The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-01-08

stand-Digger roosting on the safety
valve 70
"Goodi How's your draft ?"
Bully! Every time a nigger heaves
a stick of wood in the furnace, he goes
out the chimney with It'll"
The Amaranth drew steadily up till
her jack-staff 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 wheel-and then
they closed up with a heavy jolt, and
locked together tight and fast in the
middle of the big river under the flood
ing moonlight A roar and a hurrah
went up from the crowded decks of
both steamers-all hands rushed to the
guards to look, and shout, and gesticu-
late-the weight careened the vessels
over toward each other-of1eers few
hither and thither cursing and storming,
trying to drive the people amidships-
both captains were leaning over the
ratings, shaking their fists, swear
ing 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 dodge ed unhurt, and the
packed masses of passengers surged
back and fell apart. while the shrieks of
women and children scared above the
intolerable din
And then there was booming roar, a
laundering crash, and the riddled ANA
ranth dropped loose from their hold and
drifted helplessIy away
Instantly the fire doors of the Boreas
were thrown open, and the men began
dashing buckets of water in the fur
naces-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 a shapeless ruin, with the
great chimneys lying crossed on the top
of it, underneath were a dozen victims
imprisoned alive and wailing for help.
While men with axes worked with might
and main to free thes poor fellows, the
Boreas's boats went about, picking up
stragglers from the river.
And now a 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 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
singed the hair of the axmen-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 saying:
"Don't leave us Don't desert us I
Don't don't do it /"
Add one poor fellow said:
a. am Harry Worley, striker of the
Amaranthl Ny 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 druise this momentl It's hard to
burn up in 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 wreathing
and climbing flame that vomited clouds
of smoke from time to time, and glared
more fiercely and sent its luminous
tongues higher and higher after each
emission. A shrek at intervals told ol
a captive that had met his doom. The
wreck lodged upon a sandbar, and
when the Boreas turned the next point
on her upward journey it was sill burn.
ing with any scarcely abated fury.
When the boys came down into the
main saloon of the Boreas, they saw 6
pitiful sightand heard a world of pitifuI
sounds. Eleven poor creatures lay dead
and forty more lay moaning, or pleading
or screaming, while a score of Good
Samaritsns moved among them doing
what they could to relieve their suffer
ings bathing their skinless faces ant
bodies with linseed oil and lime water
and covering the places with bulgine
masses of raw cotton that gave to every
face and form a dreadful and unhuma1
aspect.
A little wee French midshipman o.
fourteen lay fearfully Injured, but never
uttered sound till physician of Mem
phis was about to dress his hurts.
"Can get well? You need not b,
afraid to tell me-.
Mol am afraid you cannot"
"Then do not waste your time Will
me-help those that can get well"
"But-"
"Help those that can get we'll 1t i
/ AAo2 AOA AAC ~ bo q EAAAs StAAN III
blood of eleven generations of soldier
in my veins !"
The physician-himself a man VIII
had seen service in the navy in his tim
touched his hat to this little hero, an
passed on.
The head engineer of the Amaranth
a grand specimen Of physical manhood
struggled to his feet CHASTITY spectacle
and strobe toward his brother, the seC
ond engineer, who was unhurt. He said
"You were on watch. You were bos'
You would not listen to me when bee
ged you to reduce your steam. Tax
that take it to my wife and tell her
comes from me by the hand of my mul
derer Take it!-and take my ours
with it to blister your heart hundre
years-snd may you live SO long y
And he tore a ring from his hngel
stripping flesh and skin with it; thre
it down and fell dead
But these things must not be dive
upon. The Boreas landed her dreadft