I went over both his head and the
rocks, about one rod, and struck the
ground square on my feet, being the
only thing visible that saved my life;
for, had I struck upon any other part
of my body, it must have killed me
instantly; as it was, my bones crushed
from under me as though they were
reeds. It broke my left leg in two
places, and put out both my ankles in
a shocking manner, and the horse
came near rolling over me in his strug-
gles to get up. My uncle, Titus
Woodruff, saw me fall, got assistance,
and carried me to his house. I lay
from 2 p.m. till 10, without medical
aid; then my father arrived, bringing Dr. Swift, of Farmington, with him,
who set my bones, boxed up my
limbs, and carried me in his carriage
eight miles that night to my father's.
My sufferings were very great. I had
good attention, however, and in eight
weeks I was out-doors upon my
crutches.
In , while attempting to clear
the ice out of a water-wheel, standing
upon the wheel with one arm around
the shaft, a man hoisted the gate, and
let a full head of water upon it. As
soon as the water struck the wheel it
started, my feet slipped into the
wheel, but I immediately plunged
head foremost over the rim into about
three feet of water, and my weight
drew my legs out of the wheel, or I
should have been drawn under a
shaft and crushed to death.
In , while having charge of the
flouring mill in Collinsville, Connecti-
cut, I was standing inside of a breast
wheel, 20 feet in diameter, upon one
of the arms near the top, clearing out
the ice, when a full head of water was
let on to it. The wheel immediately
started; but I dropped my ax and
leaped through it to the bottom, by
the shaft and arms, about twenty feet;
as I struck the bottom of the wheel,
I was rolled out against a ragged stone
wall, with only about two feet clear-
ance between it and the wheel. The
wheel caught me and rolled me out
into the water below, where I found
myself without any bones broken, but
with some bruises and much fright.
During the winter of , while in New Hartford, Ct., I passed through
a severe course of lung fever.
In , the day I was baptized,
one of my horses, newly sharp shod,
kicked my hat off my head, and had
he struck two inches lower, would
probably have killed me instantly. In
ten minutes afterwards, while driving
the same team down a hill, on a sleigh
without any box, the bottom boards
slipped forward under the roller and
caught the ground, turned endwise,
and fell on the horses' backs, throw-
ing me between the horses; they ran
to the bottom of the hill, dragging me
with the lines, head foremost, with
the sleigh on top of me, about twenty
rods over a smooth snow path; I es-
caped unharmed, however, in the
midst of both dangers.
In , while travelling in Zion's
Camp in Missouri, a rifle was acci-
dentally discharged, and the ball
passed through three tents, with about
twelve men in each, and lodged in a
wagon axle-tree, while a man was
standing behind it, and injured no
one. It passed within a few inches
of my breast, and many others es-
caped as narrowly as myself.
A few months afterwards a musket,
heavily loaded with buckshot, was
accidentally snapped within a few feet
of me, with the muzzle pointed at my
breast; it had a good flint and was
well primed, but it missed fire, and
my life was again preserved.
In , in Rochester, Illinois,
I was riding upon the running gears
of a wagon without a box, sitting upon
the forward axle-tree, when the bolt,
fastening the coupling pole, came out,
which left the hind wheels; and my
weight on the forward bolster and
tongue, turned the coupling pole over
on to the horses, turning the stakes
upside down, and shut me up fast be-
tween the bolster and tongue, but in
such a manner that my head and
shoulders dragged on the ground;
my horses took fright, and ran out
into an open prairie, and dragged me
in this position for about half a mile.
I managed to guide them with my
left hand, so as to run them into a
corner of a high worm fence, where
we landed in a pile together. I was
considerably bruised, but escaped
without any broken bones.
I went over both his head and the
rocks, about one rod, and struck the
ground square on my feet, being the
only thing visible that saved my life;
for, had I struck upon any other part
of my body, it must have killed me
instantly; as it was, my bones crushed
from under me as though they were
reeds. It broke my left leg in two
places, and put out both my ankles in
a shocking manner, and the horse
came near rolling over me in his struggles to get up. My uncle, Titus
Woodruff, saw me fall, got assistance,
and carried me to his house. I lay
from 2 p.m. till 10, without medical
aid; then my father arrived, bringing
Dr. Swift, of Farmington, with him,
who set my bones, boxed up my
limbs, and carried me in his carriage
eight miles that night to my father's.
My sufferings were very great. I had
good attention, however, and in eight
weeks I was out-doors upon my
crutches.
In 1827, while attempting to clear
the ice out of a water-wheel, standing
upon the wheel with one arm around
the shaft, a man hoisted the gate, and
let a full head of water upon it. As
soon as the water struck the wheel it
started, my feet slipped into the
wheel, but I immediately plunged
head foremost over the rim into about
three feet of water, and my weight
drew my legs out of the wheel, or I
should have been drawn under a
shaft and crushed to death.
In 1831, while having charge of the
flouring mill in Collinsville, Connecticut, I was standing inside of a breast
wheel, 20 feet in diameter, upon one
of the arms near the top, clearing out
the ice, when a full head of water was
let on to it. The wheel immediately
started; but I dropped my ax and
leaped through it to the bottom, by
the shaft and arms, about twenty feet;
as I struck the bottom of the wheel,
I was rolled out against a ragged stone
wall, with only about two feet clearance between it and the wheel. The
wheel caught me and rolled me out
into the water below, where I found
myself without any bones broken, but
with some bruises and much fright.
During the winter of 1831, while in
New Hartford, Ct., I passed through
a severe course of lung fever.
In 1833, the day I was baptized,
one of my horses, newly sharp shod,
kicked my hat off my head, and had
he struck two inches lower, would
probably have killed me instantly. In
ten minutes afterwards, while driving
the same team down a hill, on a sleigh
without any box, the bottom boards
slipped forward under the roller and
caught the ground, turned endwise,
and fell on the horses' backs, throwing me between the horses; they ran
to the bottom of the hill, dragging me
with the lines, head foremost, with
the sleigh on top of me, about twenty
rods over a smooth snow path; I escaped unharmed, however, in the
midst of both dangers.
In 1834, while travelling in Zion's
Camp in Missouri, a rifle was accidentally discharged, and the ball
passed through three tents, with about
twelve men in each, and lodged in a
wagon axle-tree, while a man was
standing behind it, and injured no
one. It passed within a few inches
of my breast, and many others escaped as narrowly as myself.
A few months afterwards a musket,
heavily loaded with buckshot, was
accidentally snapped within a few feet
of me, with the muzzle pointed at my
breast; it had a good flint and was
well primed, but it missed fire, and
my life was again preserved.
In April 1839, in Rochester, Illinois,
I was riding upon the running gears
of a wagon without a box, sitting upon
the forward axle-tree, when the bolt,
fastening the coupling pole, came out,
which left the hind wheels; and my
weight on the forward bolster and
tongue, turned the coupling pole over
on to the horses, turning the stakes
upside down, and shut me up fast between the bolster and tongue, but in
such a manner that my head and
shoulders dragged on the ground;
my horses took fright, and ran out
into an open prairie, and dragged me
in this position for about half a mile.
I managed to guide them with my
left hand, so as to run them into a
corner of a high worm fence, where
we landed in a pile together. I was
considerably bruised, but escaped
without any broken bones.
