Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-12-20

Eighteen Hours ON Log In the
Arkansas River with the Their
mometer at Zero-Narrow Escape
frepo peath. lA1h lkk 42Jkl lA3
From the Fort Smith New Era.l
In the afternoon Of the Sd inst, two
young men Of this city discovered, some
two miles below town, a canoe lodged on
a drift pile in the river. One Of them,
Englebert Shuler, working for Mr.. Owen
ger, the blacksmith, proposed to secure
the canoe, and Immediately set to work
to carry out his purpose.
Tying two logs together with grape
vines, he pushed outiuto the river, which
is at that point very rapid and deep.
About seventy-fve yards from shore his
frail raft encountered one Of those huge
logs that are frequently met with, rear
ing their ugly heads out Of the water
The shock proved too much for the
grapevine concern and 1t went to
pieces, the young navigator and captain
of the craft, however, saving himself by
jumping on the big log.
His comrade, whose name we have not
been able to learn, after watching the
discontinue of his friend, went back to
town and informed the friends Of young
Shuler Of his dangerous situation. By
that time it was nearly dark and a per-
feet hurricane from the north had set in
chilling with It's bitter cold breath all liv-
ing things, and dashing furiously the icy
waves against the single stick of timber
to which, with stiffening limbs, the young
man clung with a death grip.
Help soon appeared, and Mr.. Dwenger,
and other friends, endeavored 10 get
Shuler off in scow or fatboat, but the
furious tempest and rough waves, after
every attempt, drove them back to the
shore, and finally swamped the boat, and
the men were reluctantly compelled to
leave the unfortunate man to the fearful
fate of an almost certain lingering,
painful death.
And there the unhappy man stood, all
through that fearful night, with but two
yards Of an old, slippery, ice-crusted log
under him, exposed tothe fearful blast
in the wide stretch OF the broad Arkan-
sas, ever and anon washed off his pre-
carious foot-hold, his clothes gradually
becoming as hard as coat Of mail, his
limbs stiff and cold-with naught before
him but death-and, all this in sight of
home, in sight of the bright lights of his
native place, the emblem of comfort and
safety, glittering 80 tan talizingly through
the darkness and storni.) Who can. i'm.
agine the lbitternoss of spirit and agony
Of the wretched boy.
Ea-ly on Monday morning the report
in town was that Englebert Shuler was
seen on log, stiff in death, upon which
Mr.. Neely Birnie and Mr.. Blackshire
Bullock determined to 80 down and
bring off the body. Arrived opposite the
place, they saw what they believed to be
the body stretched out on the log. The
scow also was found, half flled with
water frozen solid. They Immediately
set to work building FIRE on the ice in
the boat, and finally succeeded in clear
ing it. Pushing out cautiously, they
managed to make their way across, stem
ming a powerful current and pursuing a
zig-zag course through thin but large
cakes of sheet-ice, rapidly floating down
stream, f5gIiH.. .fTA,aXl .T.
When they neared the log, they found
to their glad surprise, that Shuler was
not dead, but his speech and conscious
ness were nearly gone. Reviving him
with little spirits, as fast as possible
they brought him 70 shore, and taking
him between them, his arms around their
necks, they hurried with the utmost dis
patch toward town. After proceeding
about half mile they met party with
wagon, which had also started TO the
rescue. Placing him thereon, the party
soon reached town.
,g0p examination il was found that
Shuler's hands, nose, ears and lower ex-
tremities were fearfully frozen.
He now lies in precarious condition
at the residence of Mr.. Jos. Knoble, at
tended by DR., Duyal He will probably
lose his feet Great credit is due to
Messrs. Birnie and Bullock for their
timely rescue of the young man, without
which he must certainly have perished.