The Rock Island daily Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1872-1873, 1873-08-29
Chr 1ailg Argns,
The lie Nard Letters,
Another Mysterious Presentiment----The
Steamer Wawaset---A Heart that Wouldn't
Break
WASHINGTON, Aug. %, 1873.

WASHINGTON, Aug. %, 1873.
Little more than two weeks ago a party
of friends had determined to 60 on noon
light excursion. forty miles down the Po-
tomac One of the party had lady friend
visiting her who was, of course, included
in the arrangements but who suddenly
| declared that she must pack up and leave
the city Immediately. Upon being pressed
to rise and explain, she begged us TO
abstain from going on the water, as she, in
a claivoyant state, had seen steamer
burned on the Potomac, and over hun
bred lives lost; that she would not, could
not stay and see the agony of the surviv-
ors, and that she must leave forthwith
OF course we argued, begged aud pouted
| but all TO no purpose she went home, and
we went down the river and had one of the
happiest times imaginable The night
was simply perfect in its calm beauty Thc
water like ripples of liquid silver, a large
eommOdious steamer, string band, a
piano, and plenty of jolly people; who
could help enjoying the hours? My sides
ache now when | think of the screams OF
laughter one little circle consisting of a
merry sawbones and five or six eongenial
spirits, caused to burst forth wherever they
went. How they sang of Mary's little
lamb, shouting the battle-cry Of free
dom, how they dashed one of their num-
Der to one of the four-inch iron posts, and
then called upon the company to step up
and see the celebrated statue of ''Farragut
mashed to the last" and altogether said
and did funny things enough to make a
hypochondriac smile in spite of himself.
Well, on terra trina again, we smiled
Just the least bit in a superior way wher
thinking of the predictions of our runaway
and meditated all sorts of little reminder.
of her ignominous fight, when suddenly
laughter died and faces blanched in view
of the terrible fate of the Wawaset and
her passengers.
The first supposition was that only abou
) fifty persons were lost; but since ther
over eighty bodies have been recovered
and, as many hOated down the river an(
| will never be found, our friends estimat,
was doubtless a correct one.
The investigation concerning the caus,
of the disaster has been continued from
day to day, and, as usual, the verdict vii
be mo one to blame; > but public opinion
is strongly against the officers of the boat
as no one will believe that in broad day
light, and within few yards from tn
shore, so many would have beel
lost, had even one resOlute, sensible ma
and the required apparatus been on board
One gentleman, a MIR. Reed, lost hi
young wife, three children by forme
marriage, an aunt, and u cousin by tn
disaster; and many of his friends feare
for his reason For some organization
even the oblivion Of insanity would hav
= been better than the tOrturing conscious
ness of an avalanche of sorrows ike that
and | thought it likely that life or reaso
would give way in this case; but one even
ing | saw beneath the funeral notice q
some of his departed ones, hating strln
of rhymes composed by himself; then
considered him safe Whenever the mn
can come down to give visibility to tn
- hearts agony in execrable verse, tina
5 mind and heart will not succumb then an
+ there. Wonder with what event the mex
4 mention of his name in the newspaper
4 will be connected? LIE MARI