Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1869-09-18

extensive III THIS ENulANkNf EANAhE N'Fa 1
ment to about 600 hands, and were owned
principally BY stockholders residing IN
Philadelphia, Mr.. Lewis, the superlnteh-
dent. owning probably more stock than
any other individual. They consisted OF
four immense stacks, four large cast
houses. three c~oal-houses, stor'-house'
e~ngine-house and other buildings heces-
sary for hecarrying on OF the heaNy Dusl
ness ofdhe furnace. The nre originated
in Tho waste room Ofthe engine house at
tacbed no stack No. 3, and is supposed TO
noe caurht from the lamp of the engl-
neer. The fire then communicated to the
engine house, and quickly spread TO each
If the engine and cast houses, involving
in one sheet Of flame the whole mass of
buildings, and presenting a sight fearful
to look upon. The seething, Kissing noise
of escaping steam and rushing of hot air,
the white lame and sulphurOus clouds OF
smoke, formed a scene appalling as it was
grand.
The New York Star tells this story
of the most notable and wonderful in
stance of devotion to duty shown by the
bridgeman on the Newark and New Jer-
sew Railroad on Monday last-indeed, a
devotion that seems unnatural, for the
man in question sacrificed his child's life
| to save the lives of others. Jas. Decker,
the man in question, is employed to open
and close the drawbridge on the Passaic
river. Monday last, Decker, as usual,
was employed upon the bridge, accompa-
MED By his son, a lad of ten years. Some
vessels requiring to 90 up the stream, the
bridge was opened by Decker and the
| boats permitted to pass through. There
was not much time TO spare in closing the
| bridge, a train being due there in a few
minutes. Slowly the bridge turned on
its table, and when within a few yards Of
its proper position Decker heard the shrill
whistle of the locomotive on its way TO
the Jersey depot. At almost the same
moment he heard a cry for help coming
from beneath the bridge, and looking
down into the water he observed, with
| horror. that his son had fallen into the
river and was struggling for life. He
could easily have jumped down into the
water and saved his boy, but the train
was coming on at a rapid pace n the
| bridge was still open, and to save his son
was to insure the destruction of the train.
Parental love is strong, and it was strong
il Decker; the first Impulse of the father
was to leave the train to its fate and save
the boy, Ii the devotion to duty over
came parental affection, and he Instantly
determined to save the train by closing
the bridge. The draw was arranged with
all the speed possible, and then Decker
rushed TO the assistance of his child, but
it was too late, for the boy had sunk TO be
seen no more alive. He obtained assist
ancc, and in 4 few minutes recovered the
body of the poor little one. Great indeed
was the fathers grief, although he did not
regret the decision that ended his sons
life. This is an event almost without a
parallel, and seems quite as improbable
as are many of the scenes described in
the yellow covered literature OF the day.
There are few Deckers in the world. His
action was 50 thoroughly unselfish, so
noble, as to appear not only improbable,
but unnatural.
A dispatch from New York, of the
10th, saws that the speech of Prince Napo-
leon fills six columns of the official jour
nal, and the late foreign papers also
abound in comments upon it. The tele-
graph reported that he made a speech, and
that lie suggested a reform, and that his
speech was criticised by the government
journals. 1t also informed US later that
the Emperor approved the speech. IL did
not tell. however, what the reforms adYo-
Gated by the Prince were. We learn from
a London journal that he touched upon
the five following points; Ministerial re
s~ponsibility incOnpletely and vaguely
stipulated by article , of the project; the
composition of the Senate to be at least in
part the result of popular election mstead
/ of imperial favor: the electoral circum-
scriptiOn of districts, the evil Of whose
present eccentric arrangement was album
] UantlE seen IN the last eleclions the cleo
ton Of Mayor by the municipal councils;
the necessity Of having two chambers,
sharing the legislative power with the En-
perOr. In the course of his speech, Napo-
leon said: / I'M anxious to affirm
my entire and complete devotedness, not
only to the Emperor but also to mis- son.
Loud applause. l understand better
than any one that my interest as well as
NV affections are ~indisSolubly bound up
in the Empire. Hear, hear.l l believe
the co-eNistence of the Empire with lib
erty to be perfectly possible, and those
men who think that it is not are Them
selves as irrecOnciIahle as they maintain
those " words to be. Liberty may be
for a time eclipSed, but il is a beacon to-
wards which all civilized nations are
tending, and France has a right to count
herself among the umber Those men
who look upon the present reforms as
contrary to the principles of the Empire,
are enemies of the Government. Those
who consider them as AN experiment are
only equally dangerous. I would have
the Empire of personal authority burn its
vessels and abandon all ideas Of receding.
The art of governing is To give way %
lust aspirations. and not To resist when all
round US industry and science are advan-
cling. Would you have political institu-
tiOns to remain stationary Progress is
as necessary in the latter as in the former.
and that onwaFd march belongs to the I'M
perial traditions.