Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1874-02-28

boat was shapeless ruin, with the
great chimneys lying crossed on the
top of it, and underneath were q dozen
victims imprisoned 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 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 fought it, 1t scorched the clothes,
it sin.ed the hair of the axeman--it
drove them back foot by foot--inch by
inch-they wavered, struck a final blow
in the teeth of the enemy, and surren-
dercd. And as they fell back they
heard prisoned voices saying:
"Don't leave us! Don't, desert us!
Don't, don't doit1
And one poor fellow said:
81 am Henry Worley striker Of the
Ama'unh. My mother lives in ST.
Louis. Tell her lie for poor devils
sake, please. Say 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 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 Borcas stood away out Of danger,
and the ruined steamer went drifting
down the stream an island of wreathing
and climbing fame that emitted clouds
of smoke from time to time, and glared
more fiercely and sent the luminous
tongues higher and higher after each
emission. a; shrek at intervals told of
a captive that had met his doom. The
wreck lodged upon a sand-bar, and
when the Boreas turned the next point
on her upward journey, it was still
burning with abated fury.
When the boys came down into the
main saloon of the B0reds they saw a
pitiful sight and heard world OF pit
iful sounds. Eleven poor creatures lay
dead, and forty more lay moaning, OF
pleading or screaming, while a score
of Good Samaritans moved among
them doing what they could to relieve
their sufl'erings; bathing their skinless
faces and bodies with lnseed oil and
lime-water, and covering the places
with bulging masses of raw cotton that
gave to every face and form dreadful,
inhuman aspect.
A little wee French midshipman OF
IA lay fearfully injured, but never ut
tered sound till physician of Mem
phis was about to dress his hurts.
"Can 1 get we'll? You 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 we'll
"But-"
"Help those that can get well. 1t is
not for me to be a girl. | carry the
blood of eleven generations of soldiers
in my veins!
The physician himself man who
had seen service in the navy in his
tine-touched his hat to this little hero
and passed on.
The head engineer of the 1maranth,
grand specimen of physical manhood,
struggled to his feet a ghastly spectacle
and strobe towards his brother, the
second engineer, who was unhurt. He
said:
"You were on watch. You were
boss. You would not listen to me
, when I begged you to reduce YOU
steam. Take that!-take that 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 lonS!'
And he tore ring from his finger
stripping flesh and skin with it, threw
it down, and fell dead.
But these things must not be dwell
upon. The Boreas landed her dreadful
cargo at the next large town and de
livered it over to multitude of cage!
, hands and warm Southern hearts q
cargo amounting by this time to thirty.
, nine wounded persons, and twenty-five
dead bodies. And with these she de
, livered list of ninety-six persons that