The Opelousas courier., 1883-10-13
A TERRIBLE NIGHT.
Recalling nm Incident of Years Ago-FTeez'
sne 90 Death Up tine River.

Racavlan~ nm Incident of Years go-FTeez'
ing 60 Death Up tlae River.
A writer at E~quinunk, Pa, relates
the following sad story: Raftmen,
returning from down the river, bring
news OF the death of Mrs. Jacob Moser,
oil Mosertown, Northampton County,
which recalls the frightful work of a
winter night ffty-two years ago, py
which the deceased was made a q
tt is a Renaissance of the days when
Transportation between Philadelphia
and Easton was by Durham boats, a style
of craft unknown to this generation.
One day in January, 1928, Jacob
| Moser. his brother-in-law, Jerome Mill
Ter: his brother, Rinaldo Moser, and a
cousin named Cortright, were trimmings
| Durham boat from Philadelphia with a
cargo of whisky. Jacob Moser was a
powerful Kaan Of thirty; Miller was
| about the same age, and Rinaldo Moser
and Cortright were lads of eighteen.
| Night was approaching when they were
in the vicinity of Bristol, and they
were caught in a violent storm OF wind
and sleet. Unable to make a landing
on either shore, they ran their boat on a
small island. AS it grew dark the storm
increased in fury, and it was bitter cold.
People who remember that night say
that it was the most fearful one ever
| known on the river. The mercury stood
below zero and the wind blew a gale.
The storm had commenced with rain,
| and, as the cold increased, the rain was
frozen into great pellets of ice, which
the wind hurled about with tremendous
force. To this awful war of the elements
the four boatmen were exposed, with
| not a scrap of wood on the island with
| which a fire might be kindled, and
| nothing to shelter them from the storm.
| They attempted to keep warm by run
| ming up and down the island, and, after
an hours ineessant exercise in that way,
which rendered but little relief, n of
the party suggested the rolling of a bar
rel of whisky from the boat and setting
it on fire. This happy thought inspired
the freezing crew with hope, and with
great difficulty they unloaded one of the
barrels. Then the appalling discovery
was made that there wa not a match IN
the possession of the party. From that
moment Jacob Moser lost his heart. He
would not make any further effort to
keep warm, and for a long time his
brother and Miller dragged him about
the island, endeavoring to keep his BLOOD
in circulation, all to no purpose, for at
the end of an hour he was beyond all
hope, and they were dragging a frozen
CORPSE between them. When the dis
covery was made that there was ne
matches, young Cortright knocked the
head of a whisky barrel in with a stone.
and let himself into the liquor up to his
chin. Miller and Rinaldo Moser con-
,inued to fight all night long against the
terrible death that assailed them. When
daylight appeared they were discovered
by other boatmen, and q rescuing party
! started after them. At the sight Of the
boat approaching, the wonderful nerve
that had kept Rinaldo Moser alive
through the fearful night, deserted him
and he fell to the ground unconscious
Jerome Miller, although his hands, ears
and face were frozen as white as SNOW
and his feet were SO stiff that he eoule
scarcely move, never lost consciousness
Cortright's face and ears were terribl.
frozen, the latter 30 badly that the.
dropped from his head. The cold hal
not penetrated where the whisky GOV
cred him, but from his neck down b,
was one immense blister, the liquo
< burned him 80.
The three survivors of the awful nigh
and the dead body of its victim wer
removed to Bristol and subsequently t
MosertoWn. Rinaldo Moser's legs wer
amputated at the thigh, as they were 8
terribly frozen that it wa impossible t
save them. He lived, and became on
of the most robust men on the river
He took up his residence with his sistei
in-law, the widow of Jacob, and 70
forty-nine years supported himself an
her ferrying people across the river an
: by fishing. He became known as tn
aLegless Ferryman," and no charaete
was better known than he was from on
end of the river to the other. He ws
: q most expert oarsman, and had fe
equals as a scientific fisherman. II
!. facility with which he got around on h
Iegless body was wonderful. He died j
December, 1876, aged sixty-six years.
] jerome Miller and Cortright both II
! covered. but both met tragic death
: SOON afI6FVaF0. MIleF WIS ufoWHeu
1929 in the Delaware, and some yea
J afterward Cortright was burned to deaf
in New Jersey. Jacob Moser left tv
sons. One Of them vas drowned in tt
7 Lehigb River a few years ago, and abol
the SAM time the other was drowned
/ the Delaware. The death Of their moth
/ removes the last survivor of the sing
larly fated family. She was abol
. seventy-six years old.