Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1874-02-05

'Stand Dy 10 meet neI!
George had the wheel hard dowI
and was standing on aspoke.
All ready!'
| The boat hesitated-seemed to hold
her breath, as did the captain and pi.
, Iots-and then she began to fall away
to starboard, and every eye lighted.
'Noso then!-meet her! meet her!
Snatch herv
The wheel flew to port so fast that
the spokes blended into a spider-web-
the swing of the boat subsided-she
steadied herself
Seven feetp
'Sev-six and q hdy'
six feeti Six f.
Bang! She hit the bottom! George
shouted through the tube:
Spread her wide open! Whale 1t at
her.
Pow-vow-chow! The escape pipes
belched snowy pillars of steam aloft,
the boat ground and surged and trem-
bled-and slid over into
MARX twain!
Quarter her
tap! tap! tap' (tosignify Lay In the
leads.O
And away she went, flying up the
willow shore, with the whole silver sea
of the Mississippi stretching abroad or
every hand.
No Aramanth in sight.
'Ha, ha, boys, we took a couple of
tricks that timer said the captain.
And Just at that time q red glare ap-
peared in the head of the chute and the
Amaranth came springing after them!
Well, / swear!'
sJim, what is the meaning of that?
'I'll tell you what's the meaning OF
it. That hail we had at Napoleon was
Wash Hastings, wanting to come to
Cairo--and we didn't stop. He's int the
pilot-house now, showing those mud
how to hunt for easy water.
That's it!' thought it wasn't any
slouch that was running that middle
bar in Hog-eye Bend. If its Wash,
Hastings-well, what he don't know
about the river amt worth knowing
"a regular -gold-leaf, kid-glove, dia-
mond breastpin pilot Wash Hastings
is. We won't take any tricks on him,
that's ALL.
The Amaranth was within three
hundred yards OF the Boreas, and Stili
gaining. The 'old man spoke through
the tube: Il
what is she carrying now?'
"A hundred and sivty-five, SIR
'HOw's.your wOOd?'
'Pine all out-cypress half gone eat
ing up cotton wood like piep
Break into that rosin on the main
deck-pile it in, the boat can pay for it,
Soon the boat was plunging and
and screaming more madly |
than ever. But the Amaranth's head |
WAS almost abreast the BOreas's stern. |
'How's your steam now, Harry"
sH&Sdsed and eighty-tw0, sir!' s4
Break up the casks of bacon in the |
forrard hole! Pile it in! Levy on that
in the fantail--drench every |
stick of wood with it,
The boat was moving earthquake |
by this time.
How is she nOw?'
"A hundred and ninety-six and still
a-swelling!-water below the middle
ge-cocks--carrying every pound she
can stand! Niger rOosting on the
Good! HOw's your draft?'
Bully! Every time niger heaves
a stick of wood into the furnace he goes
out of the chimney with it!'
The. Amaranth drew steadily up till
her jack-sxaff breasted the Boreas'S
climbed along inch by
inch till her chimney breasted it; crept
along, further aiad further till the boats
were wheel TO wheel; and they closed
up with heavy jolt and locked tOgeth-
er tight and fast in the middle Of the
big river under: the flooding moonlight
n roar and a hurrah went up from the
crowded decks of both steamers; all
hands rushed tothe guards to look ana
shout and seatiaulate; the weight ca
reened the vessels over toward each
other; the officers flew hither and
cufsing and storming, trying to
drive the people amidshiPs; both cap
tains were leaning over their ralllngs
shaking their fists, swearing and
black volumes Of smoke
tolled up and cauopied the scene; de-
livering rain of sparks upon the YES
sels; two pistol-shots rang out, and both
lodged unhnrt, ami the pack
ed masses of passengers surged back
and fell apart while the shrieks of wO-
men and children SCARED above the
din 8E
And there was booming roar, a
crash, and. the riddled Am
aranth dropped loose from her hold
and drifted heiplessly away!
Instantly the fire-doOrs Of the BOreas
were thrown open and the men began
dashing buckets of water into the fur
naccs-for it would have been death
and destruction to stop the engines with
such head of steam on.
AS soon as possible the Boreas drop.
ped 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 forward half of
the boat was shapeless ruin, with the
great chimneys lying crossed on top OF
it, and underneath were q dozen vic
Tins imprisoned alive and wailing for
help. While men with axes worked
with might and main to free these poor
fellows, the Boreas's boats went about,
picking up stragglers from the river.
And now new horror presented it.
self. The wreck took fire from the dis
mantled furnaces! Never did men
work with heartier will than did
those stalwart braves with the axes.
But it was of no use. The fire ate Its |
way steadily, despising the bucket
brigade that foughtit. 1t scorched the
clothes, it tsinged the hair Of the AK
men; it drove them back, foot by foot,
inch by inch; they wavered struck |
final blow in the teeth of the enemy,
and surrendered. And as they fell |
back they heard prisoned voices say
ing: Don'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 poor mother lives In
st. Louis. Tell her lie for q poor dew
IFS sake, please. Say Twas killed in !
an instant, and never knew what hurt !