The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-01-07
SAVED BY FASHION.
LIFE AND LIMB PROTECTED eY THE
FADS OF STYLE.

ssSok RfOnh "S ~~~ -
Chimney Pot Hat.
Our dress has often been ridiculed for
Its want Of beauty. We are told there
Is nothing artistic and In many cases
little pertaining to comfort In nine
teenth century garments.
The habiliment Of some Of our conti-
mental neighbors Is far superior, both In
elegance and usefulness, to our own, 90
It Is said. Sut we 10 not question this
statement, as il Is not our present duty
to pick out the drawbacks Of dress
that has satisfied us 30 long.
Ugly as is our customary mode, It has
more than once been the means OF saw
ing the life Of the wearer or been instru-
mental in preventing accidents which
might have proved serious or fatal.
A gentleman wearing a collar Of ex-
treme height and rigidity while re-
posing idly on a'heathery moorland fell
into dose, but reused himself to find
something moving about his neck, and
Eas just prevented putting his hand ON
the place by companion, who at that
moment glanced up from his paper.
The troublesome visitor was large
adder. which. coiling its Shiny body
round the gentleman's throat, would
probably have bitten him severely but
for the unusual height Of the linen band
that has been favorite point Of attack
of the dress reformers for an inconceiv-
able period.
BY an adroit movement the friend
caught the reptile behind the head, thus
preventing injury to his hand. The COL
lar, however, was impaired in the mo-
mentary struggle, and an ugly stain
was pointed out as the deadly election
of the poisonous fangs.
High heels-those peglike elevations
which we are induced to believe have
caused untold misery to the feet Of
women Of fashion-have at least one
good service to their credit-in saving
the life of fair mountaineer.
This foolish person essayed the climb
ing of precipitous cliffs in French kid
boots. with heels of the peculiar bell
shape once so fashionable, and ON the
present occasion it was we'll that she
did not wander far from her companions.
Her activity. despite the unsuitable
ity of her leathern elevations for noun
taineering. was irrepressible, and ven-
turing too near the edge Of jutting
rock she slipped, and her frightened
companions expected to see her dashed
to atoms on the lodges below.
But, mol The high heel which had
occasioned her fall became entangled in
the thick brier branches and was suffi-
ciently Strong to support the venture
some woman for the few moments until
her friends could obtain a firm grip Of
her limbs and restore her safely to the
mountain path.
When examined, the shoe was found
to be nearly Observation-Disclosures heel
hanging by few rivets only. An or
dinary mountain boot, with a fiat,
square heel, would have offered no angle
of support for the briers, and under 9th
er than the present circumstances the
climber would certainly have met with
o terrible death.
An incident somewhat similar, but
Of not SO dangerous character, has
been reported of young fashionable.
|
Of an omnibus through crowded thor
oughfare.
Leaning over the rails, he overbal-
anced himself and would have been
thrown in the midst Of the traffic but
for the reason that the bottoms of his
trousers were turned up In that unrea-
sonable style once more prevalent than
at present with the exquisites of fashion
The turned up hem was slung on the
edge Of the rail, while the scared youth
dangled, with frantic arms sprawling,
over the windows, with q face as red as
beet root
A fellow passenger released him from
above, and he was permitted to drop
into the arms of the conductor. A fall
from such an elevation would have
meant dislocated shoulder or q broken
leg at least.
What romance or history can be CON-
nected with the ugly chimney pot hat?
Yet quite lately one of these inartistio
creations saved the life of venture
some gentleman. Strolling beyond high
water mark, he suddenly discovered
himself caught by the tide, and being
hemmed in by beetling, inaccessible
rocks all means Of escape seemed cut
off.
The water rushed in, and the terri
fled gentleman was taken of his feet,
with not boat in sight to render him
| deliverance nor a person to hear his dis
tressed cries. Unable to swim, he would
soon have been drowned but for little
occurrence which proved his salvation.
During his struggle the silk hat he
wore was washed off his head, and the
man clutching at it as the only attain
able object was surprised to find that 1t
buoyed him up.
His arms were clasped, encircling the
brim, while the top of the hat, partly
submerged, resisted the water. BY main
tanning this position he was enabled to
keep himself afloat for nearly 10 min.
utes at the end Of which time boat
rounded the cliffs. The boatman, OBJ
II