The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-01-26
Ea1ft;rS tn sic scw9eEitiE,o.

tTDI tC I|.."'ts -N''''' '<~-~'''"~. N-'
Yesterday morning Il sc,aew;.at Icmarka-
~" scene was enacted on the banks Of the
ccrncntinc. in Hyde Park. II was the Win
.cr Dathrr,' Grand Il s;iva. It may not, per-
iaI~, hr generally known that every morn
ing in tilc year. no matter how lilc!rlEci'C tac
weather nl,y ie, there are regular batherS IN
thc >c:pcniinc. Even when Tie water Is
covered with ice these persistent advocates OF
..,ha col.i-wat"r system" take their dips.
During the rcccn; frost sknting and bathing
were uciur on at the same. When
he ice is unusually thick the ald Of
,hc icomcn i, ultirtIy solicited to brcak
hole Mr=c enough 70 lct man through,
wien in they pop like seals one after an
othcr to tic number Of twenty, and some-
times double that. There is one old bathcr,
more independent than the rest, who brings
his oMn lG!tchct three miles sccrcted UNDER
acath his clothes, lest his intentions Should
hc mistaken as he wcntis his way through
tic s,rcc;s iii the dark winter morning.
n-a,.n diy%stcd Of hi- clothing he eGcrgeS
from the 4icGMy Shade Of tic trees, axe Ill
hand, and proudly walks TO the vclS" oi the
lrozcn lake like Il red Indian looking ont
.or scalp locks. He tiicil begins 10 chop ii
lane until he works himself cut to his
chin in w"tcr. and !hcn commences swim
;nm about among the broken ice, cmcrg-
inc from Tie water with icclcs dripping
from his lair, nose, and cyclaS!lcs, tie only
wonder being that he has never seriously
cut himself with the sharp edges 0t the broken
ice. According 10 annual custom yesterday
mOrnn- there WAS swimming match for Il
silver cup, the course being one hundred
wards. and thirty i'athcis contcnded. After
this they all assembled round pail contain
in@ rum and milk, to DO honor TO the Queen,
whici! toast baying been most Loyalty hon
orcd, another bottic was started into the re-
illail.g rum and milk by a.r. Williams, the
kind and genial superintendent ol the koya
Humane Society, 70 whose rTomPtitiGc
uauy OF thoGcprcsent had been indebted iol
saving tleir lives, to enable them 10 dI!hh
with more fcl|or to the health @nU
spccdy convalescence Of his Royal High
ness the Prince OF Wales. The batn
crs in the Serpentine during tie yeal
HOW drawing TO close have anioHilte.
TO about 4333, 600, according to tic daily estl
mate made at the Receiving House. fhtl
eight OF these were in danger of drowning
either from cralnp or eXiiillStlon. ana "ei'
rescued bv the Royal Humane Society's boat
| men and landed. one was 50 far gone whel
rescued that lie mad to be taken to the he
! cciyinc House and medically treated. One
| person was drowned, the case being beyonC
recovery. During the Ecar there have beer
fourteen casualties arising from persons &c
cidenta!Iy getting into the water. Among
them were three pcrambuiator cases, IL
which boys and girls, having been en-
trusted with these vehicles containing lit
tie children securely strapped in, have
run races on the banfs OF the lake, ano
in thc final grand push to be first, the ma
cl,inc has been capszed III the water, turn
ing bottom upwards, but in each case the
children were proyidentiaIIy rescued. Two
of the total of fourteen were drowned
through the swampiug Of q sailing in q
sudden squall. Not single death from sui
eide has occurred during the year--a very
unusual circumstance. -Four rcrSons lave
been rescued from attempted seii-aesiruelion
!,v drowning, and two have been watched
and prevented from going into the water,
und handel! over TO the safe custody OF the
police, when their intended attempt at SUI
eide was beyond reasonable doubt.