Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1871-07-20

would. j could see its timbers falling
asunder, and the pale faces of my wife
and child sinking into the black, tur-
bulent waters. The horror of that
moment | shall never forget so long
as | live.
J Another horrible crash among the
mountains, to the nortward-a sound
as if huge cliff had been hurled
downward, broke the terrible spell that
bound me to the spot, and reused me
to an effort to try and effect the e..
cape of my loved ones. mr
Another cry of despair which reach
ed me from the cabin. ] answered
! back, though doubted if l was heard,
the cabin was so near the rushing cur
rent of the river; and then / hurried
along the edge of the clearing, which
was the boundry of the lake, toward
the spot where the river broke through
the hills, and where the jam had been
formed which flowed the waters back
Steadily the light glided down the
waters Of the little lake, and from its
motion thought that it had not as
yet floatcd into the current Of the riv-
er, and breathed a silent prayer in
my heart that it would not be SO, for
, then all hope would be gone. If the
| cabin would hold together and keep
: out OF the current of the river, it
; would lodge among. the trees at the
| foot of the clearing, where would
= be ready to bear them from it to a
e place Of safety f.. a
The way round TO the bank of tho
D river was difficult to get over in the
: darkness, but / accomplished it much
t sooner than | had expected, and by
: the time the cabin had foated halt
5 the distance from It's site to the spot
+ where | now stood But the light
. was moving faster now, and in very
: few minutes the fate of the helpless
f ones would be decided.
r Upon the jam piled high in the riv-
Z or, with the foaming waters braking
4 through and over it, their lives de-
e pended. Could it resist the force of
/, the water but moment longer they
7 would be saved but did it break, the
fierce flow of the waters would bring
4 it into the stream, where it would at
S once be hurled to pieces. This much
| saw and comprehended in the dark
b ness, and you can imagine, stranger,
c with what fearful interest / watched
c the jam, and the fast approaching light
y upon the water. t
: Nearer and nearer came tue cabin
: and shorter grew the rays Of ligh,
Y which streaked ont between it and tn,
II spot where | stood. | called to Mar
g at the top Of my voice, but if any an
d swer came back it was drowned by tn,
3 roar of a jam. Two minutes more an,
1t if it kept its course, it would slide il
n among the trees where | could reacl
d it and bear them off in safety.
y At this moment, when my heart bea
c high with the hope that they would b,
e spared me, with mighty roar an,
a crash, the jam gave way, and the surg
It ing waters madly followed In mo
y ment the cabin obeyed the new i'm
pulse given it, and moved toward th
y centre of the stream. 1t was a mo
o ment of fearful suspense to me, but j
d was soon over. To my great Joy j
g lodged for a moment against the tire,
{. upon the bank, and in that time 1 ha
C my wife and child in my arms, and ha
If borne them to the solid earth. The
e their frail bark surgcd into the stream
N and in moment after was torn apar
II and its timbers foated singly down tn
d stream. fF ,- 4-
/ We found q shelter beneath som
d hanging rocks, where we siaid unit
le morning, when we made our way owe
il the mountain to fathers, thankful fo
ID the escape we had had from the ten
RS pest, which would not be forgotten I
OF our dying day -r.D ,ra ,ri
On the morrow came the sad new
al from the Notch, and as Mary and
rt listened to the story, We shuddered q
= we thought of our peril amid the wa
d ters.
IS The new style of bonnets for mex