Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-09-30
A PeriiOus Adventure.

from Pennington, named Mr.. Miller and
Miss Ferris, arrived in the city on the K.
y ID. Nj. Road, en- route for Montrose, to
attend the marriage of the young lady's
brother, Chas. Ferris, to Miss Keil, which
occurred that evening. The train was late
| ana they failed to reach here in time to
take the C., B. 6 Q. train, as they had ex-
| pected to do. As Miss Ferris was to be
one OF the bridesmaids, they were ex-
tremely anxious to be present at the nup-
tlals, 50 they sent telegram requesting
| that the ceremony be postponed until their
arrival, and, procuring a two-horse car
riage at the livery-stable of W. S. Twins,
started overland. Unfortunately, they
missed their way, and instead of going out
| the plank road they took the Johnson
street road. On reaching a stream which
is thought to have been Sugar Creek, and
which, OF course, was very much swollen
they attempted to ford it, when they en-
countered deep water-deeps enough to
swim the horses. They proved to be good
swimmers, however, kept we'll together,
did not become entangled in the harness,
and, after going considerable distance,
landed upon little patch of dry land,
seemingly small island. The island
was too small or the bank too perpendicu-
lar to permit the horses to draw the car
rage upon dry land, so it was left floating
in the stream with the occupants sitting in
water nearly to their waists. The night
was the very blackness of darkness, and
they dare not move the horses step lest
they again be carried out into the stream
and all be swallowed up in the rushing.
angry torrent of waters and lost Incredi-
bic as 1t may seem, they remained in that
perilous situation until daybreak yester-
day morning. But it was a terrible night
for the unfortunate couple-a night in
which every minute seemed an hour and
which filled their souls with the agony of
mingled fear and suspense. The rain
came down at times in torrents and the
lurid flashes of lightning which occasion
| ally lit up the surroundings only helped
them to realize more fully the danger they
We're in. The water went rushing madly
past them, and seemed all the time to be
rising rapidly. They were suspended be-
| tween life and death, not knowing at what
| moment the end might come. For
tunately the horses, apparently COM
pretending the situation, remained
still as posts, scarcely moving out
of their tracks during the entire
night. After long, weary hours of wait
ing and watching and hoping, daylight
commenced to dawn upon them. When
it was fairly light the young man got out,
unhitched the horses from the carriage,
mounted one of them and started for the
shore. The other one refused to remain
there alone, and he was obliged to return
and take them both. Even this undertak-
ing proved to have been dangerous one.
The horses disappeared out of sight two
or three times, and the young lady, who
remained on the island, gave up all hope
of seeing either them or their rider reach
the shore. They did so in safety, how
ever, and the young man, after going
about mile, found help. They returned
to the scene and, after heroic effort, sue
ceeded in getting the young lady and car
riage to shore. The horses were hitched
up and the young couple started for the
city congratulating themselves upon their
final rescue. They were doomed, how
ever, to still another adventure almost
fully as perilous. After proceeding about
two miles on their return trip they
came to a small stream. 1t seemed
to be very shallow, and as they
had crossed it the night before, they
unprecedented no difficulty No sooner had
the horses started across, however, than
they plunged into bed of quicksand in
which they were buried nearly out of sight.
Assistance was procured and the horses
were with much difficulty extricated So
thoroughly was the carriage imbedded in
the quicksand that it became necessary to
attach team Of horses 10 it by means of
log-chain in order to get it out The har-
ness was badly cut and broken, and the
carriage considerably damaged.
Things were once more put to rights, or
as nearly so as possible, and the couple
again started on their eventful journey.
They reached the city about ten o'clock in
a sorry plight, but with a sense of relief
and gratitude that they were at length on
high ground, where nothing short of a
second flood could possibly reach them
They spent the day at the residence of
Mrs. Charles Gillespie, and left for home
last evening, via the K. & D. NJ Road, &C
companied by the bride and groom, who
came down on the train from Montrose
Friday morning.-Keokuk Qowa) Gate
City,