Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-02-06
INDEPENDENCE. WA,FR

it." f
The Amaranth drew steadily mp
till her flag staff breasted the Bore
as wheel house climbed along
inch by inch till her chimneys
breasted i,-crept along further and
further, till the boats were wheel to
wheel-and then they closed uD
with a jolt and locked together tight
and fast in the biddle of the big
river, under the fftoding moonlight!
A roar and o huerah went up from
the crowded decks of both steam
ers-all hands rusAed to the guards
to look and shout, and gesticuIate-
the weight careened the vessels
over toward each other-officers
rushed hither and thither cursing
and storming, trying to drive the
people amidships-both captains
were leaning over the ratings
shaking their fists, swearing and
threatening-black 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
unhurt and the packed mass Of pas
sengers surged back and fell apart
while the shrieks Of women and
children scared above the intolera-
BILE din
And then there was booming
roar, laundering crash, and the
riddled Amaranth dropped loose
from their hold and driftcd help
lessly away!
Instantly the fire doors of the Bo-
reas were thrown open, and the
men began dashing buckets of water
in the furnaccs-for 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 the dead, the wounded,
and the unhurt-at least all that
could be got at, for the whole for
ward half of the boat was shape
less ruin, with the great chimneys
lying across the top of it, and un-
derneath were dozen victims I'M
prisoned alive and wailing for help.
While men with axes worked with
might and main to free these poor
fellows, the Boreas' boats went
about, picking up stragglcrs from
the river.
Aud now new horror presented
itself. The wreck took fire from
the dis,nantled furnaces! Never
did men work with a heartier will
than did those stalwart braves with
axes. But it was of no use. The
fire ate its way saeadily, despising
the bucket brigand that fought it.
II scorched the clothes, it slnged
the hair of the axmen-it drove
them back foot by foot-inch by
inch-they wavered, struck a final
blow in the teeth of the enemy, and
surrendered. And as they fell
back they heard prisoned voices
saying:
eDon't leave us! Don't desert US!
Don't do it!''
And one poor fellow said:
81 am Henry Worley, striker Of
the Amaranth! My mother lives in
St. Louis. Tell Aer a 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 a scratch nor bruise this
moment! It's hard to burn up in a
coop like this with the whole wide
world so near. Good bye, boys
we've all got to come to it at last,
anyway"
The Boreas stood away out of
danger, and the ruined steamer
went drifting down the stream an
island OF wreathing and climbing
flame that vomited clouds of smoke
from time to time, and glared more
fiercly and sent the luminous
tongues higher and higher after
each emission. A shrek at inter-
walls told of a captive that had had
met his doom. The wreck lodged
upon n sand bar, and when the Bo-
rcas turned the next point on her
upward journey it was still burning
with scarcely aba'ed fury.
When the boys came down into
the main saloon Of the Boreas, they
saw a pitiful sight, and heard a
world Of pitiful sounds. Eleven
poor creatures lay dead, and forty
more lay moaning, or pleading, or
screaming, while score Of Good
Sameritans moved among them do
ing what they could to relieve their
sutferings; bathing their skinless
faces and bodies with linseed oil
and lime water, and covering the
places with bulging masses of raw
cotton that gave to every face and
form dreadful and inhuman as
pect.
A little wee French midshipman
Of IA lay fearfully injured, but new
er uttered a sound until a physician
of Memphis was about to dress his
hurts.
"Can / get well? You need not
be afraid TO tell me-"
"No-I-I-I am afraid YOU can
not"
'Then do not waste your time
with me-help those that can get
WELL"
s'But-"
''Help those that can get we'll! II
is not for me to be girl. / carry
the blood of eleven generations Of
soldiers in my veins!"
The physician-himself man
who had seen service in tho
navy in his time-touched his
hat to this little hero and passed
on.
The head engineer of the ANA
ranth, a grand specimen Of physical
manhood, struggled to his feet a
ghastly spectacle, and strobe TO his
brother, the second engineer, who
was unhurt. He said:
"You were on watch. You were
boss. You would not listen to me
when / begged you to reducs Your
steam. Take that!-takc il to NV