Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1862-06-07
How to Relish q Julep.

Are you sure that's the f1dn1e over
by the shore ?"
"Certing, NANNY. l could tell her
pipes acrost the Missouri"
1--WE will beat them.'
"Won't we though =? I tell ye, stran-
ger, as sure as my name is Ben Blow
cr, that last tar bar'l I hove in the fur
mace has put iist the smart chance of
go-ahead into us to cut off the Flame
from the pint yonder, or send the boat
to kingdom come"
"The devil - exclaimed y bystand-
er who, intensely interested in the race,
was leaning the while against the par
titions of the boiler room; s'Ive chos-
Gil nice place to see the fun, near this
Internal powder barrel! !"
"Not so bad as if yer was in it !''-
coolly observed Ben, as the other walk
ed rapidly away.
"As if | were in it in what -? in the
boiler?'
'Certing ! Don't folks sometimes go
into bllcrs, nanny
81 should think there'd be other
parts Of the boat more comfortable"
"That's right-pokin' fun at me at
oncet-but wait till we arc through
with this brush with the old Flame,
and I'll tell We of a regular txin scrape
that man may get into. 1t is true,
too, every word Of it-as sure as my
name is Ben Blower"
you've seen the Flame then, alore,
stranger? Six years ago, when new
on the river, she was a raal out and
outer, l tell ye. / was at that time a
hand aboard of her. Yes, belonged
to her at the time of her great race
with the Go-liar You've heern, may
hap, of the blow-up by which we lost
1t? They made great fuss about it,
but it was nothing but a mere fiz of hot
water. after all. Only the springin' of
few rivets, that loosened Il boiler
plate or two, and let out a thin splrt-
ing upon some niggers that didn't know
enough to get out of the way. Well,
the Collar took OFF our passengers,
and we ran into Smasher's Landing to
reaair damages and bury the poor fools
that were killed. Here we lay for a
matter of thirty hours or 81, and got
things to rights for a bran new start
There was some carpenter work yet
to be done, but the captain said that
might Just rs we'll be fixed off when we
were undcr way. We had worked
hard-the weather was sour, and we
needu't do any more jist now-we
might take that afternoon to ourselves
but the next mornin he'd git up steam
mighty airly, aud we'd all come out
new. There was no temperance socl-
etv at Smasher's Landing, and [ went
ashore on q lark with some of the
hands"
I omit the worthy Benjamin's ad-
ventures on land, and, despairing OF
fully conveying his language in its or,
irinal Doric force, will not hesitate to
give the rest Of his singular narrative
in my own words, save where, in :e w
instances, can recall his precise phra-
seolooy, which the reader will easily
recognize.
"Thc night was raw and sleety
when regained the deck of our boat
The officers, instead of leaving watch
above, had closed up everything, and
shut themselves in the cabin. The
firs-room only was open. Tho boards
dashed from the outside by the explo
sion had not been replaced. The floor
of the room was wet, and there wa:
scarcely corner which afforded shell
ter from the driving storm. | was
about leaving the room, resigned tt
sleep in the open air, and now bent on
~ on getting under the lee of some
oulkhead that would protect me agains
the wind. In passing out | kept my
arms stretched forward to feel my way
in the dark, but my feet came in con
tact with a heavy IRON lid. l stumbled
and as l fell one Of my hands strucl
into the 'man-hole' Il think this wa
the name he gave the oval shaped op
ening in the head Of the boiler) thro
which the smith entered to make hi
repairs. I fell with my arm SO IA
thrust into the aperture that recsive'
pretty smart blow in the face as
came in contact with the head of tn
boiler, and I did not hesitate to dra,
nv body after it the moment recoy
cred from the stunning effect and as
aertained my whereabouts. In word
crept into the boiler, resolved to pas
tho night there. The place was DIR
and sheltered. Had my bed bee
softer would have had all that ma
could desire as it was, slept, an
slept sonnd!y.
II should mention, though, that bt
fore closing my eyes [ several time
shifted my position. | had gone frs
to the further end Of the boiler, the
again I had crawled back to the mar
hole and put my hand ont, to see if