Miss Clara Barton arrived at the "Southern" yesterday morning. Miss Barton is accompanied by Mrs. De Bruler and Miss Enola Lee, of Evansville, Ind., Dr. J. B. Hubbell, field agent, and Mr. John Hitz, of Washington, D.C. The members of the party were busily engaged yesterday in superintending the loading of the steamer "Mattie Bell," which leaves for the inundated districts of the lower Mississippi this morning. Miss Octavia Dix, secretary of the St. Louis branch of the Red Cross, will accompany the expedition. The brave men of the Fifth Corps in the Cuban War of 1898, endured hunger and thirst and other conditions better remembered than described. Some of them partook of the gracious offerings of hot gruel, malted milk, boiled rice, apple wine, and prune cordial at the hands of Mrs. Dr. Gardner. It will perhaps interest them to know that she is the same who, as Miss Enola Lee, was one of the company of the "Mattie Bell" in 1884. Some of the men of the War of 1861 may remember the officer who had charge of the Commissary Department at Washington. I shall never forget the man who, despite all rank and position, stood many an hour of many a day beside my army wagons loading at his headquarters, and who wisely directed the selection of material best suited to and most needed at the proposed terminus of the dark and weary journey I was about to undertake--it was then Colonel, now General Beckwith of the regular army. He was in 1884, holding the position of Commissary at St. Louis. In the same old time spirit and in the old time way he came upon the deck of our little steamer, and directed the placing of the supplies of the "Mattie Bell." One will never forget the terror depicted on his fine face when he saw the bales of hay taken on board. "Great heavens, you are not going to risk that! Think of it--you in the middle of that great, rushing river, no land in sight, and your ship on fire!" Still, the risk was taken, and both the ship and the stock were saved. A few hours previous to the sailing of the "Mattie Bell" from St. Louis a stranger came on board and asked to be permitted to go with us. There was nothing very remarkable in his appearance, either for or against; but on general principles we objected to taking on a stranger without some good reason for it. His quiet persistence, however, won, and perhaps through lack of active measures on the part of some one he went. He was a silent man--walked by himself, or stood alone on some unfrequented corner of the deck. As we got lower down and more tributaries were pouring their contributions into the mighty volume that rolled and seethed about and beneath us, the danger became more imminent. Running after dark was out of the question, and timely orders were given one afternoon to tie up for the night; but our captain, anxious to make a headland a few miles further on, begged permission to run a little later, sure he could reach it before dark.