The Burlington weekly hawk-eye., 1865-01-14


.vs,ye.-Tbe following interesting
ps"onrication viii so far TO explode me
ccL.,iar belief that drowning - ratner a
pop...nt institution. The writer seems 20
pleasa.,sn0 himself perfectly, and has
undef.s one Of the mos. graphic and thrill
gwen ever submitted for publication.
ms is.n.t wan, him to drown again: bat
Wescsher SUN calamity should befal.
A we we will l. happy to receive another
nlu..rsn. Of his experiences.
DEs MONIES, Jan. sth, 1855.
-. rn-roR:-I have often been told
= ,hn experiences OF T. person IN the
=. " ~ drow ming, are not unpleasant oy
9. ceans. d.. Adam Clark and others
s.ya ~ made statements to this effect. oased
srcn actual ex perience. As contri ouuoH
y the world, desire in this brief paper 70
~ ~ correc. popular error on this snDlec.
70 "s"ao,,nt;nc nv own narrow escape from
"ra.erv grave. On "Wednesday OF las'
s,ass while skating on the Des MONIES
river few miles above your city, ! caIno
may -, pectedy 10 en- imperfect place IN me
;cs and was precipitated into waieI seh
Ms. deec. To the best Of my -ecoiiectioH,
~ ,irs. sensation was that OF excessive
.h;,,;ness. The accompanying eiiort 70
hrea,he in the wrong element, nao a
stfanglipg effect, depriving me % senSpos-
sessiop. could swim, ana, tneieio.e,
s,rnck ort 10 find the surface, desp,Ie .ne
,Iisordered state Of my Senses sins
Sro,n nv .-st immersion, a ieehnS o!
nan.,sssroes overlook me when my head
str,ck fhe superip cumoent ice, apprlzlng
M no that I rad failed TO reach the place o.
nv decan:. and that was imprisoned in
ths yiyey without solitary prospect o. es-
..re Eora moment turned my face up
.srd. and saw the sun shining in long
ines q. light through the crystal walls OF
nv dungeon. The shadows OF the trees
81 here and there over the river; and
vhep they first came within range OF my
vision, momentary thought occurred to
me tha: they we're friends rushing 70 my
.ssis;ance! A gres: gladness grew up in
nv heart on the instant, but it was more
hrief Of life than the rocket which e:nits
its fires and dies, No friend was there.
vas alone in my helpless agony, s'rcg-
vi.h the ingulting waters, and Drawing the
tarro-s o; q horrible death! Braving, did
ssv9 lie. me recall that EXPRESSION
The psrc which followed that upward look /,
when The conviction darkly crowded upon
NV mind that hope was gene, and that
nv corpse IA a few brie; moments
would fioa. with the unresisted tide,
was more terrible than that which will
stir the souls of men when they shall be
ta,led 70 final Judgment II were useless to
attemp. an analysis Of my feelings. Brief
as vas .he period which intervened be-
tween he lnomen. OF collision with the
ice and the moment Of my disappearance
aesfit1n.o ,ne bosom Of the rlver, II was
long enough TO enable me to think wildly
on every subject OF personal concernmen..
Family, friends. business. the events Of a
lifetime and the dread mysteries o. the
world whicd lie:h among the shadows OF
the dreamless lard, passed through my
mind rapidly, imrressively, cOherently.-
the old time, through which, as The legends
record, spectres ted gipbering 20 and fro in
the silence and solemnity Of midnight
Thoughts, animate with terrible pain, and
fred WITH more than mortal inspiration,
flashed through my brain as ligbtnings
fash through the clouds OF heaven!
All 100 soon the sun and the shadows On
the ice were lost 20 view, and, with a fain,
sfors to wal on. my despair, / sank into
the water. From this point OF time my
sensations were Of the most vague, con.
fused and dreamy character. I seemed to
forget that | was wandering, helpless,
through tide Of death. The acciden. By
which ] was plunged beneath the ice was
forgotten and even the consciousness OF
identity which clings TO US with the tenaci-
" Of life itself, was lost n multitude OF
grim ard ghas,ly fancies. But in all this
bew;lderment Of IDEAS and associations,
enc sentiment was supreme, and that was
horror
Another transition in my experience
might have brought me TO that mental Be-
1lah which is 80 pleasantly described by
men who have been rescued from drown
ing b.. was not destined to reach that
happy land. While sinking into what
onceiyed 70 be tha: awful blankness Of
mind which IS connected with the final
struggle with death, my foot struck against
the ground, and my head emerged from the
water. Salvation had come TO me At last
A hundred yards below the spot where l
had made the plunge, the river was stal-
low, and the ice a. the particular place
where my deliverance had been effected,
had teen cut away 2 few holrs before. !
viii no. detsln you by recital Of the ago.
MES ] endured n coming to life from
which ] supposed myself to be separated
forever. Suffice i: 20 say was seen from
the shore and help came. Let no one tell
me hereafter that the process OF drowning
Is calculated 10 enhance the blessedness OF
human experiences. ] know better.
Yours Truly, GEO. w. CRAvENs.
STATE Register.