The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1868-07-24
BLOWN UP.-How IT FEELS.
GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF MICHIGAN EDITORS
EXPERIENCE,

The steamer Magnolia was blown up
on the Ohio river some ten miles above
Cincinnati, in March last. Mention
was made at the time Of the supposed
fatal injuries received by Charles b.
Lewis (s'Em Quad"l, eX-local OF the
Lansing Democrat, who was on his way
20 accept situation ON the Maysville
XVI Bulletin. Being now, after lapse
of more than three months, partially
able to resume his duties, he thus writes
up an account of his accidents for the
JdclcSonidn:
"When | bought my ticket l asked
the clerk il the Magnolia was consider
ed a safe boat. He looked at me with a
halt sneering, half plying expression,
and replied by inquiring if l had ever
travelled much.
"Well, no-not above the average"
"Then you'll learn something, by and
by he continued.
II did. Was seated in the cabin be-
tween an ex-colonel of Georgia regi-
ment and a Cincinnati pork-dealer, and
we were all talking over the impeach-
Gient matter. My fellow passengers
soon became heated and angry. They
we're cursing Congress and the Presl-
dent ACROSS my head-cach one as lie
felt-~and was looking for a muss.-
Their angry talk soon collected crowd.
had just got up from my chair to keep
clear of the coming fracas, when heard
yell of agony, and before you couid
have counted three, up through the CAD
| in, and almost under our feet, came
huge jagged mass of iron.
@FOr an instant thereafter was con-
scious of everything going on. l saw
| hun, rnnt liftad heard the anU.
ry hiss of steam, the crashing of timbers,
and a cry from the injured and fright
ened passengers that never Will be for
gotten. Then was lifted from my feet;
[ felt an intense pain in the back of my
head, and a biting, singing sensation
over my entire body. Sixteen days
afterwards | awoke in the Commercial
Hospital in Cincinnati. knew that l
was badly hurt, but could not rcmem-
ber how or when l was injured.
| "As afterwards ascertained, l was
blown out of the cabin into the river
| When the explosion occurred the steam
er was Just rounding tie bend above
California, hugging pretty close to the
Ohio shore TO avoid the heavy current.
I must have taken jump ofat least two
hundred feet, as 1 was pic ied up close
to the bank The survivors were con-
veyed down to the city on a tug; and
here comes the only joke l can discover
in the whole affair.
.sF rom sonie cause or other, my face
was turned to as deep black as ne
gro ever wore, and [ was accordingly
treated as one. A dead-cart was sent
down from the hospital, and side by
side with two wounded darkies, lying
on the mattress, was carried up. The
mistake was not discovered until the
surgeon commenced shaving the hair OF
nv head to get at my broken skull.
was supposed for the first two days tt
be a deck hand, but telegram from my
wife to the editor of the Enquirer, wht
came and hunted me up, soon set the
matter right.
aOn awakening in the hospital, in
uuired how badly | was hurt. The only
answer | received was to keep still.
Considering that l could move neither
day, made tie journey.
sGetting home-my friends had beer
looking to see me come in Il cotfin-my
wounds had all filed up with 'prout
flesh.' This of course had to be burned
| out-driving me crazy for night aud
day, and compelling me to use a solu
ton of blue vitrol twice day for forty
, davs. So you can form a slight idea o
the pain and suffering, and how muci
I'VE local can endure without becoming
! dead NATTER
snow, aftera lapse of almost one hun
dred day find myself once more a
, bout, but condemned to wear the savag
marks of the steam-tlend to my grave
A bald spot where the iron missile
crushed nv skull, a 'piebald' eye, fac
] that resembles a beet, and over m,
arms, body, and limbs are scars that re
sembles great slices of fresh beef lal'
upon the skin. But, after all, am ye
alive, and getting ready to once NOR
pursue the 'itemizing' business, whic
: fished out of the Ohio some torpid day
with no coroner handy for an inquest.