Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-02-19
A MYSTERY OF THE AIR.
Being the Greatest Effort of Inaianapol
boss AnaDias.

Being the Greatest EGor, of Indianapolis
Boss Ananias.
The wet weather drove all the men,
bers of the Ananias club into the roll
call room at the station house the other
night.
Tears rolled down Sergt. 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 l was a young man, began
the patrolman, after lighting one of those
South Illinois street torches he generally
smokes, Il had friend named John A.
MorreIl. We were raised together on
adjoining farms and were inseparable
companions. We left our rural homes
together and were fellow workmen in
smoke factory at Pittsburg, and when l
secured a job to fan fog on a steamboat
he was made second cook on the same
boat. We boated together several years,
and finally / 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 on.
I'VE left Cincinnati three hours ahead
of the Diana with a 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 uninteresting
until we reached Helena. The captain
was sick, and was on the hurricane
deck as we made the landing. The bow
lines had been made fast, l had notified
the pilot, when felt the boat tremble;
the air was thick with steam, there was
deafening crash, and knew the boiler
had let go. / felt myself going up, up,
up. haven't any idea how high l did
20. Three hours later, as l WIS coming
DOWN. was about mile from the earth
then-I met man and woman coming
up. The woman had hold of the man s
arm, and in his other hand he carried a
grip sack. l recognized him as my old
friend. John A. Morrell.
Hello, john shouted.
"'Well, Henry he answered, is that
your
Yes, what's left of me. Who is that
with your
"'Oh, excuse me, Mr.. Slate. Ny WIFE
"'Glad to meet you, Mrs. Morrell, says
l. just starting on your wedding trip
"'Yes, SIR she answered. She said
something else, but / was going so fast
did not catch it. When struck ground
| learned that the Diana had exploded
her boilers three hours after our explo-
sion, that Morren and his bride were
| standing on the boiler deck al the time
of the explosion. They were ready to go
| ashore, but went up instead
About three years after that was sit
ting in the Office of the Palace hotel at
San Francisco. / picked up Honolulu
paper and nearly dropped desd when /
read this paragraph:
| a MYSTERIOUS ARRIVAL
| About O'Clock this NJ rning four persons sud-
denly appeared on the streets of this city. They
| could not talk our language and number of our
best citizens have assured US that they fell from
! the clouds The strange quartet made their way
| 70 the Dirty Mike hotel, and we at once followed
them, determined that our readers should be fully
| advised as to who or what these people are. The
man walked up to the register and wrote in a bold
| hand as follows:
John A. Morren wife and two children, Mis-
sissippi river
''Later-We have been informed by Col Jack
| Bowers that Mr.. Morrell and family are the sole
survivors OF the IL fated Diana which years ago
blew up on the Mississippi river which l. situated
in the state Of Missouri near a town called St
| Louis We bid the strangers welcome
| ''Of course / tried to find Morrell. but
my letters came back unopened, and
have never seen him from that day TO
this. s."-Indianapolis News.