| Title: | Extract of a Letter from Philadelphia. |
|---|---|
| ID | 3894 |
| Collection | Irish Emigration Database |
| File | 1781-90/10 |
| Year | 1784 |
| Sender | unknown |
| Sender Gender | unknown |
| Sender Occupation | unknown |
| Sender Religion | unknown |
| Origin | Philadelphia, Penn., USA |
| Destination | unknown |
| Recipient | unknown |
| Recipient Gender | unknown |
| Relationship | re living in the USA |
| Source | The Belfast Mercury, 27th April 1784. |
| Archive | The Linenhall Library, Belfast. |
| Doc. No. | 9407189 |
| Date | 02/03/1784 |
| Partial Date | |
| Doc. Type | EMG |
| Log | Document added by LT, 06:06:1994 |
| Word Count | 656 |
| Genre | |
| Note | |
| Transcript | Extract of a Letter from Philadelphia, March 2 1784. "Our winter which commenced all of a sudden, early in December, and one of the severest that has happened for a long time past, is yet in its rigour; in the autumn I was greatly alarmed about its approach - I was made to believe that it would be insupportable for us green Irishmen, as they call us, but I find that cold is much easier to bear than heat - I have now has a rial of both and both in their extremes. The river Delaware which is about an English mile broad opposite Philadelphia was completely froze over in two nights time, and now it is a common highway for the people of Jersey and Pennsylvania to pass and repass - waggons, teams, sleds and sleighs all pass, with the greatest safety. - I myself, out of curiosity, went over to Jersey on the ice. "You must know that I turned experimental philosopher the other day; but I made little by it, except satisfying a foolish curiosity. The Negro [man?] that had been at he pump for a bucket of water, said that his hand stuck to the pump - handle [an iron one] as soon as he had laid hold of it, which circumstance I thought impossible; but to be convinced I made the experiment, and found it to have just as instantaneous an effect as red hot iron would have had, and the effect it produces on the flesh scarcely to be discriminated from a burn, both in appearance and reality. - But this was not all, they further assured me that my tongue would stick to any iron or metal that was in the air - I tried this also on the handle of the door, but I had better have let it alone; for altho [although?] I did it as quick as possible, I lost about the breadth of a sixpence of the skin, and for aught I know, if I had let it remain but about a quarter of a minute longer I might have lost a piece of my tongue. "On the 22d [22nd?] past we had preparations made for great exhibitions, fireworks, &c. in consequence of the Definitive Treaty between the United States and Great Britain, which I assure you would have been elegant, but for an accident which unluckily stopt [stopped?] the proceeding - Just as they were lighting the lamps that were placed behind the paintings, one of them being too close, te blaze caught the paintings, and instantly the whole were in flames; all the assistance that could be given was ineffectual, the whole preparations were reduced to ashes in a few minutes - Near the fire there was a large quantity of rockets and different sorts of fireworks, in the hurry and confusion the flames communicated to them, and the whole went off in different directions, among the greatest concourse of people I ever saw: there were five men killed, and great numbers wounded. Such a scene I believe never was exhibited as the situation of the croud; [crowd?] some lost their hats, shoes, caps, boots, bonnets, petticoats, and a number of ladies the very stockings off their legs; some women lost the children out of their arms who were trod to pieces. - From the account you can form some little idea of the scene. - Inclosed you have a sketch of the triumphal arch and its ornaments, & c. [the particulars in a future paper.] (...) "The Congress, who left this for Princetown, and then abdicated Princetown for Annapolis and comig back to Philadelphia in the spring; tis unknown where they will fix their residence at last. The brig Liberty from Dublin with passengers, is lost in the Chesapeaux, and 30 of the people perished; the others to the amount of 100 are saved. (...) "The Three Brothers and Independence will sail for Belfast as soon as the river is clear." |
