Wichita eagle., 1888-11-10
THE SAD. SAD JOURNEY.

Newton Republican.
It was cold, dark and dismal night.
1t had rained during the day. and a fog
hung over the river. The air was damp,
and chilled even the happy families who
were seated around the murmuring coal
| stoves. 1t could not have been much
more unfavorable for the beginning OF
the journey, but arrangements had all
been made for the long voyage and it
was not thought proper to postpone mat
tiers. The old ship lay close against the
west bank and by the feeble rays of the
lantern, could be seen the forms of the
officers, crew and passengers as they
almost CROPPED their way across the gang
plank. Finally the last passenger gained
the deck and the dull grating of the
plank as it swung into its place told the
spectators along the wharf that the time
for starting had arrived. The bell
sounded; the chu, chu of the engine fol-
lowed, the wheels began to revoive and
the old vessel Defeat" slowly moved
from her mornings. For moment she
seemed to drift with the tide and the
spectators seeing the bow dip, feared
she had sprung leak, but she had not
and after few puff, puffs, she slowly
headed up the river. On she went and
as she made the turn the lights aboard
were brought more plainly into view
and thus revealed the forms of the sad
deck, as we'll as the officers and crew.
The tall lank figure of Colonel Long
necker was discerned leaning up against
81, l. 1t - f1a Il
rection of the Harlem bridge for the
the hope that never came. Pilot Bennett
was at the wheel and was using all of
his strength to keep the old craft from
butting into the bank, while Engineer
McFrancis was motioning Firemen
Kelly and Purcell to coal up. Capt.
Barnes. the ancient mariner, slowly
paced the deck; he had made the same
trip many times before and knew every
bend and bar in the stream and paid no
attention to the mutterings of danger of
the mate. Dick. The steerage people
We're sitting on row of goods boxes
and their melancholy looks would rem
der it impossible to recognize Knapp,
Smith, Hamlin, Witter, Kies and Ander
son as among them. But they Were
singing, and the tune was the same as
before. The trip was their first one and
they were all so sick that their forms
were contracted far more than the cur
rency.
On the other end. and huddled up to-
gether was another party of invalids and,
and the fine aud gintleman would Col
lett, they We're Dale sicker than the
rest, too. These were the unterrifed
passengers, and Watts, Butcher and
Bramble were amongst them. DR..
Munson, the ship surgeon, leaned
against the side of the vessel
and gazed down at the dark
stream while he mournflly hummed a
dismal air. All at once a splash was
heard, and the cry arose: ga man over
board" Everybody ran instinctively to
the corner where the ex-better Gerson
had taken position, fearing that he had
jumped overheard, but he was found
there counting ON his losses. The en-
gines were stopped and men were at the
little boat lowering and preparing to
search for the drowning man. Some
one cried out, 'Its Col. Stoner." $50
ahead, shouted Captain Barnes. Its
only lubber overheard" and the old
craft moved on up stream with meas
ured stroke and the girgle of the water
in its wake sang the requiem of the in
dependent party. AT the next bend the
old ship was lost to view and the Re
publicans saw no more of her as she
ploughed her melancholy course up Salt
river