The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1874-01-20
What is she earring now"
"a hundred and sixty-6ve sir!"

1
How is your wood p
Pine all out-cypress half gone-eat-
ing up cotton wood like pie! ~
| Break into that resin on the main
deck-pile it in, the boat can pay for
It'll!
Soon the boat was funging and culver
ing and screaming more madly than ever.
But the Amaranth' head was almost
abreast the Boreas' stern.
"How's your steam now. Harry %
Hundred and eighty-two, sir.
"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 it y
| The boat was moving earthquake by
| this time.
How is she now2''
A hundred and ninety six and still
swelling water below the middle guage-
cocks-carrying every pound she can
stand-nigger roosting on the safety
valve -
Good How's your draft?''
Bully Every time niger heaves a.
stick of wood into the furnace, be goes
Out the chimney with it -
The Amaranth drew steadily up till
her jackstaff breasted the Boreas' wheel
house-climbed along inch by inch till
her chimneys breasted it-crept along,
further and further, till the boats were
wheel to wheesi-and then they closed
up with heavy jolt and locked together
light and fast in the middle of the big
river, under the flooding moonlight. A
roar and a hurrah vent out from the
crowded decks of both steamers
hands rushed to the guards to look, and
shout and gesticulate-the weight ca
reened the vessels over toward each
other-oficers flew hither and thither
cursing and storming, trying to drive the
people nid-ship-both captains were
leaning over their ratings shaking their
fists, swearing and threatening black
volumes of smoke rolled up and cano-
pied the scene, delivering rain of
sparks upon the vessels-two pistol
shots rang out, and both captains dodg-
ed unhurt and the packed masses OF pas
sengers surged back and fell apart while
shrieks of women and children scared
above the intolerable din.
And then there WAS q booming roar, a
laundering crash, and the Amaranth
dropped loose from their hold and drift
ed helplessly away
Instantly the fire doors of the Boreas
were thrown open, and the men began
dashing buckets Of water in the furnace.
for it would have been death and de-
struction to stop the engines with such
G. 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 I'M
| hurt-at least all that conid be got at,
| for the whole forward half of the boat
was shapeless ruin, with the great
chimneys lying crossed on the top of it,
and underneath were dozen victims
imprisoned alive and waiting for help
/ While men with axes worked with might
and main to free these poor fellows, the
Boreas' boat went about picking up
stragglers from the river.
And now anew 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 axes But it was of no use
The fire ate it's way steadily, despising
the bucket brigade that fought it. 1t
schorched the clothes, it singed the hair
Of the axemen-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 say
ing:
Don't leave US Don't Desert us I
Don't dc it y
And one poor fellow said
81 am Henry Worley, striker of the
An1aranth y. " POOR mother lives in ST.
Lon; Tell heI lie for poor devil $
sake, please. Say I was killed in al in
slant and never knew what hurt ne
though God knows I've. neither scratch
nor bruise this 1noment It's hard to
burn up in q coop like this with the
whole wide world SO near. Good-by
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 wreathinq
and climbing dame that vomited clouds
of smoke from time to time, and glareG
more farcoly and sent its luminous ton
CUES higher after each emission !