Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-04-12
A NARROW ESCAPE.
Horses Drowned and Human Lives
Barely Saved.
Greener's Ford, on Grant river, the Scene or the
Accident.


ton to attend the funeral of Mrs. Delos
Abrams, had nearly lost their lives in
the Grant river, that their horses were
drownded and they themselves rescued
from small island in the river. which
had been their refuge from the swollen
stream. The report was confirmed
later and to Mr.. Robert Mccartney we
are indebted for full account of the
accident.
Mr.. aud Mrs. Abrams left Blooming
ton in the early morning, expecting to
be in Lancaster to attend the funeral at
one O'Clock that afternoon. Fhe road
most frequently travelled between
Bloomington and Lancaster passes
through Shutdown, but as the bridge at
that place was condemned and taken
down, and the ford was unsafe by rea-
son of the spring freshets, they took
another road which leads to the Greener
ford where years ago stood the old
Greener mill. The day before, We'd
nesday, David Ballantine and Pat
BARLEY, of Bloomington, had crossed
that ford on their way to and from
Lancaster, and Mr.. Ballantine told Mr.
Abrams that he thought he could cross
there, not dreaming that the rain which
had fallen Wednesday night could have
made the crossing dangerous. Mr.. and
Mrs. Abrams came to the ford ut
Greener's mill about eleven O'Clock.
The stream that at times can be crossed
on stepping stones, which its shallow
water cannot cover, was now a deep
and rushing torrent. Running almost
parallel with the river at this point IS
the abandoned mill race, and through
this deeper channel a portion of the
river pours II flood in stormy seasons.
Between the main channel of the river
and the race there is small island.
| Upon the Lancaster side of the Grant is
Robert McCartney's house and not far
away lives Charles Mclean. Coming
down to the river Mr. Abrams found
that the water, pouring down the hol-
low, had oblterated all the tracks lead
ing to the waters edge. There are sew
eral forks at this point and it was i'm
possible to tell where the path lay. Mr..
McCartney's boy saw them as they
drove down to the river and called and
signaled to them not to come in, but
the roaring of the stream drowned his
voice, and his signals failed to attract
their attention. Finding no path to
guide him in taking the river, Mr..
Abrams drove strait in at a point some
distance too high up the stream. The
The horses plunged in bra, ely but be-
fore they were ten feet from the bank
they went out of sight beneath the
water. TO go back was impossible. The
only hope lay in pushing on Obedient
| to their masters voice the faithful
horses plunged along, borne obiquely
down the stream by the impetuous tor
rent, sometimes on a shallower, rocky
bottom finding foothold for moment
with their heads above the chilly water,
and again swept downward into a deep
pool where they were lost to sight. The
buggy was filled with water, Mrs.
Abrams terrified and hopeless, and Mr..
Abrams keeping his presence of mind,
encouraged his struggling horses. At
last, drifting down the whirling, dizzy
ing stream, they came near the other
shore at the point where the old mill
once stood. Here the exhausted horses
made a frantic attempt to reach the
shore, struggling heroically against the
strong current, but the water was very
deep and they were overwhelmed and
borne on, A little further down the
stream they struck the shallow bottom of
the ford near the bank but by this time
one of the horses was drowned. The
other. almost dead, made another effort
to gain the shore, and succeeded in
planting his feet upon the land, but the
force of the current swerved the buggy
around, the weight of his dead compan-
ion was great, and one can fancy that
with almost human despair, the brave
creature felt himself swept back into
the water.
With two dead horses floating on be-
fore their buggy, Mr. and Mrs. Abrams
were carried some distance further on,
and nearing the little island were for
moment lodged against fence through
which the swollen river now flowed.
Seeing his chance Mr.. Abrams grasped
his wife beneath his arm and sprang,
clearing the distance between the buggy
and the island. As he stepped back
from the edge of the bank, the soil on
which be landed crumbled away and
with the buggy and horses. was foated
down the stream.
In the meantime McCartney's boy had
called his father, who was i'll, and run
ming TO Mr. MeLean's house, told him
what was occurring and be, together
with Thos. Richmond, who happened to
be there, FASTENED to the river. From |
the bank they watched the perlious at
tempt to cross and saw the escape to the |
little island. Aud now the men set
about devisiug SOME means of getting
Mr.. and Mrs Abrams ashore, fearing
that longer exposure would prove dis
astrous to Mrs. Abrams, whose cloth
ing was thoroughly drenched.
Mclean, knowing the bottom of the
river well, took his team and was gong
to drive in after them-though he also /
knew the risk he would run-but by the
advise Of the others decided that there
would be better chance of reaching |
them on horseback. He accordingly
took one of hisl horses and following the I
river bottom at the shallowest points,
swimming his horse through the swift,
deep current, when no footing could be
found, he gained the island. Taking
Mrs. Abrams up behind him, his horse
took the river again and brought them