Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-02-24
BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH.
Seven Persons Plunged into the Fey
Waters of Black Lake.
Two Little Girls Break Through the
Ice-Three Boys, One After the
other, Rush to the Hes
cue Into the Water.

Correspondence of the New York Herald
CoCHECTON, n. Y, Feb. II, 1S72-Thir-
teen miles east of this place, up among the
pine and hemlock hills of Sullivan county,
in the town of Bethel, in Black Lake, one
of those small inland lakes for which the
county is noted, and named on account Of
the very dark color of its waters. A tan
merry is erected here, and scattered here and
there in the forest and cleariRgs are the
homes of the labOrers at the tannery, max
ing quite a settlement about the lake
There, in that quiet and solitary spot, was
witnessed, within the past week, a scene
that
STRUCK TERROR To THE STOUTEST HEARTS,
and which called forth the exhibition of
those qualities of courage and endurance
which are the pride of the backwoodsman,
to degree that has no parallel in the an
mails Of courageous deeds.
The children Of some of the emplOye es
at the tanneTy had gathered at the house of
one of them, where they enjoyed themselves
until nearly evening, one day this week.
Two little girls, Helen Brooks, daughter of
VIM. C.. Brooks, foreman of the tannery,
and Hattie SchOOnmaker, proceeding home
from the party, took ''short cut" across
the lake, which is frozen over, and was con-
sidered safe. When they bad reached al
most the other shore, Hattie
BROKE THROUGH THE ICE,
And in trying to help her out Helen slipped
in too. They both sank, and when they
came up. according to James Kilcain, lad
fifteen years old, who was working a few
rods from the shore, they were entwined in
each others arms. Young Kilcain at once
started toward the hole in the ice, with the
intention of giving the girls all the assist
ance in his power. When he reached them
they were struggling to grasp hold of the
ice. kilcain got hold of them, and had
them half way out of the water, when the
ice gave way beneath him, and all three
were plunged beneath the chilling water.
When they came up the lad began shouting
for assistance. James Brooks, who was in
the. woods near by, now came upon the
| scene. 1t was his sister in the water with
the others, and he ran to help her. In
reaching out
HE SLIPPED INTO THE WATER.
Both girls had been Clinging to young
Kilcain, and he was fast becoming exhaust
ed with his efforts to keep them and him
above the surface. When the other boy fell
in his sister let 60 of Kicain and twined
herself around her brother. He succeeded
in freeing his arms, and then attempted to
reach the edge of the ice. 1t would break
away with the combined weight of him
and his sister, and tired him so that he de-
sisted, and the two boys began shouting for
aid. Thomas Burt, another boy, was at
tracted by the cries, and ran to the edge of
the ice, and instantly broke through. There
were now
FIVE OF THEM IN THE WATER,
all struggling fearfully for life. A man
named Deseker, brawny W )od-chOpper,
hearing the shouts of the children when
he was working in the woods, ran down to
the lake shore, and beheld the situation.
He had his little five-year old son with him,
and telling him to remain quiet on the
shore, rushed to the struggling little ones in
The water, only to share their fate. As soon
as he plunged in the water both little girls
grasped hold of his coat, and he was keep
ing them afOat, when his little son, terri
fed at seeing his father in the water, jumped
in and grasped him around the neck. The
whole settlement had now been attracted
to the shore of the lake and the widest ex-
element prevailed. Women fainting, cry
ing and praying; men shouting, and the
chilled, failing persons in the water
BATTLING WITH DEATH,
That stared them in the face. Men shout
ed to do this and do that, and between it
all nothing was done to aid them. When
Deseker found his little boy about his neck
he seized him in his powerful arms, kissed
him several times, and with a look of de-
spair threw him far out upon the ice, where
he was taken up and carried to his mother.
The little girls were now rapidly failing, but
young Kilcain succeeded in climbing out on
the ice and shouted for a tannery hook.
| One was brought, and he succeeded in pull
ing out
THE INANIMATE FORM
of the Scboonmaker girl as she was sinking
beneath the ice. Thomas Dent, father of
the boy who had already fallen in in aiding
the girls, now jumped in to the assistance
| of Deseker and the rest, and after him went
Thomas Hanley. These two sustained the
almost exhausted and frozen Deseker and
the boys until plank and more tannery
hooks were brought, and by their aid
ALL SAFELY LANDED.
The girls, although believed to be dead.
were resuscitated. The others were restored
by warm fires and clothing. The affair Gre
ated a sensation throughout this entire sec
ton of country, and the courage and noble
conduct of Deseker, Hanley, Dent, father
and son, and the lads Kilcain and Brooks,
is theme of hundreds of .admiring tongues.
, THE King of Sweden is said to be an ex-
cellent locksmth, and to devote much time
to the improvement of that branch of me-
chanics. The King of Portugal excCls as a
turner of wood and ivory. The members
of the royal house of Hohenzollern-posi
with view to some future contingency
have all been trained up to some useful art.
The present Crown Prince is said to be an
expert bookbinder, and his wife an accom-
plished miniature painter. The Queen of
Holland is poetess, but poetry is an in
spiration and not an art. Louis Napoleon,
and Queen Victoria have both essayed to
write books. The wife of the Prince of
Wales is superb musician, and has but
few equals among amateurs as a pianist.
The Czarina of Russia paints miniatures
well. The Queen of Belgium is horse
trainer and fearless rider, while the Queen
of Denmark is great housekeeper and one
of the best cooks in her dominion. 1t is also
said that some of the junior male members
of the royal family of England are proficient
as practical composers, while the Prince I'M
perial of France is a first-class typogaph-
er.
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