Wilmington daily gazette., 1873-01-21
"a paneisroGs RIae.

4he thrilling account of "a IFiAteJ's Night on
Lake WiHHebqqo,' published in the last number
OF this paper recalls to mind feat reformed,
nearly forty years ago, by David D. NOW Admi-
rail- Porter, and his brother TheOdOric, then resi-
dentsOf thia place. The love of adventures, ad-
ded 70 thecoOl anddeternined bravery which the
sons of Commodore Porter were always known
to possess and which never forsook them in any
emergency, prompted them to determine TO reach
fhiladelPhie, by'HgI'G1 the telaTare, ip sleigh.
The winter Eak unusually severe, and the river had
been filled toE seterat weeks With large masses of
floating ice. The night previous to their 'adyen-
turo was intensely cold, and on the following
morning the Ice had ceased to run--the river was
frozen over frOm Pennsylvania to New Jersey and
a slight snow covered the ground Tho PROPOSE
,ion to visit Philadelphia leaked ont, ahA skaEtly
ll0roh Ger hssny OF ths'6ldst pcnpl6 Of The town
t4sited '1iree9baRk the residence of tho
paFaRts Of the young men-to endeayor to dis
Suads them from so perilOus an undertaking. The
various obstacles that would present themselves
during the passage, the almost certainty that the
horse aud sleigh would get into an airhOle, and
that the youths would be beyond help and get lost
were represented 70 them ny matterofiact men,
who knew the river, qHd thg L9u,erogs dangers
10 be suPmOunte betOpe theleit could be reached,
t. hdeed,the kAk eould be- accomplished, Al
this was heard by the young Wcn, hut not needed
And at nine O'Clock IN tile morning the horse and
sleigh were Brought 10 the foot Of Welsh Street,
and the Porter boys entered the sledge The
"ribbOns" were entrusted 10 David, the elder and
the two set out on their trip. The mouths of the
different streams that enter into the Delaware
Ridley, Crum and Darby creeks woro thea, a
now piled Up with icC several feet llgh, ana = de
KOuF far Into, ths' tiVAf had to Bg made III avoid
these obsttuctiohs, which neither man nor heA9
Gould oyeFcome. The inside ehAanal, Known y
the "LazarettQ Chqqqsll vas taken, and the sIeigl
md It's occupants passed Martins har, the nlunti
T Of Sehnylklll, aud Horse Shoe, without accident
OF auy kind, On approaching the city, thel
found that the ice was detached fFOm the shor'
for some distance, aud 1t became necessary 10
safety TO keep well off the land. At noon the.
arrived at their destination, and tied gp tbei
horse AlCugslde the old Sea Glll thel retsivtni
shln anchored or the Navy Yard. The Nav
eAicers, TRENDS and shipniates of the old GopmO
aofe, their father, received the young men wiz
open arms, congratulated tseTR ga Ihe perform
Anca Of tbair daRsbV0us feat aud entertained theI
Handsomely. Al three o'clock they returned I
the Sleigh and made prepatlOns to leave for hOm
a hg the same route they had reached the city Th
cold had by this time become more intense, an
friends advised them to abandon their purpose.
Onthey went, however, aud ef.oI "a hqur ~
they became Vb..4 Ue,, aKte hatlh Nh hict
tasS Built 4 IRE upon the ice to warm themselye
iii the course of half an hour the journey was +
sumed, and Chester was reached without mlsha
at nine O'Clock at night, the whole dlstanc
thirty-tvO mites, haYing been performed over Il
frozen surface Of riYerln glanY places thirty 70
1eep. No one has tried the experiment sine
AqTllsit " ths Fep0lleoaon Of any OF our olIe
citizens that II was ever previously performed
We have not attempted to relate the incidents
this perllOus ride, all of which were at one uu
familiar to the residents OF this town, many
whom have passed away-not, however, withq
Fecounting to their descendants the trip OF Dav
d. Porter and his brother Theodoric, over
Ice from Chester TO philadelphia IN slqlgh,
.psiaYYf e9TS sfn.ssAseFf u dH ! Hsf