Marshall County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 25, Plymouth, Marshall County, 13 May 1858 — Page 1

f

me.

M

Vol. 3 No. 25.) PLYMOUTH, INDIANA, THURSDAY, MAY 13, 18Ö8. (Whole No. 129.

THE MARSHALL DEMOCRAT, TCBUSUED EVERT THCRSOAT MORNING, BT lIcDOA ALI) & BROTHER. TERMS: If paid in jtlnnci1 1 00 t the end of x mnth?. . . . 1 50 If klaret! until the cnA of the roar, 2 00 ADVERTISING: One squ ire (ten lines or loss,) throe week?,. 1 JW E.ich mlJitional insertion iColnirm 'me m mtt ? U Colnmn x :n MtV. . . V4' Column on- yea;- 12 00 Column three months, i'Colurrn six months, "0 J -2 Column one year, - '''' Column throe" months,. t-t 00 1 Column sixni'Miths 24 00 1 r.'iKiin one year, ......45 00 Y.-trlv rtilrertierH hive the privilege of one lui!o'0 free of charge. Democrat Job Office! PLAIN ii RULES

AND a TlT (1BTO TYPÜ Mi EM UUlliU. 1 1 1 U J u u 4i u u u , CUTS. f &C..&C. Our Job Department is now supplied with an extensive and well t elected assortment of new styles plain and fancy JOB TYPE, Which enables us to execute, on short notice and reasonable terms, all kinds of Plain and Ornamental JOB PRINTING! NEAT. FAST AND CHEAP; SUCH AS . CIRCULARS, HAMDMLLS, LABELS, CATALOG CES, PAMPHLETS, Desists Cards, blank deeds 6 mortgages; And in short, Blanks of every variety and description. Call and see specimens. From the La Porte Times. THE LOVED AND LOST. Affectionately i-nfribed tu the husband and family of Mas. FANNIE BELLE LEMON. BT MRS. A. L. RÜTEX DCFOCR. So Oun so beautiful and loved Oh, Death, what hast thou done? Couldst not have turned aside thy shaft, And spared this gifted one? Alas! alas! it could not be, God's messenger art thou, His love beams from behind the cloud, So dark unto u3 now. Ob, we m:iy weep, for fcy the grate Our own loved "Jesus wept;" His tears of sympathy and love Dropped where the dear one slept; But on the storm-cloud of your grief, Behold, hope's bow is seen, And beams like heaven'a own radiant light, The sombre folds between. Sweet Fannie! thou art rone to rest, Tbc angels took thee hence; They envied us our jewel rare. - Aiid bore it from us thence, To prace the Savior's brow above, Sei in his diadem, Where ever thou wilt ehine undim'd, A royal precious gem. "What words of comfort can I speak To you, loced, sorrowing friends? Grief such as yours, so pure and true, ' All human aid transcends ; But yet, deep, earnest sympathy My soul would fain bestow, And, kneeling, weeps and prays that God . May soothe this depth of woe. Ah, well I kno;r the bitter cup He to your lips has given; Know well the treasure He hag thus Took to Himself in Heaven ; lie's placed your Fawnik in the skies. As guardian angel now; How glorious are the living flowers That bind her seraph brow! How pure and holy Is her love, Left beaming 'round you still! -1 ti fragrance lingers in your hearts, Like sweets from Eden's hill. Now from her happy home above, She woos your souls on high, And with angelic lore supreme, . Awaits you in the sky. WASinxGTO.f Citt, April 19th, 1S58, Huming or the Steamers Ocean Spray, Keokuk and . ritarof the West, at Saint IiOiiis20 or SO Xives Lost -rnc rire me result of Papjn?, and of the reekJess use or Turpentine in the Furnace. . The steamer Ocean Spray look fire on Thursday afternoon, the 22J ult.t about & o'clock, about 5 miles above St. Louis, in or near Sawyer's bend, abova Magazine point, and was burned to the water's edge. She left St. Louis at her regular hour, between foar nd fire o'clook, en her way to Peoria, on the Illinois river. At the same time, the Uanqibal City, one of the regular

Keokuk packets, also dopped out, and both boats started up the river on a race, the Ocean Spray having about one hundred yards the start, both boats having a number of passengers. The following statement of persons on board at the time, we take from the St. Louis Democrat. STATEMENT OF MR. T. W. BRANDON. Mr. Brandon went on board the Ocean Spray, for the purpose of attending to tha shipment of about 200 bags of salt which the boat wa3 to take on board, at Belcher's sugar refinery. After, howevr, both boats were out in the stream, and the race had fairly begun, the captain informed Mr. Brandon that he could not stop for the salt, and that he would have to carry him up to Alton, for he wanted to beat tho Hannibal City.whieh boat at this time was gaining on the Spray. Mr. Brandon states that he could sec the firemen on the Hannibal City breaking up rosin and casting it in the furnaces When the boats were rounding the point above the city, they were very close logether.the Keokuk packet having steadily gained upon her rival, and almost coming alongside.

At this juncture, the fires of the Ocean Spray were fed with rosin and turpentine, and with the increase of steam she was just beginning to gain upon her competitor, when the alarm of fire was heared. Mr. Brandon says he became alarmed at the heat of the boilers, and thinking that there wis some danger of an explosion, went up on the hufrcan deck, and passed back until ho was over the ladies' cabin. He says there was a considerable excitement on board, and many were extremely anxious to bet on the success of their boat, lie says he had been standing over the ladies cbin but a few minutes, when he was startled by a faint cry of 'fire,' coming very indistinctly from the forward part of the boat. This cry wa3 immediately followed by several shouts, and casting his eys toward the pilot house, he saw tha pilot give the wheel a very sudden turn, and . noticed that the boat, which was about twenty yards out in the stream, began to head for shore. At this the confusion was great, the cries of the passengers began to be fearful änd ago nizing. The women and children, crazed with alarm, were heard in the cabin below, while idle hoarse shouting of the men in front made the moment most terrible. His first impulse directed him to rush forward. He ran to the wheel-house steps, and had placed one foot on the frst step, whefn a rush of flame a and smoke drove him back; then run along the roof until just forward of the pilot-house, and before the boat had struck the shore.jumped for his life, landed safely on the shore, somewhat shocktd and numbed from the fall, but not st riouely hurt. Just a? he landed, a trunk passed over his head and knocked his hat off. Having recovered his full powers he began to throw into the river sticks of wood, which ho gathered from a log-heap near the spot. While doing thU he was the witness of some of the most agonizing scenes. The head of the boat having struck the shore with much violence, and the wheels still kepi in motion she began to 6hove along and up the bank untill her further progress was arrested by the steamer Keokuk, which was lying up at that point for repairs. The movement of the wheels, and the strong wind blowing at the time, 6eemed to foi the stern of the boat out from the shore and up the 'stream, which resulted in the more speedy burning of the after part of the böüt and made the escape of the ladies and children more perilous than before The Hannibal City, seeing the smoke and conjecturing the cause, dropped off towards the Illinois shore, and manning her yawl sent it over to assist those who were compelled to jump in the water. The yawl, also; of the Ocean Spray was manned, but became so unmanageable by reason of the numbers that clang to it, that it drifted down the stream a hundred yards before landing, though it was not more than ten yards from the sljqre. Mr. Brandon say3 the men, as a general tbing, jumpecj, a,nd reached the shore safe, ly, though he saw four of them hanging to one log out in the river. Three of them were on tbe upper side of it.and one on the lower. The log kept turning over and over towards the man on the lower aiJe, until he, becoming exhausted with his efforts o keep on it, sank below the surface and was, drowned. Ha also saw a lady who was endeavoring to keep herself up by a small . piece of a board not more than a foot liquate. Her

dress for a' time, seemed to buoy her, but becoming thoroughly saturated, the piece wood was insufficient. She would sink almost below the surface, and by a strong effort, stsafghten her body, throw back her head and stiffen her arms, but all of no avail. She sank and was seen no more Mr. Brandon says that the spectacle from the shore was most heart-rending. The ladies at first tried to save their baggage, some of them throwing their tril iks and then jumping h after them; others were concerned only for themselves and their children, and ran wildly about screaming and crying for help. As the flames approachedj they swung themselves down from the guards, while one or two were seen to slide down the ropes and posts at the reare. How many were sunk or lost

cannot be ascertained, nor even guessed at now. There were some fifteen or twenty Women on board, and some eight or ten are all that are thought to be saved. Several horses, which were fastened in stalls behind the wheel-house, were burned up. The kickings, ravings, and humanlike cries cf these poor brutes, as the flames wrapped around them, are described as most terrible and afflicting. After the the upper part of the ooat had nearly been Consumed, an explosion of a keg of powder took place in the hold which added to the consternation of those on shore Mr. Brandon describes one woman who was buoyed up in the water by her clothing, until she floated down against the Star of the West, where she was assisted by a gentleman, who extended her a long sapling or pole, to which she clung, until some gallant Irishman swam in and rescued her. Mr. Bnr.don says he saw one family, of a man, his wife, and two little girls, who all got off safe, but were lamenting the loss of their little boy, who they said was burn ed up. Ho also saw the body of a deck hand pulled out below the Star of the West. 6TATEMEKT OF J. Ü. DfcXISON. Mr. Denison is from Lynchbarg, Ohio, and was on hi3 way to Florence, on the Illinois river. He had a trunk containing money and articles of apparel valued at S 1,000, which was lost. He says when the boat started out, the Hannibal City backed out just behind her, and when under good headway, she was about a hundred yards in the rear. He says that when the Ocean Spray was within about a mile of where she took fire, she saw the Hannibal City gaining on her, and the command was given to put turpentine in the furnaces. He say he had been very much interested in the race, and had taken a position in front, where the steps came down together, so that he could see them firing up. They first threw rosin in, and then the mate suggested turpentine The captain was by when the order was given, and some of the men went down in to the hold and brought up a barrel of turpentine, which had been consigned to some person in Peoria. The men took an ax and split a hole in the head of the barrel; and then, under the orders of the mate, dipped the fluid . out, and threw it over the coal that was lying near by. This was not expeditious enough, and the head of the barrel was knocked in, and a bucket with a piece of rope to it was used to dip the turpentine. The barrel, at this time, was steading not more than six feet from the daors After dipping with the bucket and sprinkling the coal, sticks of wood were taken up and their ends plunged into the barrel, and then laid down between the barrel and furnace. While lying the75, one of the firemen, in pulling out his rake, jerked a live coal, as is supposed, on the wood, when it was is mediately ignited and blazed up furioudy. The mate swote at the men find ordered them to throw water on the fire. The water seemed to drive the flames to the barrel which was soon all ablaze. The mate grew furious, and cursing the hands, ordered thftm to cast the barrel overboard. In attempting to do this, the barrel was upset, and the burning fluid in an instant spread all over the deck, and poured in firey torrents down into the hold. At this the cry of fire was shouted, and the alarm became general. Mr. Deni8too says he immediately ran up stairs for his baggage, which was in stateroom No, 26. He dragged his trunk and carpet-sapk as far as the clerk's office, when he saw the flames coming in at the door in front of them, He 'dropped his trunk and umbrella, and made a dash for the stairway through the flames. Some

how, he says, he reached the bottom of the stairs, but not without having his hair and eyebrows pretty badly singed. Here, at the. forward deck, he found a crowd of men all waiting for the boat to strike to shore. He jumped when the rest did, and landing safeiy, he began to throw in the river all the pieces of wood or logs he could gather on the shore. While on the shore he saw the women rushing over the top of tha boat, some on the hurricane roof, and some even with their children up on the texas, all imploring for help and screaming from the fright of the moment. He saw one

mother bring three children to the edge of the hurricane roof, the oldest bsing probably about ten years old. She first caught her youngest in her arms, and gave it a desperate fling. It struck the shore with great violence, and must have been seriously injured. The second child she could not throw so far, and it fell in the water, where its little hands, paddling above' the surface, arrested the attention of some gentlemen, who reached in and saved it. The third child, being so heavy, felt farther from shore, and would probably have drowned but for some noble-hearted man, who having witnessed the efforts of the heroia mother, plunged in head foremost, and brought the child to the surface and to the shore. The mother afterwards leaped in the water and was rescued. Mr. Deniäon says some four or five women were found clinging to one woman, who had hold of the rudder of the Star of the West. The captain, clerk, pilots and mates were saved. All the cabin boys, but oue, were saved. He also saw some poor Irishman sitting on a log, weeping over the loss of his brother. Mr. Denlston relates that while tho flames were raging, he saw some poor woman at the railing just in front of tho wheel house. Those on shore shouted to her to jump, which she attempted to do, but was caught by her clothfng, and swung in un der the railing, down into tho engine room where all was in a blaze. Mr. Deniston thinks there cannot have been less than twenty lives lost. He thinks there were 60 or 70 passengers in all, and a large number of these deck passengers. LIFE PRESERVERS. The state-rooms were all supplied properly with life-preservers, very few, if any at all, of which seemed to have been used. The lightning-like speeFwi:h which the flames aped along the boats, may have prevented any access io them by the alarmed passengers and crow, who had run hither and thither in order to see from whence the flames proceeded. THE BOOKS, AND TIIE KUMBER OF PASSENGERS. Mr. Russell, the clerk, made an attempt to secure the books, but failed. He supi poses the number of cabin passengers to have been between 50 and 40. One of them was named J. M. Davidson, of Lewistown, Ills. There were also J. McCroskey and lady, of Rushville, Ills, who were saved. HOW THE KEOKUK WAS BURNED. The 6tarboard wheel of tbe Ocean Spray after she reached the bank, continued to revolve, and brought her close to the stern of, and a little between, the Keokuk and the shore. There she remained until the fire was thoroughly communicated to the Keokuk. The latter was secured to the shore by streng chains. She burned to the water'e edge, and now lies sunk, at the bank. There wa probably nobody on board but a watchman, and ho, doubtless, made his escape. PERSONS SAVED. -r i TJ.ic -M'uy 4J.M9I1, vapiniu, vvuu u--, first clerk; J. M. Salisbury, second clerk; Walker Leitch, pilot; Hugh Davis, pilot; Wm. Spargoe and Stephen Spargoe, engineers; Daniel Wolff, mate; George Wolff, steward; Matthias Cousin, bar-keeper; porter, (coloied,) , chambermaid, (colored.) HOW TIIE STAR OF THE WEST WAS BURNED. The steamer Star of tbe West, which was lying about three hundred varrl 1 it.. TT- .T 17 ; Ive0KUik' "::-ped the fire until 10 - v.ock on Thursday evening, when the hull of the Keokuk, which had burned loose from its moorings came floating down past, the Star of the West. The watch man of the boat, and. several . members of the llound Fjre Company, were aboard, and while the burning hull of the boat was paising, did everything in their, power to

save the boat, and supposed they had suc-

teeded. About ten minutes after the burning wreck had passed, fire broke out in the af-ter-pärt of the cabin of the Star of the West, and in a shore time the boat was burned to the water's edge. Some old trees and brush near the boat had taken fire from the Keokuk, and one report had it, that the fire on the Star of the West was communicated from these, but it is more likely that the hull of the Keokuk, in passing, left sparks and burning cinders in some hidden quarter of the boat, which set her in a blaze. The Ocean Spray was owned by Capt. Waldo Marsh, and was accounted one of the fastest boats on the western rivers.She was built one year ago, at a cost of 36,000, and was insured in Pittsburgh to the amount of 816,500. Another policy of insurance for 61,000 expired on the 4th insfc. The Keokuk was bult three years ago, sind was considered worth 830.000, the cost of her construction having been 850,000. She was owned by the Keokuk Packet Company, and insured in St. Louis offices, for 810,000, against fire only. She was laying up for repairs, and was taken to the vicinity where she was burned, as a place where she would be safe against fire. The Star of the West was owned by Capt. M. Ohlman, her commander; Law rence Ohlman, pilot; and Messrs. Wm. H. Pearson, Espy k Duffy, all of St. Louis. She was valued at from 820,000 to 830,000, and insured for 816,000. She was a very good Missouri River Packet laid up for a short time but wa3 to have come down to the landing yesterday to resume business on the Missouri river. Indiana Free Banks Office of Auditor of State,) Indianapolis, May 1, 1858. ) The following Banks have complied with the amended law of 1855, and hare securities deposited with the Treasurer ot State, at their market value, to an amount not less than fifty thousand dollars, and ten per ct. in excess of their circulation: Bank of Goshen, Goshen; do Gosport, Gosport; do Mt. Vernon, Mt. Vernon; . do Pioli, Paoli; do Rockville, Wabash; do Salem, New Albany; do Salem, Salem, Bloomington Bank, Bloomingtcn; Exchange Bank, Greencastle; Farmers' Bank. Westfield; Indiana Bank, Madison; Indiana Farmers' Bank, Franklin; Kentucky Stock Bank, Columbus; Lagrange Bank. Lima; Parke County Bank, Rockville; Prairie City Bank, Terre Haute; Salem Bank, Goshen; Southern Bank of Indiana, Terre Haute. The following Banks have complied with the amended law, but have since given notice of their intention to withdraw their circulation. Their notes are payable in coin: Bank of Indiana, Michigan City; Cambridge City Bank, Cambridge City; Canal Bank, Evansville; Central Bank, Indianapolis redeemed by the Treasurer of State; Cresient Cily Bank, Evansville. The following Banks are winding up vol untarily, and are redeeming their notes at par, as specified. The ten per cent, excess of securities is retained by the Au ditor; Bank of Elkhärt, redeemed at the Bank; Brookville Bank, " " Hoosier Bank, " " Huntington Co. Bank Indiana Stock Bank, redeemed at Fletcher's Bank. Bank of Monticello, redeemed at Branch Bank, Lafayette. Fayette Co. Bank, redeemed at Branch Connersville. Merchants' & Mechanics', redeemed at Branch Bank, New Albany. Bank of Syracuse, redeemed at Bank of Goshen. Indian Reserve Bank, at Fletcher's Bank Indianapolis. SUSPENDED BANES. The notes of the following Banks are redeemed by the Auditor of State: Agricultural Bank, at par. Atlantic Bank, at 80. Bank of Albany, at 90. Bank of Albion, at par. Bank of Ameri xankof Attica, at Bank of Bridgeport, at 88. Bank of Connersville, at 87. Bank of Perrysville, ar, pai. Bank of South Bend, at par. Bank of T. Wadawoitfa, at 9 Bank of North America, r : 90. Bank of Rockport, at pr UWMW' Farmers' Bank, Jaspe r. Q Kalamazoo Bank, at ' Ät Laurel Bank, at 8r Northern Indiar- A' : .

New York & Virginia State Stock Bank, at

par. Orange Bank, at par. State Stock Bank of Peru, at 85. do Marion, at 90. Savings Bank of Indiona, at 69. Traders' Bank, Nashville, at 92. Wabash valley Bank, at 92. Wayne Bank, Richmond, at par. Wavne Bank Logansport, at par. Bank of Warsaw, redeemed at the Bank. Persons sending notes for . redemption, will take notice that all suspended banks, the notes of which are redeemed at this office, are on t!ie above list. JOHN W. DODD, Auditor of State. Progress of Astronomical Discovery. . It is only about two end a half centuries ago, that it was first distinctly demon-, strated that the apparent terrestrial plane of our earth was really a free and indepen-. dent mass, moving in a definable path through space because it was unsupported by props or chains that in fact, as a mas-. sive body, it is falling forever through thoi void, but as it falls it sweeps round the suu in a never-ending circuit, attracted towards it by naagnet-likd pnergy, but keep off from it by the force of its centrifugal movement. Next Snell and Picard measured the distance of the falling mass, and found that it was a spherical body with a circuit of 25,000 miles. Subsequently to this. Bailey' contrived a pair of scales that enabled him to weigh the vast sphere, approximately, and he ascertained that it had within itself somewhere about 1,256,670,000,000,000,000,000 tons of mater. To there discoyer-. ies, Faucault has addressed .demonstration, to the actual senses of the fact that tho. massive sphere is whirling on itself as it. falls through spase, and round.the Sun, so that point after point of its vast surface is brought in succession into the genial influ-. ence of th'e sunshine. . More recently, as-, tronomical discovery has distinguishod it-, self in the ratification of errors in. the predicted clement of Neptune in its identifi-. cation with Laland's missing star, and iu tho calculation of its ephemeris;in the dis-. covery of the satellite of Neptune, the sixthsatellite of Saturn and of the innermt of its rings; in the establishment, trpth.h.oö-j servation and theory, of tho non-solid character of Saturn's rings these are but a few of tho discoveries attending the progress of'astronomical science, 5TIxdiaxs in Church. Not a little amusement, says a Chicago paper, was af: . forded to a crowd of by-standers tho other day, by a visit of six fine specimens,, of Indian chieftains, to the beautiful new St. James Church in this city. They had never before been in tho regions of civilization, and therefore the "pomp of architecture,"., and the grace and beauty of art was new . to them. They were at first much attracted by the rich coloring of the windows,-, and manifested their admiration of "tho. house of the Rainbow," by significant signs. But when a gentleman in the church struck up tho organ, they were completely amazed, and hunted about for the organ of the "sweet Thunder," without discovering it, till one, more wiso than the rest, point-, ed to the chandeliers, and declared the sound proceeded from them. This ffrev.'ed to satisfy them, and they went away. highly pleased with tho "Great Medicine House." TST'Friend: A person who will net as-, sist you, because he knows you will excuse him. Reading Aloud. There is no treat so great as to hear good reading of any Jkhid.. Not one gentleman or lady in.. a hundred can read so as to please the ear, and send the word3 with frentle force to the heart and" understanding. An indistinct utterance, whines, drones, nasal twangs fruttural 'notes, hesitations, and other ticas of elocunon, are almost universal, wny it is, no Dne can say, unless it be that either the . pulpit, or the nursery, or the Sunday School, gives the style in these days. Many a lady can sing Italian songs with considerable execution, but cannot read English passably. Yet, reading is bt far the most valuable accomplishment of the . two. In most drawing rooms, if, a",thfjflgT is to bo read, it is discovered that uobody can read; another chokes, another has an abominable singsong, evidently a tradition of the way in which he said Watts' hymna when too young to understand them, another rumbles like a broad wheeled wagon; another has a way of reading which seems to proclaim that what is read is of no sort consequence, and had not better be listened to. Jt-The following circumstance is related to us by one of o ir prominet citiiens, who received the intelligence by a4 letter froo hiß uow residing in Netf York. "On the night of the terrible destruction Lents, . Avon. iU J MKtmng :f "V? ?n(1 .w K, brotuet nu. "v tw it 8leS (hi feifowrifc AiJ at noon, the p ÜM city, confirming he hui H ta every particular. -; V

.a Ban, ai