Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-12-31
ALL BUT DROWNED.


THE' man or woman who has escaped
that peculiar form of death which, during
summer, often awaits the too venture.
some.at cur watering places, will fappre-
ciate the following vivid description of
the manner in (which a similar peril was
- experienced during a Sunday mornings
'1sa Sunday morning by the sea. The early.
church ebellsS going. A close sea!mist
hanging heavily over the sands, and a
baffled sun trying to make light Of it, and
failing. My window wide open, though
sere October is growing old, and one long
melancholy fipplefof smooth sea wailing
slowly along the shore. / have had a
good breakfast, fine romp with my chill
dren, and my wife is dressing for church.
Everything with me is very calm and very
happy; but only an hour ago l was in
mortal peril Of my life, and instead of be-
ing in this pleasant room, with the voices
of my little children outside breaking on
my ear, and with the wash Of the wave
on the, beach below my window setting a
bass to their sweet treble, l might have
been atthismoment floating white and stiff
on the still sea, with the thick mist hang
ing around me, and this worlds loves and
cares over with me forever.
One hourago, only an hour, went out,
as usual, to bathe. The sands ran up to
my very windows, and the high tides some
times touch the little wall that stands in
front, so that can often walk from my own
hall door into the water at few yards
distancel But this morning the tide was
dead out, and heavy sea fog was lying all
over the sands, so that I could not see
where theswater and the land joined,
had not gone twenty yards until, looking
back, saw my house looming through
the fog, quite altered in appearance, and,
though much larger, still much more dis
distant than usual In a few more steps |
lost it altogether soon came to- the
waters edge, took off my overall, and laid
it on fiat stone; the only stone could
see, for theras are no rocks. .s.,.~x-
xTAe seacwas dead calm, and / had to
wade long way out before | got deep
enough for plunge, after which | began'to
swim. The water was not too cold, there
waspot even a languid heave on it's sur
face, and ] struck ous, enjoying the free
motion until I began to feel tired. Il am
bad swimmer, and had never knowingly
gone. ont of my depth. Dropping my
feet, 4 found myself up, to the neck, and I
then suddenly perceived that was closely
encircled by d dense MIST, and was ut
terly at loss to know which way the
shore lay The tide / knew, was rising
fast could not trust myself to swim,
lest should be swimming out to sea, in
stead of towards the land. i made step
or two in one direction, then in another,
but always seemed to be getting deeper.
Then, like sudden blow, came upon me
the full sense of my situation. Here was,
opposite my own door, where my wife
and little children were waiting for me,
within perhaps two hundred yards of dry
land, dangerously deep in the water, and
helplessly unable to ain6 my way out. s
The peri was imminent. L must have
been, now think, On the top of low
bank of sand, and, though shallow water
and safety must have been within twenty
yards of me, could not, to save my life,
tell which way to turn. 1t flashed upon
my mind that I should be drowned
drowned quietly and surely, within gun
shot of my home; and that the flowing
tide, there being no current and no wind,
would float my dead BODY up, and leave
it onthessand ibeforeymy door. The dan
ger was terrible: yet there was no hurry.
The tide was rising fast, but l could not
be drowned for at least ten minutes, and
1 had that time before me to do what !
could with. 1t would never do to die like
this, without an effort tossave my life, but
it was utterly impossible to say in what
direction that effort should be made. The
fog seemed to settle down closer and
closer around me, andthe water was ris
ing steadily. hut very slowly, the surface
ofthe sea being likesoiL af8
ISomahing had to besdone, and quickly
: slIrstood quite still, and looked. to. see i
.sthere iwereany ripple of current agains
nv neck that would show the inflow %
the tide. There-was none. / held up my
wetarm to feel for a wind There wa
noe a BREATH ~Istfained my ears to- hea
any noise--the barking of q dog, voices
on the land, the growing of cocks, any
thing that would answer the tonne, tire
meneoas question: Where is the shoresg
Not q sound .The stiffness was awfu
and horrible. To shout for help was tn