Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1862-01-02


about and looked eagerly for the opening by |
which / had entered the horrid place-yes, |
looked for IL, and felt for IL, though 1t was the /
terrible conviction that II was olosed-a second |
time brought home TO me-that prompted my |
frepzied cfy. Every sense seemed TO have ten.
fold acuteness, yet not one TO act in unison with
another. I shrieksd again and again--im-
ploripgly, desperately, savagely. l hlled the
hollow chamber with my cries till its iron
walls seemed to tingle around me. The
dull strokes Of the acoursed pump seemed
only to mock at while they deadened my
screams.
"At last gave myself up, It is the struggle
against our fate which frenEies the mind. We
cease to fear when we cease to hope. I gave
myself up, and then grew cslml
"I was resigned to die-resigned even to my
mode Of death. 1t was not, thought, so very
new, after all, as to awaken unwonted horror
in man. Thousands have been sunk to the
bottom Of the ocean shut up in the holds OF
vesssls-beating themselves against the bat
tened hatches-dragged down from the upper
world shrieking, not for life, but for death
only beneath the eye and amid the breath OF
heaven. Thousands have endured that ap-
polling kind Of suffocaton. I would die only
as many better man had died before me. 1
could meet such death. I said SOL thought
SOL felt so-felt so, 1 mean, for a minute or
moTe-ten minutes it may have been-Or but
an instant Of time. know not, nor does it
matter, if could compute 1t. There pds a
time, then, when l was resigned to my fate.
But, good Gcdl was 1 resigned to 1t in the
shape in which It came next to appalf
| Stranger, felt that water growing hot about
| my limbs, thoug h it was but mid. leg deep.
| felt it, and in the same moment heard the roar
| Of the furnace that was to turn it into steam
before it could get near enough to drown me.
"You shudder-it was hideous. But did
| shrink and shrivel, aud crumble down upon
that iron hoor, and lose my senses in that hor-
rid agony of fear2 Mol though my brain swan
and the life blood that ourdled at my heart
seemed about to stagbate there forever, still
knew! was too hoarse-too hopeless from my
| previous efforts to cry out more. But struck
feebIy at first, and then strongly-with my
olenched fist against the sides of the boiler.
| There were people moving near who must hear
my blowsl Gould I not hear the grazing Of
chaiDs, the shutting of feet, the very rustic Of
| a rope-hear them all, within few inches o.
me7 1 did--but the gursliug water, that was
growing hotter and hotter around my extremi-
ties, made more noise within the siesmiug CAL
dron than did my trenzied blows against its
sides.
"Latterly had not changed my position,
but new the growing heat of the water m sde me
plash 10 and fro; lifting myself wholly out of it
was impossible; but could not remain quiet
1 stumbled upon somstiDg-it was a mallet-
q chance tool the smith had left there by acci-
QeuLs WIN WuHt wiz ulu L eolAo lb-Mlbu
VIZ at renewed confidence did I now deal my
first blows with il against the walls of my
prisonl But scarce had intermitted them for
moment when heard the clspg Of the iron
door as the fireman flung it wide to feed the
flames that were to torture De. Ny knocking
was unhesrd, though could hear him toss the
sticks into the furnace beneath me, and drive
to the door when his internal oven was fully
cTammed.
"Had yet hopeP I had, but it rose in
my mind side by side with the fear that
might bscome the agent of preparing myself a
more frightful death. Yes! when thought of
that furnace with its fresh fed flames curling
beneath the iron on which I stood, more
f1igbtful death even than that Of being boiled
aliVe Had 1 discovered that mallet but a
short time sooner-but no matter, would by
its aid resort to the only expedient now left.
'Tt was this: remembered having mar
ling spike in my pocket, and in less time an
/ have taken in hin,ing at the consequence of
thus using it, 1 had made an impression on the
sides of the boiler, and soon succeeded in driv-
ing it through. The water gushed through the
aperture-wouId they see il? No; the jet could
only play against wooden partition which
must hide it from view, and it must trickle
down upon the decks before the leakage would
be discovered. Should drive another hele to
make that leakage greaterP Why, the water
within seemed already TO be sensibly dimin .
ished--so hot had that become which remained.
Should more escape, would not hear it bubble
and hiss upon the fery plates Of iron that were
already scorching the sOles of my feet?
"Ahl there's movement voices-I hear
them calling for a crowbsr-ths bulkhesd
cracks as they pry of the planking. They
have seen the leak, and are trying to get at it.
Good Godl why do they not first dampen the
fire? why do they not call for the-the-
stranger, look at that fugeri it can never
regain its natural size-but it has already done
all the service that man could expect from so
humble member. Sir, that hole would have
been plugged up on the instant, unless I had
jammed my finger through
"I heard the cry Of horror as they saw it
without-the shouts to drown the fre-the first
stroke of the cold water pump. They say, too,
that was conscious when they took me out
but I-I-remember nothing more till they
brought julep to my bedside afterward, and
that julepP'-
"Uoolingi wss i,?"
"StraDgetr
Ben turned away his head and wspt. He
oould eav no mora