The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1862-03-06
Ben Blowers Story.

" Are you sure JIiaL , LhG .'1i4-~
over by the shore p
"Certing Nanny. I could tell her
pipes across the Missouri"
"And you will overhaul her"
q" Won't we, though? I tell We,
stranger, so sure as my name is Ben
Blower, the last tar barI / hove in the
furnace has put jist the smart chance
ofgo>ahead into US to cut off the Flame
from the pint yonder, or send our boat
to kingdom come"
''The devil.' exclaimed a bystand
err who, intensely interested IN the
race, was leaning the while against the
partitions Of the boiler room. "Iye
chosen a nice place to see the fun, near
the Internal powder-barrcI!"
d" Not so bad as if yer was in it ~
cody observed Ben. IS the other walk
ed rapidly away.
% AS if he were in it! In what? In
the boiler"
" Certing Dent folks sometimes
20 into bilers, Nanny ?"
81 shonld think there'd be other
parts of the boat more comfortable"
"That's right-pokin' fun at me
onct-but wait till we're through with
the brush with the Flame, and I'll tell
you of a regular ixin' scrape that a
man may get into. It j. true, too, ey>
cry word Of It--as sure as my name is
Ben Blower"
you've seen the Flame atore, stran-
ger?"
SIX years ago, when new on the
river, she was real out and outer,
tell We / was at that time hanc board
of her. Yes, belonged to h. at the
timeof her greatrace 10 Jar, You've
heern, 4ayhap, Of H. bIow-up by
which we lest her: They made a
great fuss about it-but it was moths
ing but a mere tizz Of hot water after
all. Only the sprlnging Of few riv
cts, that lOosened q biler plate or two,
and let out thin spirting 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 repair dam
ages, and bury the Door fools that were
killed. Here we lay for the matter 81
thirty hours or 50, and got things to
rights for bran new start. There
was some carpenter work to be done
but the captain said tha5 might as well
be fixed of when We were under way
we had worked hard-the weather
was souI, and we need mt do any more
list now-we might take the afternoon
to ourselves, but the next morning
he'd get up steam mighty airly, and
we'd all come out new. There's no
temperance society at Smasher's Land
ing, and | went ashore on lark with
some of the hands. "
l omit the worthy Benjamin's ad-
ventures on land, and, despairing of
fully conveying his language Ia lis
original Doric force, viii NOT hesitate
to give the rest fins narrative in my
own words, save whore, ia u few in
stances | can recall his precise phrase
ology, which the reader will easily
recognize.
The night was raw and sleety
when | regaued the deck of our boat.
The officers, instead OF leaving a watch
above, had closed up verifying and
shut themselves up in the cabin. The
tire>roOm only was open. The boards
dashed from the outside by the eXplo
sion, had not been replaced. The floor
of the room W as wet, aud there was
scarcely a corner which afforded a
shelter from the driving storm. | was
about leaving the room, resigned 20
sleep in the open air, and now bent on
" upon getting under the lee Of some
bulkhead that would PROTECTING against
the wind. In passing out ] kept my
arms stretched forward TO feel my way
in the dark, bu. my feet came in con
tact with heavy IRON id, | stumbled,
and, rs | fell, one OF my hands struck
into the 'man-hole,' Il think this Was
the name he gave to the oyal>shapeG
opening III the head Of the boiler,
through which the smith had entered
to make his repairs / f>ii with my arm
so Iar thrust INTO the aperture that /
received a pretty smart blow II the
tace az it came in contact with the
heed of the boiler, and l did not hest
tate 10 drag nay body after it, che mo-,
1aent / recovered from the stunning el-
talt, and ascertained my Vine bouts.
In q word, | crcpt into the boiler, g.
solved - spend the night there. The
place " as dry and sheltered. Had my
bed been softer, would have had all
that man could desire as it was,
slept, and slept soundly
should mention, though, that be-
fore closing my eyes, | several times
shifted my position. | had gone first
10 the farther end OF ;he boiler, then
back to the man-holc again and put
my head out to see if 1t was still open.
The Ntatmest place was at the tarth>
est end, and there l finally established
myself, ana that knew from the iirst.
1t was foolish IN me TO think that me
opening through which l had Just en-
tered could be closed without my hear
mo il, and that too when no one was
a>tir but myself. But the blow on my
tace made me a little nervous, perhaps,
and besides l never could bear 10 be
shut up i'll any place-it always gives
wild-like feelings about the head. You
may laugh, stranger, but ! believe I
should suffocate in an empty church,
if / once felt that was shut up in it,
and could not get out. have met
men before now just like me, or worse
rather, much worse. Men that it made
sort Of furious to be tied down 10 auy>
thing. vet so soft-like and uyAl.uu4c-
tory in their natures, that you might
lead them any where SO long as they
do not feel The string. Stranger, 1t
takes -sll>~k1Hds OF people to make
world and we have a good many OF
the worst kind OF white men here out
west. But T have seen folks on this
MISUNDERSTANDING chaps, too, as