Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1865-06-28
Cur Sturg-TeIItr.
How TO RELISH A JULEP.

CARE you sure that's the Flame over
! by the shore ?"
"Certing, nanny. I could tell her
/ pipes across the Missouri"
"And you will overhaul her ?"
"Won't we, though? I tell ye,
stranger, so sure as my name is Ben
Blower, that last tar barl hove in the
furnace has put jist the smart chance of
60 ahead into us to cut off the Flame
from the pint yondes, or send our beat
to kingdom come"
"The deyiil' exclaimed a bystander,
who, intensely interested in the race,
was leaning the while against the parti-
tions of the boiler rooms; 1--WE chosen
a nice place to see the fun, near this in
fernal powder barrel!"
70 Not so bad as if yer was in it ~ cool
lily observed Ben, as the other walked
rapidly away.
As if he were in it! In what? In
the boiler
Certing! Don't folks sometimes 60
into bilers, nanny"
& should think there'd be other parts
of the boat more comfortable"
That's right-pollin' fun at me at
onee:-but wait till we're through with
this brush with the old Flame, and I'n
tell ye of regular fzin scrape that a
man may get into. It is true, too, every
word of it-as sure as my name is Ben
Blower"
You've seen the Flame, then, afore,
stranger? Six years ago, when new on
the river, she was a raal out and outer,
tell ye. was at that time hand aboard
of her. Yes, I belonged to her at the
time of her great race with the Collar.
You've heern, mayhap, of the blOw-up by
which we lest it2 They made a great
fuss about it, but it was nothing but
mere fz of hot water, after all Only
the springiug of fewTivers, that loosen
ed 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 damages, and bury the poor fools
that we're killed. Here we lay for a
matter of thirty hours or SO, and got
things to rights for bran new start
There was some carpenter work yet to be
done, but the captain said that might
Just as we'll be fixed of when we were
under way-we had worked hard-the
weather was sour, and we needn't do any
more i;ss now-we might take that after
noon to ourselves, but the next morning
he'd got up steam mighty airly, and we'd
all come out new. There was no temper
ance society at Smasher's Landing, and I
went q shore on lark with some Of the
hands"
I omit the worthy Benjamin's adven-
lures on land, and, despairing of fully
conveying his language in its original
Doric force, will not hesitate to give the
rest Of his singular narrative in my own
words, save where, in a few instances, I
can recall his precise phraseolOgy, which
the reader will easily recognize.
The night was raw and sleety when
I Iregained the deck of our boat. The
officers, instead of leavinga watch above,
had closed up everything and shut them
selves in the cabin. The fre-room only
was open. The Boards dashed from the
outside by the explosion had not yet
been replaced. The floor of the room
was wet, and there was scarcely a corner
which afforded a shelter from the driving
storm. I was about leaving the room.
resignedtO sleep in the open air, and
now bent only upon getting under the
lee of some bulkhead that would protect
me against the wind. In passing out I
kept my arms stretched forward to feel
my way in the dark, but my feet came in
contactwith heavyirOnlid. Istumbled, l