Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-01-03
WEST VIRGINIA. SATURDAY. JANUARY 8 1874

"What Il she carrying now ~
"A ha ,dred and sixty-five,
SIR"
"Hou :, our wood ?'
''Pine all out-cypress hall
gone-eating up cotton wood like
pie ~
"Break into that rosin on the
main deck-pile it in, the boat can
pay for It'll"
Soon the toat was plunging and
quivering and screaming more
madly than ever. But the ARA.
maDth's head was almost abreast
the Boreas' stern.
sHow's your s.eam now, Iarry2'
Hundred and eighty-two sir.n
''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
i'm it!n
The boat was a moving earth
quake by this time,
"How is she?"
"a hundred and ninety-six and
still sweliing!-water below the
middle gauge cocks! carrying ev-
cry pound she can stand !-nigger
roosting on the salety.valve !"
Flows your draft ?''
Bully. Every time a negro
heaves a stick Of wood into the
furnace he goes out the chimney
with it,"
The Aramantli drew steadily
up until her jackstaff breasted the
Boreas' wheelhouse climbed mp
inch by inch till her chimney
breasted it--crept along further
and further till the boats were
wheel and wheel-and then they
closed up with heavy jolt and
locked together tight and fast in
the middle of the big river under
the flooding moonlight!.A roar and
a llurrah went up from the decks
of both steamers-all hands rushed
to the guards to look and shout
and gesticulate-the weight ca
reeued the vessels over towards
each other officers flew hither
and thither cursing and storming,
trying to drive the people amid
ships both captains were leaning
over towards each other threaten
ing and sweariDg-black volumes
of smoke rolled up and canopied
the scene-~delivering rain Of
sparks upon the vesseis-two pis-
tol shots rang out, and both cap
tains lodged unhurt, and the
packed masses ofpassengers surged
back and fell apart, while the
shrieks Of women and children
scared above the intolerable din
And then there was a booming
roar, a laundering crash, and the
riddled Amaranth dropped loose
from her hold and drifted hep
lessly away!
Ins family the fire-doors of the
Boreas were thrown open and the
mell began dashing buckets of
water into the furnace - for it
would have been death and de-
struction to stop the engines with
such a 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 forward halfof the boat was
a shapeless ruin, with the great
chimneys lying crossed on top of
it, and underneath were a dozen
victims imprisoned alive and vail
ing for help. While men with
axes worked with might and main
to free these poor fellows, the
Boreas' boats went about, picking
up stragglers from theriver.
And now new horror presented
itself. The wreck took fire from
the dismantled furnaces Never
did men work with a heartier will
than did those stalwart braves
with the axes. But il was Of no
use. The fire ate its way steadily,
despising the bucket brigade that
fought it. 1t scorched the clothes,
it singed the hair of the axemen-
it drove them back, foot by foot
inch by inch--they wavered, ~
struck d final blow in the teeth of
the enemy, and surrendered. And
as they fell back they heard pris-
oned voices saying:
"Don't leave us! Don't leave
us! Don't do it ~
And one poor fellow said:
II am Henry Morley, striker of
the Amaranth My poor mother
lives in st. Louis. Tell her lie
for a poor DEVILS sake, please. Say
/ was killed in an instant and
never knewwhat 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 wcrld so near.
Goodbye, bOys-We've all got to