Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1873-06-26
A Drowning Mans sensation.
A correspondent of the Chicago
Tribune, treating of the bridge acci-
dent at Dixon, Ill, says:

1IIDuDe, II lIedtIhS vi Tue VI iIoSt dCCl-
dent at Dixon, Ill, says:
After many hours spent in inquiry
the right individual was at length
found, in the person of DR.. Hoffman,
who was taken out of the river in an
unconscious condition, and full of
water. He was able to come down to
his office this morning, although he
had a cash about three inches long in
his head. He is very weak yet, but,
Notwithstanding the shock to his ner
voUs system, and the mental de
preston caused by the loss of his
wife, he gave a very interesting ac
count of his narrow escape from
drowning. Your correspondent inter
viewed him this morning, particularly
with reference to the sensations while
under the water, and learned from him
what is suhjoiued.
My wife and went to see the baptism
| of the converts, and took up posi-
ton on the bridge about thirty feet
from the first pier, and between it and
the abutment We were surrounded
by people-men, women and children
Suddenly, while Mr.. Pratt was enter
ing the water with female, | heard
a report similar to that of a small
cannon, and in an instant the water
closed over me, and I felt that some
thing was pressing me down. A heavy
weight appeared to be over me. I did
not sink to the bottom. l was Ler-
fectly conscious, and Immediately
thought of getting out if possible. My
IL =, l.
work, and crawling up as if ascending
ladder, l was fortunate i'll finding
an opening through which l crawled
and imme ediately arose to the surface,
l was then, as near as | can Judge,
about seventy or eighty feet from the
shore. 1 swan toward the bank, but
when near it my strength gave out,
and I sank While swimming, some
person, who must have been under the
water, caught hold of my left leg and
grasped tight for minute, prevent
ing me from going forward. The per
son let go as suddenly IS he had
taken hold, and 1 gave stroke or
two, when I encountered a dress
Thinking it was my wife, who was
standing beside me when the span
fell, l grabbed it, but, having become
enervated, | was obliged to let it 90.
was almost exhausted at the time,
and do not know that the dress was
that of my wife. [ did not notice it
particularly. My thoughts were al
most solely confined to her, and |
imagined when l saw the dress it was
hers.
| Whom 7 corl- 7 ,res c+iIl oo,eibIo ~
the surroundings. l went apparently
very close to the bottom. The cur
rent rolled me over and over, and my
hands frequently came in contact with
the gravel. l could feel the water
running down my throat and in my
ears, and all at once experienced the
most delightful sensation. ] seemed
to be at peace with everything, and
perfectly happy. My whole life passed
before me like flash of lightning, the
events appearing in sequence, the most
prominent appearing to be indeliby
impressed upon my mind. Circum
stances | had forgo tten appeared
wildly, and l did not want to be dis
turbed. l should have preferred tc
remain where 1 was. While in The
midst of beatific reverie, thinking wha
my wife would do if she were saved
and / drowned, l felt hand on my
shoulder. was pulled out and placeC
on a rock. l was almost insensible
but gradually came to myself. Oh
how sick and wretched l felt.
After remaining on the rock abou
an hour, 1 was taken to my b ONE
Here I co onmenced vomiting, and fre
quently elected water and partially
digested food until 4 o'clock in the
afternoon. l was taken out of the
bridge. l was very thirsty after vOm
iting, and tried to drink some water
but the taste was so disagreeable that
| could not bear it. The only way
could quench my thirst was by putting
vinegar into the water, about an ounce
and half to a quarter of pint. Tha
struck me as a rather curious circum
stance. 1 was greatly astonished a
the number of events that passec
through my mind while under tht
water. Nothing that occurred during
childhood was evident, but everything
since 1 was about nineteen years ole
appeared before me as if photographed
The sensation I experienced while thu
water was going down my throat wa
not unpleasant 1t seemed as if
was going on a journey, and was sur
rounded by all kinds of beautiful
things. While on the rock felt yer,
bad and desired to be left alone- Th
sudden transition from the beatifi'
state in the water to the dry lanC
seemed to have bad effect, and made
me Indifferent to what was going OIL
around me. Several people came t;
me and wanted to take me home, bu
told them to let me alone. was 81
miserable. The corpse of my wifi
was found after she had been in th
water about three hours. 1t is sait
Mrs. Hoffman's countenanee wa
lighted up with a life like smile, 81
peaceful and suggestive of such pleas
ant thoughts when dying that every
body's attention was attracted to hel
Cheap Disinfectants.
: One pound of green copperass cost
: ing seven cents, dissolved in on
; quart of water, and poured down
water closet, will etfectuallv destro
the foulest smells. On board ship
and steamboats,, about hotels an
other places, there is nothing so mic
to purify the air. Simple green COP
, peras dissolved under the bed in any
n thing that will hold water will rende
1 a hospital, or places for the sick, fre
: from unpleasant smells. For butcher
: stalls, fish markets, slaughter house,
9 sinks, and whatever there are offer
t sive, putrid gases, dissolve coppera
: and sprinkle it about, and in IA fe
| i a.