THE VERY “AMUSING” ACCIDENT AT THE RATTRAY STREET JETTY.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2391, 30 November 1870, Page 2

THE VERY “AMUSING” ACCIDENT AT THE RATTRAY STREET JETTY.

To the Editor of the Evening Star. Sir —As a sample of your contemporary’s “ Flunkyism,” allow mo to refer to his account of an accident at Rattray street Jetty, ai it appears in his is me of Frid *y : “ An accident, fortunately amusing rather than serious, occurred yesterday at the Rat. tray street Jetty. One of the gang of prisoners engaged in the construction of the extension to that jetty, carelessly stepped on a short plank, which tipped, and he.fell between the beams in the water below. On coming up to the surface, however, he struck out for the nearest pile, which he reached, and clambered up again none the worse for his ducking.” So much for this very “ amusing” affair, as it happened to “one of the gang of prisoners.” Now for an account of the same affair had it happened to one of a certain other “gang,” which shall be nameless. I can well imagine your contemporary chronicling that event in somewhat the following style : “ We regret to say that an accident of a very serious character occurred yesterday at Rattray street Jetty to a well-known and highly-respected member of our community : in fact on > of the elite of society—and a ‘ burning and a shining light ’ —the firmament of the third estate of the realm. Tho circumstances were briefly these : Some stupid blockhead had left a plank (on tho footway) too short to top over on to the end of the beams upon which it was supposed to rest, and consequently without any support. In consequence of this culpable neglect the plank ‘ tipped,’ and the gentleman to whom wo refer was precipitated and ‘ fell between tho beams into tho water,’ a distance of some ton or twenty feet below. Fortgnatoly tho respected subject of our present notice (being in every respect a well-educated gentleman) was taught in Ids early youth to swim, and this stood him in good stead ; so ‘ on fining to the surface he struck out for the nearest pile, which ho reached, and clambered

up again.’ (No, by the way, not clambered up, that is not respectable ) ‘He gracefully ascended the nearest pile, ad after the copious application of Eon d'l Coloi/ne and the free imbibition of other restoratives again took his wonted place in the galaxy of talent among which he has so long been shining as a ‘'bright and particular star.’ While congratulating the public upon the narrow escape; they have experienced of being let in Egyptian darkness as to things in general occurring in the Province, and of being entirely cut off from telegraphic communication with the outer world, wo fell bound to call the attention of the authorities to the fact that an accident of the kind it has been our very great grief to record, could not have occurred except through most reprehensible carelessness on the part of the persons in charge of the works.” ;<ir, I have only to say, in the words of our great dramatist, “ Look on this picture, and on that.” No doubt it was great fun to your contemporary to sec and describe a poor prisoner fall “ between the beams into the water ” at the risk of knocking out his brains or of experiencing tbc delightful sensation of drowning instead of “ducking;” but I should like to ask your contemporary if it would have been very “ amusing” had he himself been (unfortunately for the community) in the same situation ? I am, &c., Humanity.