The Portland daily press., 1874-01-31
.,r ;sh I'd a stopped for him. that's a,ln

"a hundred and sixty-five, sirv'
"How's your wood?'
"Plne all out-cypress half gone eating up
cotton wood like pier'
Break into that rosin on the main deck
pile 1t in, the boa, can pay for itv'
Soon the boat was punging and quivering
and screaming more madly than ever. But
the Amaranth's head was almost abreast the
Boreas's stern:
flows your steam now, Harry?.'
''Hundred and eighty-two, STRIP
"Break up the casks OF bacon in the forrard
hold! Pile it in! Levy on that turpentine in
the fantail-drench every stick OF wood with
itr
The boat was moving earthquake by this
time;
How is she now?'
ga bundled and ninety-six andsti aswell-
ing!-water below the middle gauge-cocks-
carrying every pound she can stand = nlSger
roosting on the safety-vave?-
''Good! How's your draft ?'
"Bully! Every time Niger heaves stick
of wood into the furnace ne goes out the cnim-
ney with it !"
iackstaff breasted the Bo:eas's wheel-house-
climbed along inch by inch till her chimney
breasted it-crept along, further and further
till the boats were wheeito wheel-and then
they closed up with heavy jolt and locked
together tight and fast iu the middle of the big
river under the flooding moonlight! A roar
and hurrah went up from the crowded decks
of both steamers-all hands rushed to the
guards 10 look and shout and gesticulate-the
weight careened the vessels over towards each
other-officers flew hither and thither cursing
and storming, trying to drive the people amid
shps-both captains were leaning over their
ratings shaking their fists, swearing and
threatening-backv volumes of smoke rolled
up and canopied the scene-delivering rain
OF sparks upon the vessels-two pistol-shots
rang out, and both captains lodged unhart,
and the packed masses of passengers surged
back and fell apart, while the shrieks of wo-
man aud children scared above the intolerable
dim
And then there wasa booming roar, a thun-
dering crash, and the riddled Amaranth drop
ped loose from her hold and dr,fted helplessly
away!
Instantly the fire-doors of the Boreas were
thrown open and the men began dashing
buckets cf water into the furnaces-tor it
would have been death and destruction to
stop the engines with such head of steam
on.
AS soon as possible the Boreas dropped down
TO the floating wreck and took off tue dead,
| the wounded and the unhurt-at least all
| that could be got at, for the whole forward
| half of the boat was shapeless rum, with the
| great chimneys lying crossed on top of it. and
| underneath were dozen victims imprisoned
| alive and wailing for help. While men with
axes worked with might and main to free these
poor fellows the Boreass boats went about,
| picking up stragglers from the river.
Aud now new horror presented ITSELF
| The wreck took fire from the dismantled fur
naces! Never did men work with hetrtier
| will than did those stalwart braves with the
| axes. But it was of no use. The fire ate its
| way steadily, despsing the bucket brigade
that fought it. 1t SEQ ched the clothes, it
singed the hair of the axe-men-it drove them
back, foot by foot-inch by inch-they waver-
ed, struck final blow in the teeth of the enc
my, and surrendered. And as they fell back
they heard prisoned voices saying:
| Don't leave us Don't desert! us Don't do
itr
And one poor fellow said:
81 am Henly Worley, stoker of the ANA
ranth My poor mother lives in st. Lonis.
Tell her lie for poor devils sake, please.
Say l was killed in an instant and never
knew what hurt me-though God knows I've
neither scratch nor bruise this moment! It's
hard to burn up in a coop like this with the
whole wide world SO near. Good-by, boys
we've all got to come to it at last, anyway p
The Boreas stood away out of danger, and
| the ruined steamer went drifting down the
stream, an island Of wreathing and climbing
fame that vomited clouds of smoke fiom time
to time, and gared more fiercely and sent its
luminous tongues higher and higher after
each emission. A shriek at intervals told OF
captive that had met his doom. The wreck
lodged upon asand- bar, and when the Boreas
turned the next point on her upward j1urney
it was still burning with scarcely abated fury
| When the boys came down into the main
saloon of the Boreas they saw pitiful sight
and heard world Of pitful sounds. Eleven
poor creatures lay dead and forty more lay
moaning. or pleading, or screaming, while a
score OF Good Samaritans moved among them,
doing what they could to relieve thei: suffer-
| ings-bathing their sklnl less faces and hodies
with linseed oil and lime water, and covering
the places with bulging masses of raw cotton,
| that gave to every face aud form dreadful
| and inhuman aspect.
A little wee French midshipman of four
teen lay fearfully injured, but never uttered
sound i'm physician of Memphis was about
to dress his hurts. Then he said:
"Can get well? ou need not be afraid
to tell me-"
''No-I-I am afraid you cannot"
"Then do not waste your time with me
help those that can get well.''
''But -'
s'Help those that can get well! 1t is not
for me to be girl. l carry the blood of eleven
generations OF soldiers in my veins!'
The physician-himselfa man who had
seen service in Il e navy in his time-touched
his hat to this little hero, and passed on.
The head engineer of the Amaranth, a
grand specimen of physical manhood, strug-
gled to his feet gastly spectacle, and
strobe towards his brother, the second engi-
neer, who was unhurt. He said:
''You were on watch. You were boss.
You would not listen to ME when 1 begged
you to reduce your steam. Take that =
take it to my wife. and tell her it comes
from me by the hand of my murderer! Take
it-and take my curse with it to blister your
heart hundred years and may you live so
longp
And he tore ring from his finger, strip
ping flesh and skin with it, threw it down
and fell dead!
But these things must not he dwelt upon,
The Boreas landed her dreadful cargo at the
next large town and delivered it over to a
multitude of eager hands and warm south
ern hearts-a cargo amounting by this time
to SO wounded persons and % dead bodies.
And with these she delivered list of 96
missing persons that had drowned or other
wise perished at the scene of the disaster.
A jury of inquest was impanneled, and
after due deliberation and inqdiry. they re-
turned the inevitable American verdict
which has been so familiar to our ears all the
days of our lives
Nobody to blame"