Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1892-04-08
"A WATER WITCH
A DANGEROUS CURRENT IN
SOME WESTERN STREAMS.
What tho water witchp is and
How It Destroys Its Vic
tIms-A Hunters Hard
Struggle for Lille.


one Of q party of young men who were
seated round table the other evening
telling tales of adventure by land and
sea. In response to the general demand
the speaker told this story:
Sin the mouth of July, few years
age, camped with party from Salt
Lake City on the banks of the Provo
River. The Provo, rs we used to say
at school,, rises amid the snow-clad peaks
of the Wasatch Mountains, flows south,
and empties into Utah Lake. The track
OF deer discovered one morning within
the borders of the camp caused some ex-
citement among us.
"The next day Mr.. F. and I shout
dered our guns and wen; out TO shoot the
invader. We crossed the river by a
bridge few miles below camp and
climbed bold mountain wall. at the
end of long tramp found myself on
the opposite bank of the river, about half
mile above our camp. l was alone,
having separated from my companion
early in the hunt. was in disguised
frame of mind. had started the deer,
had an excellent shot and touch of
buck fever, although the deer was doe,
and had missed.
'sThe way had come looked long and
hard, and resolved to ford tho river.
at the time it was at full bank. deep and
swift. crossed one arm of the stream
Co largo island without difficulty, the
water not coming above my knees. From
this island the other branch of the river
looked more uncertair. The water was
certainly waist deep, and the current
was swift. 1 noticed that at the lower
end of the island, where the two currents
joined again, the water foamed up three
or four feet high, rs if breaking over
rock. On each bank there was dense
growth Of willow bushes, with long
dropping stems which reached out over
The river, some of the tips touching
the water.
Though no hunter, I am good
WINNER, and have always been accus-
toned to the water from boyhood. The
thought of any personal danger in cross
Ing stream not more than twenty yards
wide never ente.Sd my mind. 1 thought
might possibly drop the gun, and was
quite certain to ruin box of cartridges
carried in my pocket. These considera-
lions alone made me give my attention to
the Jay Of the land aud the course of the
currents.
81 entered the water and advanced
toward the opposite bank, holding the
gun in one hand and high. 1t was
deeper than / thought, the water coming
quite up to my shoulders. was about
to reach for one of the bending willow
stems when 1 made misstep and was
'wept off my feet, the current carrying me
Iwlftly to the centre of the toaming
water at the end of the island, where
went to the bottom like lead. I came
up far enough to see daylight shining
through the water when 1 went to tho
bottom again. still had the gun. As
came up the second time, began to
spin around like top.
"Thcn realized that was in trouble.
[ dropped the gun aud, with the aid of
both arms, brought my head above
water and clear of the whirlpool. was
gasping for breath when got to the air,
SUIT had not taken in any water, and,
although much exhausted from the
pounding 1 had received by the fierce
current, l was congratulatlng myself on
ny escape, when, floating easy, with bo:h
arms free, felt myself slowly butsurely
going under again.
"rhen something like terror seized
ne. thought my last moments of life
had come. Luckily, there came with
this thought the resolve of desperate
man to die by inches and to cling to life
until the last gasp. There was a great
impulse at first to cry out for help. II
could hear the clip of Mormon
farmers hayrake in the field on the
other side OF the river and his chirp to
his horse. But knew in that awful
moment that the call for help was only to
waste the breath I had resolved to
husband. I felt my strength going as
you can feel a pair of reins slip through
your hands. Every few feet, slowly bit
surely, would go under. Then, by
desperate excrsions with my arms, I
would bring my nose and mouth above
the water again. The river swept me
under a bunch of those long, graceful
willow branches, but again 1 was steady
enough not to catch hold of them. 1
knew that to do so was to waste my
efforts for life in vain. They were
slippery, they were small, and would not
hold me. - :,
"At sach time ones thoughts travel
faster than light. I have heard it said
that drowning is an easy death to die. Il
did not present that phase to ne. In
going 100 yards, in spite of every effort
on my part, went under several times.
but never to the bottom.
"As was shot along out of reach of
the willows, 1 saw On old log lying half
on the bank and half in the water. My
hopes rose again, and l thought should
certainly save myself there. AS 1 came
to went under again and the current
swept me up against it full length. I
tried to grasp it, but it was Shiny and l
could not hold to it, and pushed myself
free from it. The current made bend
Naround a little point there, and rs l
rounded it, not six feet before me will
low root as thick as my wrist elbowed
out over the water directly in my path,