Originally Posted on Facebook: April 10, 2020

A Narrow Escape! - The London Advertiser,  Nov 2, 1880

This is a funny little newspaper clipping I found many years ago in the microfilm records of a former London newspaper. Mrs. Sargent is Ann Sargent, Issacs's
wife and mother to John Sargent. I will transcribe:

A Narrow Escape - Mrs. Sargent, who lives at 590 King street, yesterday afternoon had a narrow escape from drowning. She was walking across a cistern in her kitchen when the cover gave way and precipitated her into the water. Had she not been promptly rescued it is probable she would have drowned.

I wonder who rescued her, and furthermore, why did we have cisterns in the kitchen that were so large someone could drown??