Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1839-01-10
T From The .Nc,1 York Era J

~
DISTRESSING SCESE-MIRACULors ESCAPE FROM AN
AWFUL DEATH.-An incident %! most thrilling and
nlense interest occurred yesterday upon tie North
River Several small children, whose parents reside in
the English Neighborhood. yesterday morning
amusing themselves a, Bulls Ferry large field of
ice tina, had laid there number of days, when, owing
to the thaw which set in early in the morning. large
section of the field on which little boy and girl
Siding, suddenly separated from the main body and
drift ed down the stream in the direction Of the city
The alarm was instantly given and boats FASTENED off
To- the relief Of The sutieres; but unfortunately, the
broken fragments of ice dri,ed s" densely around them
that il impossible 10 afford them the least assistance
Meanwhile The little voyaGerS were swiftly carried
down by the force of the current which swept them
over 10 the New FORK shore where the field upon which
they floating got into the eddy "ccasiored by the
jut,ng point OF land just above the White Fort wher"
il again sub divided into four pieces, leaving The
little creatures upon small cake of ice twenty
feet square.
Their situation was awfully critical and although
within the sound OF the voices most near and dear 10
EN-, no human hand could afford them relief The
children who were neither Of them the age Of six
or seven coniasd strangely in their endurance Of suf
feIng which must have been intense. The little boy
was almost frantic with grief, and cried necessarily,
hhItinr in his the picture OF despair The little
grl on the contrary although the active first
seeking opportunities OF escape, when she found that
eSerton useless, resiyncdly folded her little
under slight shawl that was pinned around her bosom.
and watched with patience the course their Tail bark
was pursuing Not murmur escaped her lips. and the
big tears that glisrnPd like briliants from her innocent
eyes, all The indications Percepble of the agony
she was suffering
The piece of ice upon which the children were sta
ing at length drilted within lew yards Of the White
Fort, where hundreds of anxious citizens the spec
Of their periluus situation, without the least
chance of getting them Off but near enough TO send
articles of food and clothing 10 enable them TO endure
the cold until and could bP rendered.
Il happened that the Coroner, Ira B. Wheeler, and
his eAceilen, assistant, Mr., VIM spendIove, were en-
gagged al the time the children driied shore in
holding inquest upon black woman in that neigh
bpurhood and had these gentlemen heard Of
the occurrence, than they Immediately started off to
render their assistance Effort after eiurl was made
without SUGGESTIVE little boy had already sunk ex
hausled and bcnumbed upon The frozen field, while the
little girl looked ike of alabaster with her lit
tie hands .ryenty raised, as in silent suppcaton
Han
"Whu ,empcrs the wind to the shorn amb:''
when sudden whTl Of the eddy precpa,ed the block
Of ice enough the shore enable Mr. Spendlove
TO jump upon it, who after having warmed the boy with
his coat, with which he invested him, and holding
the girl in his arms was in short me by means of a
pole extended TO him from the shore, enabled 10 draw
his precious freight to hrma. The Coroner. with
his characteristic goodness of heart took the lit le ad
yenturers to his own house, where, after being comfort
ably warmed and refreshed he delivered them 10 their
ovrrioyed and grateful parents.
Probably not one in an hundred could have accom-
pshed the leap that MIR S. did in getting to The chill.
dren and is to his manly effort under Providence that
these Interesting end suffering children were rescued
from awful death
The names of the children Van Blarcon and
Brinkerhof, and their connexions highly respecla
Die market gardeners, residing Bulls Ferry.
SILK INSTRUCTION.
Mr.. Editor-The celebrated silk machnist Mr.. Gay,
who has invented several machines, will return from
Washington 10 Baltimore in few days and exhibit the
operation Of his machinery to The citizens of Baltimore
Mr. Gay reel in unwinding the cocoons but takes
the thread daey from the the spooIs
avoiding great deal Of trouble From The spoos pass
TO another machine which has twelve spindes put in
operation by crank Here the silk is doubled and
twisted ready for the Power LOOM ard here it is neces
sary remark, that Mir Gay applied the power loom 10
weaving silk, al the rate oi IL inches per minute ;
Notwithstanding, that had been declared impossible to
apply The power loan TO weaving silk Mr. Gay. am
told has expended fifteen thousand dollars in bringing
his machinery TO its present state of perfection He has
spared no pains expense in disseminating information
concerning the culture and manufacture Of silk. He
has been benefactor his country Tor he was one Of
the very FIRST pioneers in the II is certainly time
that he had received something return from hs coun-
try. In his exhibition in Baltimore next week he will
be induced BY his friends 10 charge small sum- say
twenty five cents TO deay the expenses He is one of
those generous and dsnteresied men, who would spsnd
his last penny 10 benefit his countrymen Like all men
OF genius, he knows not the value Of money
is The intention Of MIR Gay travel over the coun
try, disseminating information by the exhibition Of the
operation OF his machinery wherever he goes and BY
lectures In every place lie will teach two three per.
sons the ait OF reeng silk and day will he SET apart
for the instruction OF the poor After Mr.. Cav had
applied the power loom 10 weaving silk, Young man
took it to England and made thirty or forty thousand
dollars. The British claimed the invention, and il was
announced in our papers, that The power loom in Eng.