The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1890-02-21
HERES rAE sosa WHopptR,
several Years In M,dair Blown OPP In .
Explosion.

--
several Years in stisair Blown tp In an
Explosion.
~Indianapolis News.
The wet weather drove all the men,
bers Of the Ananias club into the roll
call room at the station house the other
night
There were some heavy hearts. for no
more will there be domino playing at
the station house. When Willie Bill
Long wants to entertain Sergeat Lowe
he will have to play pins. just one
game was played-a sort Of farewell
send-of.
Tears rolled down Sergeant Buscher's
face, and Patrolman States voice was
husky with emotion as he, the narrator
of the evening, related an incident OF
his early life.
when was a young man." began
the patrolman, after lighting one OF
those south Illinois street torches he
generally smokes, ~ had a friend named
John A. Morrell. We were raised to-
gether on adjoining farms, and were in
separable companions. We left our
rural homes together, and were fellow
workmen in a smoke factory at Pitts
burg, and when I secured q job to fan fog
on a steamboat he was made second
cook on the same boat. We boated to-
gethcr several years, and finally 1
shipped on the Prairie Bird, running
between Cincinnati and Helena, Ark.
John could not get a job on the Prairie
Bird, but was taken on the Diana, an
eight-boiler boat, in the same trade as
the boat l was IN.
1--WE left Cincinnati three hours ahead
OF the Diana with q general cargo. John
promised to join me In Helena and bring
his wife with him-he was to be married
that day. Our cruise was undressing
until we reached Helena. The captain
was sick and l was on the hurricane
deck as we made the landing. The bow
the pilot, when l felt the boat tremble;
a %deafening crash and l knew the boiler
had let go. 1 felt myself going up, up,
up. l haven't any idea how high 1 did
go. Three hours later, as l was coming
down. was about q mile from tho
earth then-I met a man and q woman
coming up. The m had hold Of the
mans arm, and in his other hand he car
ried a gripsack. 1 recognized him as
my old friend, John A. Morrell.
Hello, john ! shouted.
"Well, Henry he answered, is that
you?'
"'Yes, what's left OF me- Who is
that with you?'
"'Oh, e1cuse mo, Mr.. Slate. My
wife,
"'Glad to meet you, Mrs. Morroll,'
says l. Just starting on your wedding
trip?'
"sYes, SIR she answered. She said
something else, but I was going 30 fast
l did not catch It, When | struck
ground l learned that the Diana had
exploded her boilers three hours after
our explosion; that Morrell and his
bride were standing on the boiler deck
ut the time OF the explosion. They
were ready to 60 ashore. but went up
instead.
about three years after that I was
sitting in the office of the Palace potel
at San Francisco. I picked up a Homo
lulu paper and nearly dropped dead
when ] read this paragraph:
A MYSTERIOUS ARRIVAL.
About z o'clock this morning four
persons suddenly appeared on the
streets of this city. They could not
talk our language, and a number OF our
best citizens have assured us that they
were from the clouds. The strange
quartet made their way to the Dirty
Mike hotel, and we at once followed
them, determined that our readers
should be fully advised as to who or
what these peopl are. The man walked
up to the register and wrote In a bold
hand as follows:
John A. Morrell, wife and two chill
dren, Mississippi River"
Later-We have been informed by
Colonel Jack Bowers that MI. Mortella and
family are the sole survivors Of the ILL
fated Diana, which years ago blew up
on the Mississippi river, which is stu
ated In the state Of Missouri, near a
town called st. Louis. We bid the
strangers welcome.
"Of course l tried to find Morrell, but
my letters came back unopened, and l
have never seen him from that day to
| this"