202

LIFE OX THE MISSISSIPPI.

yania,' We touched at Greenville, Mississippi, a couple of days out,
and somebody shouted—

* The " Pennsylvania " is blown up at Ship Island, and a hundred
and fifty lives lost I *

AtVapoleon, Arkansas, the same evening, we got an extra,

issued by a Mem •
phis paper, which
gave some particu-
lars. It mentioned
my brother, and
said he was not
hurt.

Further up the
river we got a later
extra. My brother
was again men-
tioned ; but this
time as being hurt
beyond help. We
did not get full
details of the
catastrophe until
we reached Mpm-
This is the sorrowful
story—

It was six o'clock on a
hot summer morning. The
* Penns} 1 vania "* was creeping
along* north of Ship Island,
about sixty miles below
Memphis on a half-head of
steam, towing a wood-flat

which was fast being emptied. George Ealer was in the pilot-house—
alone, I think; the second engineer and a striker had the watch in
the engine room; the second mate liad the watch on deck; George
Black, Mr. Wood, and my brother, clerks, were asleep, as were also
Brown and the head engineer, the carpenter, the chief mate, and one

phis.

' HKKHT

I SAT CHATTING.1