The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1871-02-15

Case Of Ice Breakup Up Nuddcn,y -
Desperate Efforts TO rescue Parulyzrd
Men Seven Hours on 0 Frozen Island
And then Rescued Wen Almost Inseu-
sibIe,
PouonHEhrslr, Feb. 5.-Ail day
yesterday aud the night previous tho
wind b!ew o hurI ieune nt all points on
the Hnds N coming from the North
and West. Tho Mercury in the
Thermometer dropped fac, aud tho
cold Increased in intensisy hourly.
loe gAtherer* at all quarters suffered
greatly, and had it not been Saturday
work would have been abandoned.
But they arc not the only toilers on
tho Ice on the Hudson ia tie wiutcy
time. They have comrades who fol-
low different avocation-,hat of
hshlug. 1t is estimated that over
ono thousAnl persons gain iveli-
hood on the rivnr. in the winter time
by fishing. Theirs is laborious
work. They watch the tides, aLd
FISH accordingly. The 'catoh" in
cludes white and yellow perch, s,ri-
red bass, and pickcral, which sell
readily at from Is to 20 cents per
pound, thus enabling tho fi,hermcn to
make from SIS to $50 per day. In
llsvcr,traw Bay on Saturday there
wore about one hundred and seventy
fishermen at work with their nets.
As before stated, it was terrible day
They wero scattered all over the
river.
DRAWING THE CUTTING, PIERCING WIND,
intent only upou ending up tho week
with "catch" full Of profit, and then
going home to their families. At
1:3o +. NJ. cry rang through the
crowd "The leo is moving Go for
tho shore - In an instant the Wild
rtt cx;ltcmcnt cnsuod. Tho toilcrs
looked to the northward, and observed
cloar water between tho ice they were
on and the solid frozen bridge north
OF "Crngers." Tho entire fold of
zoe, embracing tho whole channel of
Havorstraw Bay, was on tho movo,
nnd carrying With it nearly two hun.
dred human being. Pikos and nets
were dropped. and then thero was a
rush for safety, while tho air was fill
cd with cries for help from the throats
OF the cutoff fishermen, who could be
seen
RUSHING ABOUT DIApLy ON THE ICE.
In ten minutes after both tn, cast
trn and western shores wero lined wit
vallagers, who ran about upon the
beach, scarcely knowing what to do.
Finall y few IF the more cool headed
I'unohcd four boats and startad on q
dangerous voyage of rescue. In tho
meantime scores Of fishermen bad
ronchcd the edge of tho ice nearcs
shore, and trusting to luck, plum, ca
into the freezing water and reached
lle'rn f'ma in safety, covered from
head to foot with thick coating of
ice. 1t was then Observed that nino
were LEFT and that the sursing tide
was swinging the field Of leo far out
INTO tue rivcr, the Hudson at the
point namo being extremely wide.
Again tho boats started to the rescue,
but before they reached
THE FROZEN ISLAND,
i've out Of the nine were in the river
etrugsling antically against death.
Just as thy wo,c about giving up tho
boats reached them, aud thoy we're
dragged in completely exhausted, and
two Of them had tainted. in al 10
stant almost their clothing was frozen
8''it, and the rowcrs with great Diff
cnity kept thom aliyo by constant and
vigorous rubbing until the shore was
rrachsd, when their benumbed forms
were handed over to willing hands and
carried to warm iircsidcs, where they
soon after ahoaod sigus of life, but
the hands Of all were badly frozen, as
were also Their ears AS soon as they
wcro landed upon the beach tho boats
again started for the lee field to rescue
the four surviving fisherman. By
tins time the detached leo had noatcd
down tha river two miles, and
THE CRIES FOR nEi.r FROM THE
THRoATs OF THE UNFORTUNATE MEN
were asonizinx in tho extreme. They
could be seen in tho centre of the
held stamping and running and throw.
'ngup their arms, but nothing could
prevail upon them to leave tho cen.
ire, SO the chopping waves wero break.
ing up tho edge Of the ice, and now
and then huge cracks would run along
the ffosen surface for hundred of
feet, giving warning to tho fishermen
that their floating ico island was, by
tho action of tho wind and waves,
breaking to pieces beneath thom.
Darkness came, and then the moon
rose upon tho scene, and still tho
wind blew with great violence. The
four small boats, containing brave
hearts, were fastened to the icc.field
and Aoated down tho river with it, the
occupants Of the boats vainly endeav-
orIng to get the now perishing men
to come towards them. Ten O'Clock