested on the old boiler, | saw it was at
white heat glowing and sparkling like
meteor. The light nearly blinded me at
first but as my eye became accustomed to
it, saw the engine in motion moving at
lightning speed; indeed, with such fright
full velocity as almost to be invisible. The
immense pile of iron wheels, cylinders and
bars, composing the press, were not in mo-
ton but in moment saw, advancing to
the engine, form never can Danish from
my memory--a tall, gaunt and fleshless
skeleton, the white bones cleaning and shin
ing in the light, the long slender fingers
working and twisting; the bright piercing
eyes sparkling like diamonds, deep sunken
into their sockets in the horrid skull.
The Phantom Pressman stood before me !
He advanced to the engine and tried the
steam-cocks, and as he turned them open,
the immense volumes of steam rushed forth
in noseless fury, and the bony jaws of the
phantom parted in hasty smile, disclosing
not the white teeth and red throat Of life,
but rows of yellow and rattling bones
The phantom grinned horribly, as if well
pleased with the immense head of steam now
generated in the glowing boiler, and glided
silently to the lever which connected the en-
CINE to the press. The lever was pulled
noiselessly towards him, and in second the
ponderous old press was in notion The
sheets were fed with appalling velocity; and
the machine, in its forward and backward
course, seemed fairly to leap and bound with
motion almost too rapid for the eye to
follow. The eyes of the skeleton man
danced in the skull, emitting sparks of light
and fire.
stole cautiously up to the hy-table, where
the sheets were piling in heap as they
sprang from the press, and glanced at them
in wonder and in horror. They smoked and
steamed as if wet with boiling liquid; and
the ink was of blood red color. 1t was the
copy of our newspaper; and the type seemed
to glare out from the paper with the bright
ness of phosphorescent light. AS | gazed
on the terrible aspiration, guiding them in
furious speed, it sent chill of horror to my
very marrow. l stepped back to my place
near the door, and watched, with suspended
breath, while the gaunt and feshless fingers
of the uuearthly pressman fed in the reeking
Sheets
The pile of paper on the feeding board
rapidly diminished, and soon was entirely
gone. AS the last sheet sprang through his
fingers, the spectre uttered wild, unearthly
howl; the boiler swayed and groaned; and
suddenly sound as Of the report of thou
sand cannons pierced the air, the boiler had
exploded, scattering everything in the room in
fragments, mingng wheels, levers, bars, mas
ses of burning coal and ashes, and scaldine
steam with the bones of the skeleton itself.
When l awoke from my horrid dream,
found myself sitting in my chair, with broad
daylight peeping in at the windows, and the
workman standing by, laughing at my fright
ened appearance.
had fallen asleep, and slept till their re.
turn, and the Kissing Of the steam | had
heard was occasioned by one of the stokcrs
at the furnace in the sold Press Room"