The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-01-23
AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.

ONGN GONGD WIZ
TT was early in the summer of 1S45, that
Il found myself on board the Sultana,
just backing out from the levee at New
Orleans, and turning her sharp low prov
up the Mississippi River. AS usual at
this season of the year, the boat was
crowded, both with deck and cabin pas
sengers, the former consisting of some
hundred German emigrants bound up to
a settlement in Missouri.
The boat plowed on steadily northward
now passing some lofty bluff, and now
for hours skirting the low woodlands of
Louisiana and Arkansas, and now stop
ping and rounding-to at some temporary
landing, to wood-up," or atsome sugar
plantation, to discharge a small party,
consisting of planter and his family
from the city.
But when night came and the steamer
rounded-to for wood at one of those wild
spots on the rivers banks-the only
inhabitants being some two or three
wood-cutters and their families, with
perhaps slave or two, and the only
recommendation that the spot offered for
settlement being its proximity to an
available forest of wood-the scene was
grand beyond description. Torches were
flying hither and thither, deck hands
always in large understanding from
the boat to the shore on one line of
planks and coming back on another
loaded with wood, which was hastily de-
posted on deck, and then hurrying off
again. No wilder scene can be imagin-
ed; the bright lights of the steamers
state-rooms throwing their gleamings
deep into the forests thickness.
The first day on board the steamer a
young and very handsome German wo-
man, who was evidently too i'll to endure
the hardships of a deck passage, had
been taken into the cabin and her pas
sage paid by purse made up by the
passengers. She had arrived in ship
at New Orleans, two days before coming
on board the steamer, and was, in COM
mon with the rest of the German pas
sengers, bound for the settlement in Mis-
souri,. Her illness was solely caused by
weakness, brought on by continued sea-
sickness and the want of those little
comforts and necessities impossible at
sea. She had no intimate friends among
her country people on board, but had
joined them at Hamburg, on shipboard,
and had thus arrived in America. Her
object was to meet her husband who had
agreed to be at this settlement, and who
had sent her the means,-though not
quite enough in amount-to come and
join him. There might have been hun
dred such cases on board, and little curl
osity or interest excited by them but
in her case, a strange fascination involv-
ed one. She was so young, so patient,
SO pale with sickness and deprivation
that one could not but feel deeply inter-
ested in her.
Having some knowledge Of medicine,
/ had been called upon, by the captain
of the Sultana, to administer from his
medicine chest to the assistant engineer,
who had come out of New Orleans so i'll
as to create some fears for his life, but
being an excellent man the captain
would not leave him, preferring to bring
him away from the city and to take care
of him ON board. He had exposed HIM
self at night, and had taken the country
fever, as it is called, and though it was
but slightly upon him, still he was far
too i'll to leave his berth.
We had touched at Vicksburg, Grand
Gulf, Natchez, etc., and were steaming
CALAMITY on towards st. Louis. Find
ing my patient on the engineers deck
in want Of many of the absolute neces-
stiles Of life, in his sick condition, 1
took some portions of my own ward
robe, and after representing the case to
the cabin passengers at lunch one day,
obtained from them some important ad-
ditions to his comforts in the way of
clothing, linen, etc. When this arrange
ment was made, our young German
woman, understanding that there was
another on board like herself, sick, and
needing the charity of the good people
OF the cabin, begged to be permitted, now
that she was 50 much better, to make
up any article he might require, where,