Ingenuity that Saved, his Life.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 2, Issue 329, 27 April 1881, Page 2

Ingenuity that Saved, his Life.

As Peter Mulvaney, a wealthy farmer of il arengo, was crossing the Kalamazoo river at that place on one of the cold days last week, ho stepped into an air-hole that was concealed by a thin crust of ice in the middle of the channel, where was a depth of several feet and quite a current. He came down on his breast with his arms extended on the ice in iront, which was solid; but as the most of his body was in the water, and weighed with his wet and heavy clothing, it was impossible for him to get out, until by a presence of mind and forethought rarely equalled, he conceived the idea of wetting the buckskin mittens he had on and letting them freeze to the smooth ice, when his strong arms would answer for his safety. But to attempt this was hazardous, as his body was so poised on the edge of the ice that by any movement of his arms backward he was in danger of loosing the slippery hold he already had and sinking back into the stream and be drawn under by the current. Another risk was that should he wet his overcoat sleeves they would instantly adhere to the ice and he would be utterly helpless, and soon perish from the intense cold. It was his only hope, and he resolved to take the chances. By carefully bringing his right hand by his side he succeeded in wetting the mitten on that hand, and then extending it ahead as far as he could reach, hold it until the mitten was firmly fastened to the ice; he then withdrew his hand and seized it, and thus had a firm support. He served the mitten on the other hand the same way, and thus became master of the situation, and readily pulled himself out of his perilous position.