Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-06-01
Deatils Of the estar Diver


NJ. Death: of the s'stser Diver.
As might have been easily predicted--and
vas predicted in this journal some months ago
- the end Of the Star Diver has been mis-
cradle death. The poor, rash fellow Worth
;;nngton was to exhibit his hairbrained teats on
the river Derwent at Derby, on Thursday
One of his achievements was to jump from a
height of one hundred and twenty feet into
the river. A great crowd gathered to see this
Young mamie was only twenty-three-pe
netrate; constructive suicide. He began to
dive, and performed variety of tricks under
the water-drinking milk from a bottle, peel
ING and eating an orange, blowing a trumpet, &c.
Then he aseended the scaffold-a hundred and
twenty feet above the level Of the river, put
himself into position for diving, and jumped
innto the stream. In his progress doWnWards
he turned over TWO or three times, precisely as
as the ,last poor man :diddwho flung himself
from the top .of the Duke of York column.
Worthington fell heavily on his side, and at
once sunk to the bottom. The crowd seemed
to expect that he would rise again, but the
luckless diver made no sign. Others were TAIN
to plunge in after Elm; his body was recovered,
put into boat, and rewed to shore. Four
but il Is was in vain. The poor man was dead.
His mother and two sisters were present when
be made his madcap leap--as mad as that
which Scott, the diver, made from Waterloo
Bridge nearly thirty years ago. Scott: died
Sam. Patch tried to shoot Niagara Falls and
was killed. Cooking had more than once sue
Jcessfuly descended in a parachute. He made
one more attempt and was dashed to pieces.
This unhappy w orthington, "Star Diver Of
the World, i" has only gone the usual way OF
show divers, trapezists, and high-rope dancers.
That Blondin and Leotard have as yet escaped
may be urged as an argument in favor OF these
wantonly perilous exhibitions but Blondln
and Leotard are field marshals in this Army OF
Martyrs We hear little of the rark- -and-hle
who are slain every year.. We would not have
it assumed that all .star divers, "contortlonsts,
and sensational .acrobats perish in their voca-
ton. They do sometimes escape. .-Loadon
Telegraph. E.E&
The records ofSthe accounting officers at
Washington are rich in the curiosities of litera-
ture. & The following, which is an exact copy of
a surgeons certificate, furnished in aid of a
soldiers claim for bounty, is among innumer-
able proofs that the schoomaster was abroad
during the war . saG ae
'.May tn 10 her By Gritty on hon honor
that; 2---e'' "a FRACTION phission Did
waighton and treat 80 -'Co - 4 lnftry
who died at home in j county who was
ION sick furlow with cronic disntary.
fsEs .E fs,.s;g s &c. - A pract phlson.
Another t'praction phission certified that
certain soldier died OF Information on the
brain ar another, that death was caused by
"Disease contracted for in the service; and
another, that the disease of which a. soldier
died was New money, 4, -
Reuben Golding, of Stokes county, North
Carolina, has sold his forge situated on Dan
River with about ], 200 acres of land attached,
to company Of German capitalists, who IN
tend bringing colony OF Germans TO that
county. It's the intention of the company
to 60 largely into the manufacturing business.
The Nv 100 G eggza 2Ramie plant
which was introduced into this country, through
Mexico, from Java, to the soil Of which it is
Indigenous is attracting much attention in the
South. At an agricultural fair recently held
in Alabama it was ope Of the-speeial features
Of the exhibition. It is claimed that, It pro-
perly cultivated and worked, it will eventually
take the place of cotton, and supply any den
cheney in that great staple production; It is
ssid the fbrcs are mush finer and stronger than
the best fax; that they are as fine as sea ls
land cotton, and that, after cleaning, they be-
come very soft and white, and take colors as
readily as the. finest wool or silk. Several ar
ticles of. clothing made from this fabric were
exhibited at the fair referred to, and were par
tcularly noticed for the strength and beauty OF
the material The cultivation of the Ramie
plant has been successful on a number OF
9 plantations in Alabama. 81 = ,s-1r,} @,rr