The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-02-08

NEWSPAPERS OF THE CITY.
\ Case of Zee Breaking Up Suddenly
Desperate Efforts TO Rescue Para
syxed Men-Scven Hours "n n Frozen
Island, and them Rescued when Al.
most Ensenstble.
PouGHKEEpsIE, Fob. 5.-All day yester-
day and the night previous the wind blew
a hurricane ut all points on the Hudson,
coming from the North and West. The
mercury in the Thermometer dropped fast,
and the cold increased in intensity hour
iy. Ice gathcrerS at all quarters suffered
greatly, and had it not been Saturday work
would have been abandoned. But they are
not the only toilcrs on the ice on the Hud-
son in the winter time. They have COM
radcS who follow different avocation-that
OF hShlng. 1t is estimated that over one
thousand persons gain Il livelihood on the
river, in the winter time, by fishing. Theirs
Is laborious work. They watch the tides,
| and fish accordingly. The "catch'' in
cludcs white and yellow perch, striped
bass, and pickerel, which sell readily ut
| from ID 10 20 cents per pound, thus ena-
bling the fishermen TO make from S. to SIC
| per day. In Harerstraw Bay, on Saturday,
there were about one hundred and seventy
! fishermen at work with their nets. As be-
| tore stated, it was terrible day. They
| were scattered all over the river.
| IRAV1NG THE CUTTING, PIERCING WIND,
intent only upon ending up the week with
a" catch" full Of profit, and then going
home to their families. At 1880 =. Nj. a cry
! rang through the crowd. "The ice is
moving. TO for the shore" In an in.
stant the widest excitement cnsucd. The
tollers looked TO the northward, and OBJ
served clear water between the ice they
We're on and the solid frozen bridge north
OF ''Crugers.' The entire field Of ice, EN-.
! hracins the whole channel OF Uavcrstraw
Bay. was on the move, and carrying with
IL nearly Two hundred human beings
! Pixies and nets were dropped, and then
there was rush for safety. while the air
! was filled with cries for help from the
throatS Of the cutoff fishermen, who could
! be seen
| RUSHING ABOUT MADLY on THE ICE.
In ten minutes after both the eastern and
! western shores were lined with villagers,
, who ran about upon the beach, scarcely
! knowing what to do. Finally Il few of the
more coolheaded launched four boats and
started OH / dangerous voyage of rescue.
In the meantime scores Of fishermen had
reached the edge of the ice nearest the
the freezing water and reached terra ,frnd
i'll safety, covered from head to foot with a
thick coating of ice. 1t was then observed
that nine were left, and that the Surgin@
tide WAS swinging the field of ice far out
into the river, the Hudson at the point
named being extremely wide. Again the
boats started to The rescue, but before they
reached
THE FROZEN ISLAND,
FIVE out Of the nine were in the river strug'
Cling frantically against death. Just as they
were about giving up the boats reached
them, and they were dragged in completely
exhausted, and two oi them had tainted
| In an instant almost their clothing VA,
frozen stiff, and the roWrrS with great diff
Guilty kept them alive by constant and viz
urorS rubbing until the shore was reached
when their benumbed forms were handed
over to willing hands and carried to warn
tiresides, where. they soon after showed
signs Of life, but the hands of all were badly
frozen, as were also their ears. AS soon as
they were landed upon the beach the boats
again started for the icc-1ield TO rescue the
tour surviving fishermen. BY this time the
detached ice had iloatcd down The river two
miles, and
THE CRIES FOR HELP FROM THE THR0ATS OF
THE UNFORTUNATE MEN
We're agoniZing in the extreme. They could
be seen in the centre Of the field stamping
and running and throwing up their arms,
but nothing could prevail upon them tC
leave the centre, ,as the chopping waves werl
breaking up the edges OF the ice, and nov
and then huge cracks would run along the
frozen surface for hundreds Of feet. giving
warning TO the fishermen that their floating
ice island WaS. by tie action Of the Wind
and waves, breaking to pieces beneath
them. Darkness came, and then the moon
rose upon the scene, and still the wind
blew with great violence. The four small
boats, containing brave hearts, We're fast.
ened to the ice-tield and toated down the
river with ii, the occupants of the boats
vainly endclvoring to get the nuW-pctiSh.
ing men 10 come toward them. Ten O'Clock
came, and all were six miles away from the
" break-oll'" when the men in the boats
noticed Il cessation OF the cries from the
fishermen. This TO them WAS full Of hor.
ror, rs it gave token Of the possibility OF
TIE UNFORTUNATE MEN FREEZING TO DEATH
Whatever was to be done must be done
quickly; so "a hurried consultation was had,
and it was resolved to make /; desperate at.
tempt to save them. Accordingly, aftcl
several efforts to gain Il loothold upon the
ice, during which three o. tour Of the boat,
men lell INTO the river, Il llrm >ianulng-placC
was found, when the boats were dragged on
the ice, and then all hands started Tor the
fishermen, whom they found in Il terrible
condition, with feet, noses, hands, and ears
frozen. They had gwen up I'LL hopes oI
succor, and expected death in Il short time
| They were hurried to the boatS-all getting
away from the ice-iield in safety, and land.
ing on the west shore ten miles from where
they started. The fishermen were then
taken to Crugers, where they now are with
their respective families, and receiving the
best medical attention. Their situations
are prccariouS, though it is possible they
may recover. Their names are Peter Mo.
ran, William Brown, JAS. Clark, and ThoS.
Riley. l wish | knew the names of their
reScuers.-Netc York Standard.