The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-06-28
THE DAILY DISPATCH.
TERRIFIC INCIDENT.

ed by crash and a tremulous motion. Think
ing that we had run against a wagon, kept
my seat, but in a minute or two the driver
| turned towards the lamp a countenance on
| which terror was so legiblv written, that in
sian,ly opened the door and sprung out. For
Gods sake, sir, take care" shouted the con-
ductor, who, seated on the box beside the
coachman, with one hand held the wheel-horses
on their launches, while with the other he firm
ly pressed the handle of the drag. 1t was a
ptchy dark night, the sides of the road being
invisible excepting where the lamps shone.
Beside me the driver, his teeth chattering with
irght, could say nothing but Oh, mon Dieu." !"
heard somewhere or other the roaring of a
torrent, and on tree near me a screech-owl
added its shrill cry to the voices OF the night.
Sc eral minutes elapsed before could realize
the awful nature of the peril which, thanks to
The extraordinary presence of mind displayed
by the conductor, we had almost miraculously
escaped. Had he not left his usual place 10
sit on the box, humanity speaking, not one
would have survived the hour to narrate the
terrible catastrophe. A wooden suspension
bridge, seventy feet in height. and spanning a
rapid river, had been swept away by rise OF
waters, consequent on q thunder storm in the
mountains. On the brink OF the precpice thus
caused, we stood, our leading horse having
fallen over it. and been iRstantaneously killed
iAou uofucSS UccU Ol STOUT I6dtnef, no NOR
tai power could have saved US; but, providen-
TALLY, he had been attached to the vehicle only
by two rope traces and q slight back strap.
lac tremulons motion had feltwa the strug-
gle between the wheel-horses pulled back by
The heroic conductor, lfOr the driver was pow
erless from terror, and this unfortunate animal.
as il hung suspended in mid air over the roar-
ing torrent. The crash was the recoil of the
vehicle when the traces broke, and the victim
Tell headlong into the abyss below. Cautious
ly approaching the brink of the chasm. we
found the remains OF our harness, and discover
ed the exact nature of our situation. | have
travelled not little, both by land and sea, in
all manner of conveyances, and on every kind
OF road, but such scene as that never ex-
pectto witness again, though | should spend
the remainder of my years in wandering TO and
fro over the earth.
The dread hour of midnight, the solitude of
the Alps, the rushing of the river, the cries of
the screech-owl, The chattering teeth of the
poor driver, the signing of the wind, the cold
air from the glaciers, the terrible nature OF the
danger, the miraculous manner escape, com
biaed to fill my mind with an awe, which re-
turns TO produce tremOr even while | write.
1t was one OF those awful scenes which solem-
nize feelings of the most cal!ous, and remain
engraved on the memory while life itself en-
dures.
Had the conductor been inside, had the har-
ness been of leather, had we attempted to cross
when the bridge was sinking, instead of after it
had sunk, bad the horses been at gallop. our
bodies might even now have been buried in
some of those rocky caldfons from which the
Rhone struggles 10 get free. The
supports of the bridge were still standing, but
the roadway had fallen in; so cross the ve-
hicle could not. The stream was not only
deep, but wide and rapid, besides having pre-
cipitous banks; so, fording was out of the
QUESTION. But, fortunately for us, the conduc-
tor had proved himself man equal to an
emergency. As soon as we had recovered
rom the shock, the driver was sent with lamp
to scramble along the side rails of the ruined
bridge and alarm village about half mile
bevond. Wearily did the minutes pass away
before, amid the darkness, we heard the cheer
ing cry from the opposite bank, "au Sec0urs,
an sec0urS." In very short time, the active
peasants had laid planks along the ruins, on
which, one by one, led by our intrepid conduc-
tor, we crossed the stream. Our trunks and
bags succeeded, while the horses dragged back
the diligence to the place from which they had
started. Three hours Of darkness we spent in
an empty room of the village tavern, until two
chars a-bdnc Arrived fl0m the nearest postf
station of Tourtemagne, whittier we proceed-l
ed. Similar vehicles conveyed US to Viergas
our baggage meanwhile following in a cart;
where again we changed carriages, before tra-
VersiDg desolate tract covered with stones,-
and the debris o: mountain torrents, which in
some places had obliterated all trace of the
road.
A New PRINTING PREss.-Messrs. Pratt
g. Porter have constructed and now exhibit at
A. b. Taylor's. No. l Hague street, new
Rotary or Cylinder Printing Press-the form
or forms revolving on large and the sheets
g 4 IL.
one, after the fashion of The great Hoe Press.
On this press both sides of a journal may be
printed at once-that is, the first side of one
sheet and the second of another-so that when
a thousand white sheets shall have been fed
simultaneously by two different feeders, they
will all be printed on both sides. Or a job and
a newspaper, or either and book-form, or two
Jobs entirely unlike in size and shape, may be
printed at the same time.
The Press now working takes sheet 26 by
Al inches, and is fed by two men on the same
cylinder, printing (the builders estimate) $500
sheets on both sides every hour. This press,
with all necessary fixtures, they offer to furnish
to any extent for $500 each; while the addi-
tionai feeding cylinder, &C., required to give
chance for two more feeders and double the
product, would only cost $l00 additional
This press is extremely simple in all its
parts does not weigh one-fifih so much as the
u
cost of the latter. 1t is also more approacha-
BILE, requires far less power. this one being
run by hand,) and, having far fewer screws,
wheels, pinions, &C., would seem much less
liable to get out OF order. If il be at ALL it
seems, il must create a revolution in Newspa
per Printing but ii has yet to bear the ordeals
of experience and hostile criticism The print
ers who scanned it Yesterday were strongly
| prepossessed in its favor.-N. y. Tribune.
A CASE OF CoNscIENCE.-Ina certain LAT.
| dies Moral Reform Society,"" existing moi,
many miles from The banks Of certain river,
| the members were required to sign pledge
moi 10 'set up," as il is termed, or do any thing
| else that might be supposed to have tenden-
| cy, however remote, TO immortality. One eve-
ming, as the President was calling over the
| names, to know whether each member had
kept her obligation, beautiful and highly res.
pectable young lady burst into tears, and be.
ing questioned Ms to the cause, said she feared
she had broken the pledge.
| why, what lave YOU donel. asked the
| President.