Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1857-02-06

u
board, informed us of the loss of the s,ean,-
snip Omea, which was cut through by the
ice near Sundsvall, and sunk, drowning fie
teen persons; n pleasant prospect for ourI
further voyage-and the Pole would have
willingly land nj Ystad if he could have
iound conveyance to get beyond il. We
had twelve tuns of coal to take on board.
and the work proceeded so slowly that we
caught another snow storm so thick and
binding that VIC dared not venture out Of
the harbor.
On the third morning, nevertheless VIC
were again at sea, having passed Bornholm,
and were heading for the southern end of
the Island of GLAND. About noon. as we
were sitting huddled around the cabin stove,
the steamer suddenly stopped. There wa,
hurried movement of feet overhead-a
cry--and We went on deck. One Of the
sailors was in the act of throwing overheard
q allfe-buoy. at is the Pole =! was our first
exclamation. "No, no." said Hildebrand.
with distressed face, 'it is the cabin-bov ''
"a sprightly, handsome fellow of fourteen
There he was struggling in the lev water.
looking towards the steamer, which was ey-
cry moment more distant Two men were
In the little boat, which had just been run
down from the davits, but it seemed an etcr-
ulty until their oars were shipped, and they
pulled away on their errand Of life or death.
We urged the mate to put the steamer
about, but he passvoy refused. The bov
stu swan, but the boat was not vet half
way and headed too much to the left
There was no tiilcr, and of course the men
had to guess their course. We guided them
by signs. watching the boys head, now q
mere speck, seen at intervals under the low
ering sky. He struggled galIantly: the
boat drew nearer, and one of the men stood
up and looked around. We watched with
6reathIess suspense for the temperance of
the brave young swimmer, but we watched
IN vain. Poor boy! who can know what
the agony of those ten minutes was, while
icy waves gradually benumbcd and dragged
down the young life that struggled with
such desperate energy to keep its place in
the world I! The mon sat down and rowed
back, bringing only his cap, which they had
found floating in the sea. "Ah," said Hill
debrand, with tears in his eyes, 81 didnot
want to take him this voyage, but his moth
or begged me so hard that | could not re-
fuse, and this is the endw
We had melancholy party in the cabin
that afternoon. The painful impression
made by this catastrophe was hightend by
the knowledge that it might have been pre-
vented The steamer amidships was filled
up to her rail with coal, and the boy was
thrown overheard by sudden lurch while
walking upon it. Immediately afterward
lines were roven along the stanchons, to-
prevent the same thing happening again.
The few feet of deck upon which we could
walk was slippery with ice, and we kept be-
low, smoking gloomily and saying little
Another violent snow-storm came on from
the north, but in the afternoon we caught
sight Of some rocks off Carlscrona, and made
the light on GLAND in the evening The
wind had been blowing SO freshly that our
captain suspected Calmar Sound might be
clear, and determined to try the passage
We felt our way slowly through the intri-
cate sand-baaks, in the midst of fog and
snow, until after midnight, whom, only six
miles from Camar we were stopped bvI
fields of drift ice, and had to put back again
The fourth morning dawncd cold and
spIendidly clear. When / went on deck We
were rounding the southern point of GLAND,
through long belts of floating ice. The low
chalk cliffs were covered with snow, and
looked bleak and desolate enough. /. The
wind now came out of the west, enabling us
to carry the foresail, so that we made eight
or nine knots, in spite of our overloaded con
dition. Braisted and l walked the deck
all day, enjoying the keen wind and clear,
faint sunshine of the North In the after
noon, however, it blew half gale, with fur
ries Of mingled rain and snow. The sea
rose, and the steamer numbered as she was,
could not be steered on her course, but had
to be ''canned," to keep off the strain. The
matches were closed, and an occasional sea
broke over the bows. We sat below, in the
dark huts; the Pole, leaning against the
bulk-hcad, silently awaiting his fate, as he
afterwards confessed. l had faith enough
in the timidity of our captain not to feel
the least alarm--and, true enough, two
hours had not elapsed before we lay-to un-
der the lee Of the northern end Of GLAND.
The Pole then sat down, bathcd from head
to foot in a cold sweat, and would have
landed Immediately, had it been possible.
The Swede was as inexpensive as ever,
with half-smic on his fair, serious face.
| was glad to find that our captain did
not intend to lose the wind, but would start
again in an hour or two. We had queter
night than could have been anticipated, fol-
lowed by brilliant morning. Such good
progress had been made that at sunrise the
lighthouse on the rocks of Landsort was Wis
ible, and the jagged masses of that archi-
pelago of cloven isles which extends all the
way to Tornea began to stud the sea. The
water became smoother rs we ran into the
sound beetween Landsort and the outer
isles. A long line of bleak, black rocks,
crusted with snow, stretched before u.s.
Beside the lighthouse at their southern cx-
tremity, there were two red frame-houses
and telegraph station. A boat manned by
eight hardy sailors, came off with pilot,
who informed us that Stockholm was closed
with ice, and the other steamers had been
Obliged to stop at the little port of Dalaro,
thirty miles Distant Sofor Dalaro we head
ed, threading the channels of the scattering
islands which gradually became higher and
more picturesque, with clumps of dark fir
a. a. L..