Year: 1863

myself when have read the exact and
circumstantial accounts given by re-
porters and "our own correspondents"
of some events, sudden and unexpected
tina. have transpired under their obser-
vation.


Ny own experience and hearsay evi-
dence teaches me that men are really
incapable of giving any very straight
/ forward account of an occurrence with
sudden loss of life, or attended with any
circumstances of unusual excitement.
Soldiers have always agreed that it was
impossible for them to see a battle, they
could only be cognizant of their own
little locality, and their belief that all
correspondents of newspapers are oblig-
ed to make up to make up their accounts
more from hear>ay and Imagination than
from what they actually see.


Especially is this the case with an
explosion of boiler of steamboat
In the newspaper accounts of such a
catastrophe We are regaled with "Mr.
John Smiths account" and "NIr. VIII
liam Jones' statement" bJth dressed
into something ike an agreement of
style, and both bearing upon their face
evidence of the fact that these gentle
men in the excitement of the moment,
saw little or nothing. This is the way
| in which | saw the boiler of a steamboat
burst:


l will call the boat the John Smith,
and say that she lay at the wharf of
Smithville, just ready to push into the
stream, bound up the Mississippi. Her
forward deck Passengers were all Ger
mans; that | noticed as | came down
the wharf with my portmanteau in hand
to go aboard. There were gangway
planks out forward and aft, and just as,
had placed my foot on the after gang
plank gentlemen, escorting two ladies
came down. The boat was blowing off
steam violently, the bell was ringing,
and the people were running in all di-
rectiOns, it being within five minutes Of
the time of departure. Istepped aside
still keeping my left foot on the plank,
to allow the ladies to precede me on
board, when at that moment | was con-
scious of dull, booming noise, an ina
bility to breathe, and conclusion that
threw me off my feet and rolled me sew
eral yards up the dock.


| did not lose consciousness, and in
stantly sprang to my feet, though | had
a sensation as though had received a
heavy blow. AS I rose from the dock my
eyes went directly to row of buildings
fronting the water, four story brick,
with iron shutters, and | distinctly saw
the body Of a man falling, apparently
from one of the windows. A wild,
sickish feeling came over me at the in
slant, and | started to run, not with
any intent or purpose, but much as a
drunken man would run: | had scarce
gone dozen yards when | perceived l
had but one shoe, and stopped. On a
moments consideration | thought that
something else must be wrong, and af-
ter an obtuse inquiry in my mind, |
found that wanted both hat and
portmanteau, though could not reason
as to what had become of them. At
this moment somebody came up to me
and spoke, what | could not hear or I'M
ders.and, though they undoubtedly
spoke loud. They then took me by the
arm and led me up the dock, going
much like led child. We reached
hotel about hundred yards distant,
and was surrounded by several per-
sons all talking, but not intelligibly to
me.


At last heard somebody say, "give
him something to drink! !" That | un-
derstood at jump, and when pretty
stout glass Of brandy was in me l found
NY tongue, though much as one speaks
who is struck with paralysis. In few
minutes more | was enabled to make
myself understood, and to despatch
messenger to find my shoe, hat and
portmanteau, a search that was made
without success, they having either be-
come the spoil of some ever watchful
theft or been blown from me and en-