My parents and their six children, including myself, lived in Flintville,
Wisconsin, near the Suamico River and Pond, where a great number of logs
had been floated in for lumber. On the opposite side from us were woods,
where wintergreen berries were plentiful. One pleasant Sunday morning in
October, 1857, one of our playmates came to ask mother if we, my older
sister, a younger brother, and I, might go with her to pick some of these
berries.
Mother said we might go if we would go down the river and cross the bridge.
She knew that we had crossed the pond several times on the logs, but the
water was unusually high for that time of the year, and there was danger in
crossing that way. We promised to cross by the bridge, really intending
when we left home to do so. Mother let my two younger sisters, one four and
the other six years old, go with us.
We left the house as happy as could be. My mother smiled as she stood in
the door and watched us go. She had always trusted us, and we seldom
disobeyed her. But this time we had our playmate with us, and the had been
in the habit of having her own way. As she was a little older than we were,
we thought that what she said or did was all right.
We had gone but a short distance when this girl, whose name was Louise,
suggested that we run across the logs, and get to the berries so much the
sooner. We reminded her of what our mother had told us; but she said, "Your
mother does not know how snug the logs are piled in, and that it would be
such fun, and no danger, to cross on them."
We began to look at the matter in the same way, and after playing a few
minutes, we started across. I took one of my little sisters, and Louise was
going to take the younger one; but, as she was about to start, her brother,
whom she had not seen for some time, drove up and took her home with him.
My brother, thinking he could take our little sister across, started with
her, but I called to him to go back and wait for me to do it; for I was
then about half-way over. The stream was not wide, and he thought he could
take her over as well as I.
Just as I started back, O, what a sight met my eyes! I saw my little sister
slip off the log into the water. I ran to catch her, but was not quick
enough. As I reached for her, my brother and I both rolled from the log
into the water with her. Then my sister, who had been standing on the bank
to see if we got over safely, came to our rescue; but we were so frightened
that we caught hold of her, and, instead of her pulling us out, we pulled
her in with us.
By that time our screams had reached our mother's ears, and she came
running to see what the trouble was. She saw only one of us, as the others
were under water, or nearly so, and, supposing there was only one in the
water, she came on the logs to help. By the time she got to us, the logs
were under motion, so that she could not stand on them; and she, too, fell
into the water.
The six-year-old sister, whom I had taken across, saw it all and made an
attempt to come to us. Mother called to her to go back. She turned back,
and reached the shore all right. Just as mother spoke, she felt something
come against her feet. She raised her foot with the weight, and caught the
dress of little Emeline, who was sinking for the last time. Mother managed
to hold her till help came.
It being Sunday, nearly every man that lived near was away from home.
Fortunately, a Mr. Flint, who had company visiting him, was at home. The
men were eating their dinner when a woman who had seen us in the water
rushed into the dining-room and told them that Mr. Tripp's family were in
the mill-pond drowning. They rushed from the table, tipping it over and
breaking some dishes.
When they reached us, the logs and water were so disturbed that nothing
could be done for us until boards were brought to lay on the logs. During
this time I had caught hold of a log that was crowded between others, so I
could pull myself up without rolling, but could get no farther. My sister
Sarah and brother Willard were helped ashore. Emeline, whom mother had been
trying hard to hold up, was taken out, but showed no signs of life. She was
laid on a log while they helped mother out.
As soon as mother saw Emeline, she told the men to turn her on her stomach.
They then saw that there was life. She was quickly taken to the house, and
cared for by an old lady we called Aunt Betsey, who had come to help.
While taking mother to shore, the nine men who had come to our rescue fell
into the water. They all had to walk on the same long board to get to
shore. The boards having been placed so very quickly, it was not noticed,
until too late, that one was unsafe. The men were near enough to shore
where they fell in, so that they could touch bottom, and were not long in
getting out.
Mother had to be taken home, where she was cared for by the best help we
could procure. It was impossible to get a doctor where we lived in those
days. Little Emeline and mother were watched over all night, and at sunrise
the next morning they were pronounced out of danger.
The men who fell in got off with only an unpleasant wetting. The water was
quite cold; the pond froze over the following night. They did not start for
home that day, as they were intending to do, but spent the rest of the day
drying their clothing.
About noon our father, who had been away for three days, came home. When he
heard the story of our disaster, he wept, and thanked God for sparing our
lives.
All this happened because we did not obey our mother; and we children never
forgot the lesson.