Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1868-07-17
How II Feels to be Blown Up.

MosT of our readers will doubtless re.
member the explosion OF the steamer Mag
nolia, on tho Ohio river, some ten miles
above Cincinnati, in March last, Mention
was made, At the time, of the supposed IA.
tai injuries received by Charles l}. Lewis
("Em Quad~, ox,local Of the Lansing
Democrat, who was on his way to accept
situation on the Mayville (Ky0 Bmlotia.
Being now, after a lapse of more than
three months, partially able TO resume his
duties, he thus writes up an account OF his
accident for the JaokSoRidR
when bought my ticket, | asked the
clerk ifthc Magnolia was considered safe
boat He looked at me with hale snccr
ing, half plying expression, and replied by
inquiring If had ever travelled much.
"Well, no-not above the average
"Then you'll learn something by and
by he continued.
81 did. Was seated in the cabin, be.
tween an ex. Colonel of a Georgia regiment
and Cincinnati pork dealer, and wcwere
all talking over the impeachment matter
My fellow passengers soon became heated
and angry. They were cursing Congress
and the President across my hcad-oach
one as he felt-and l was looking for a
muss. Their angry talk soon collected a
crowd. had just got up from my chair to
keep clear of the coming lracas, when
heard q yell ofagony, and before you could
have counted three, up through the cabin,
and almost under our feet, came u huge,
Jagged mass of iron.
"For an instant thereafter | was con.
scious of every thing going on. saw the
cabin roof lifted up, heard the angry hiss
of steam, the crashing of timhers, and n
cry from the injured and frightened pas
songers that will never be forgotten.
Then was lifted from my feet; / felt an
intense pain in the back Of my head, and
n biting, singing sensation over my entire
body Sixteen days anerward awoke in
the Commercial Hospital, at Cincinnati
| knew that was badly hurt, but could
not remember how or when | was injured
CAS- afterward ascertaincd, was blown
out of the cabin into the river When
the explosion occurred, the steamer was
Just rounding the bend above California,
hugging pretty close TO the Ohio shore TO
avoid the heavy current. | must have
taken n jump of at least two hundred feet,
MS was picked up close to the bank The
survivors were conveyed down TO the city
on tug, and here comes the only joke |
can discover in the whole affair.
"From some cause or other, my face was
turned to as deep black as any negro ever
wore, and Twas accordingly treated as one
A dead cart was sent down from the hos
pital, and side by side with two wounded
darkies, lying on Il mattress, was carried
up. The mistake was not discovered until
the surgeons commenced shaving the hair
off to get at my broken skull. was sup
posed, for the first two days, TO be deck
hand, but telegram from my wife to the
editor of the Enquirer, who came and
hunted me up, soon set the matter right.
"On awaking in the hospital, l inquired
how badly was hurt. The only answer
| received was to keep still Consider
ing that could move neither hand nor foot,
Regarded this advice as entirely thrown
away. But it did not take me long to
find out that, first, there was an uncom-
Portable 'air hole in the back of my head !;
second, the sight entirely gone from my
left optic, and the skin peeled off my
face and ears; third, that l had been
steamed or rather cooked, from head to
heel, including both arms; and lastly, that
the doctors had just pulled me through n
severe attack Of pneumonia. Remained
in the hospital twenty-ninc days, and then
| concluded to go home. Had not yet been
able to leave my bed, but, accompanied by
| my brother-in-law, &. III. Rullison, Esq,
WuO lttu huIoCu ulc lIOH Iuc IllIu utlgI L
| made the journey.
"Getting home-my friends had been
looking to see me come in coflin-my
wounds had all filled up with proud flesh
This, of course, had to be burned out
driving me crazy for night and day
and compelling me to use solution of
blue vitriol twice day for forty days. So
you can form a slight idea of the pain and
suffering, and how much 'ye local can
endure without becoming dead matter
"Now, after lapse of almost one hun.
dred days, find myself once more about,
but condemned to wear the savage marks
of the steam-flend to my grave A bald
spot where the iron missile crushed my
skull, a 'piebald' eye, face that resem-
bles beet, and over my arms, body and
limbs are scars that resemble great slices
OF fresh beef laid upon the skin. But
after all, am yet alive and getting ready
to once more pursue the 'itomizing bust
ness, which you know is vastly better than
being fshed out of the Ohio some torpid
day, with no Coroner handy for an in
quest"