The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1872-08-23
MARROW ESCAPE FROM DROWNING.
A "water Cure" gets more water than
he wants.
Advice to TrveIers.
EMpon1A. August Is, 1872

EMPoRIA, August 10, 1872.
Nix. EDITOR: If Kansas values
the lives of her citizens, it might be
well for her to see to it that proper
and safe crossing places be built
over her deeper and more dangerous
streams, especially over those with
obscure and treaeherous fording
places.
This morning about s o'clock, in
attempting to cross the Marais des
Cygne. near the residence of Mr..
George Dowdell, Reading, the
banks of the stream being deeply
shaded with trees, and being un-
acquainted with the crossing, mis-
took the inlet of creek on the op-
posite side as the proper landing
place of the ford and made direct
ly for it. About the middle of the
stream found my horses sinking
rapidly, the water coming up to
their sides towards their backs, but
as had been assured that the water
was not deep and the crossing safe,
1 pushed boldly forward, believing
that in a moment more shallow wa
ter would be reached and all would
be safe. Almost instantly the horses
disappeared in the deep water
their noses and ears being about
their only visible parts, my carriage
went down, the water covering for
twelve inches or more the seat upon
which 1 sat, and the whole outfit,
horses, carriage, and myself includ-
ed, were floating, or rather being
carried down the stream together.
Believing that my team would sure
ly perish, and having the fate of
poor Abraham before my eyes, I let
go my horses to shift for themselves
as best they might and plunged
into the stream as far away from the
carriage as possible, and swan with
all my might to reach the shore and
keen clear of entanglements with
the team. In doing this 1 fortu-
nately succeeded, and shortly after
my horses succeed in reaching the
bank of the creek, hav-
ing SWAN across also. I led them
up somehow at an angle of about
forty-five degrees, and finally reach
ed the road again.
Having been immersed up to my
neck, L put on my thick overcoat,
which 1 happened to have with me,
wrapped my carriage blanket tight
" around me and rode seventeen
miles into town, enjoying the de-
lights of a kind of wet sheet pack
all the way. 1 shall scarcely need
any further water treatment for a
long time to come.
II any of your friends have occa-
sion to go travelling about oyer the
prairie and crossing over the I'M
bridged, treacherous and deceptive
streams, allow me to commend to
them Nichols bay team. They arc
first-class roadsters, and have prov
ed them to be swimmers of the first
soater. Having engaged these, tax
en- out a liberal life insurance pol
icy for the benefit of wife and chill
dren, or other particular friends,
and graduated at some first-class
swimming establishment, and with
Divine Providence in his favor and
a resolute determination to "paddIe
his own canoe" think there would
be tolcrable chance of ones COM
ing out on the other shore.
Ifyour correspondent, Mr.. Editor,
had been ignorant of the art of
swimming, as understand our
poor friend Abraham was, the trag-
edy through which he so recently
lost his life would certainly have
been re-enacted at DOwdell's ford,
ON the Marais des Cygnc, this morn
ing, and a vacancy would have been
left In Emporia for the settlement
therein of another doctor.
Yours truly, WV. I. VAIL,