Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-10-22
How Man Feels When He is Frozen to
Death.

How a Man Feels When He is Frozen to
Death.
Many years ago wanted to 60 across tn
Hudson river from New York to Jersey City
one cold night, to take the stage for Trenton q
4 o'clock the next morning. It was midnight 9
cold bitter night in December. The ferry
boats had all ceased their trips till daylight, an
could not think of that; SO hired boatma
with heavy bribe, and the promise of more
we successfully crossed within an hour, and lef
the shore. It was very dark and clustering
The tide was not so furious in the river as now
for the piers were then fewer, and not extending
into the channel, but the northwest wind addet
a heavy sea to the darkness of the night, ant
taking all things together, the prospect was poor
But had been in rongh seas, and running ic'
BEFORE and taking an oar | pulled stroke tina
evidently surprised my boatman, and added y
his hopes of successful voyage. 1t was one o.
clock when we left the shore. At half pas
three we were under the lee of Governors Is
land, coming up the Buttermik channel on th'
return to the flood. At four o'clock we wer'
making the shore near the old Brooklyn distil
lery, when cake ice came in on the sea, an(
closed around our egg-shell of o boat, and i
cracked and crushed precisely as you would have
crushed an almond in nut-cracker. Unfortu
nately, there was no one to pick the valuable
contents out of the broken shell, and if had moi
been remarkably quick, and the ice remarkably
strong, am not altogether certain that should
have been here to-day. On the contrary,
might have gone out to sea on the next ebb-tide
under water, instead of above it, on a cake of ice
as now seemed probable. By this time, l was
cold, as you may imagine. Rowing was out Of
the question, and I had been forced to beat my
hands until they were sore, in efforts to keep up
some sort of warmth in my numb fingers And
now, on this cake of ice, | must keep still, mo-
tionless, or I should go through, so l sat down,
holding the oar which had never left my grasp,
and looked about for my boatman. He was
missing. A shout brought back a reply. The
ice had parted, and We had parted company, and
we did not meet again until some weeks after
ward. We had no time or inclination to eI-
change parting salutations or good wishes. In
truth, I had no good wishes for him. Preserved
them all for myself l was thinking OF no one
else and his fate formed no part of my appre-
tensions.
Let me tell you that freezing to death is very
painful affair after all. 1t has none Of the deli
cious sleepy quiet about it that some persons i'm
agine. It is no locust eating death, passing away
into dreamy listlessness and profound slumber. 1t
is worse than nightmare thousand fold. 1t is
the struggle of prisoner in an iron CELL fierce,
furious struggle, mad struggle, terrible strug-
gle. felt the grasp of death, cold, tightening,
chilling, deadening on wrist and ankle, on neck
and waist, on brain and heart / sat motionless,
and fought as no man ever dreamed of battling,
except in such case but what avail is it to re-
sist when the weight of the world is pressing
you steadily down2 1t was just that feeling. l
saw star over me, and it seemed to come down
to me, and grow larger and larger and the silver
point became ball, globe, sphere, world
hiding everything else; and all that could see
was that one great stream of starlight, shivering
nv eyeballs over, and ten thousand sharp pains
darted through every part of me, and then fam
cied shrieked aloud, q lonesome cry that might
startle the gulls in the harbor from their resting
place on the floating ice, q momentary flashing
thought of the sea bird rising on his white
wings, was in my mind, and then blackness
and indescribable agony ending in insensibility
took possession of me. was frozen to DEATH
Nv next sensations were the thrilling pains of
recovery, sharp, shooting, stabbing, twisting in
fact every sort of pain conceivable. l was sur
prised to find myself alive. This was my first
Ineligible thought, for believe that l had
known was frozen; and deliberately given up
after struggle, was rather astonished in tind-
ing myself likely to thaw out after all. But
had fallen into good hands.
1 had gone ashore below Red Hook, and been
picked up by some scamps, who cleaned out my
pockets, and my coat and the chief part of my
clothing, for certainly did not seem to need
any of It. But better specimen of humanity
followed them, and took me to his house, where
DR.. Davidson, who then lived in the neighbor-
hood, found me and resuscitated me. His atten-
ton was unwearying, and l believed he saved
my life dozen times that day. shall always
remember that fearful night. am now past the
meridian of life. Then / was young and full OF
hope.-N Y Jour. Of Commerce.