The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-03-26
A FEARFUL ApyKNruRn.-Ta The afte..

A FEARFUL ADvENTURR.-f1 the aftey,
noon Of the Sd inst. two young men Of
this eityf discovered, Some two miles
below town, . canoe lodged on q drift
pile in the river. One Of them, Engle.
bert Shuler, working for Mr.. d Dwenger,
the blacksmith, proposed to secure the
oanoe, aud Immediately set to work to
carry out his purpose. Tying two logs
together with grape vines, he pushed
out in the river, which is at that point
very rapid and deep. About seventy
Ave yards from tho shore his frsil raft
encountered one Of those huge logs
that are frequently met with rearing
their ugly heads out of the water. The
shock proved too much for the grape
vine concern and it went to pieces, the
young navigator and captain of the i'm
promptu craft, however, saving himself
by jumping on the big log. His COM
rade, whose name we have not been
able to learn, after watching the discom-
future of his friend, went back to town
aud informed tho friends of young
Shuler Of his dangerous situation. by
that time it was nearly dark, and per
feet hurricane from the North had set in,
chilling with its bitter cold breath all
living things, and dashing furiousy the
icy waves against the single stick of
timber to which, with stiffening limbs,
the young man hung with doath grip.
Help socn appeared, aud Mr.. Dwenger
and other friends endeavored to get
Shuler of in small scow or flat boat,
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 to the fearful blast
in the wide stretch of tho broad Arkan.
cas-, ever and anon washed off his preoa-
rious foothold, his clothes gradually be-
coming hard as coat of mail, his limbs
stiff and cold, with naught but death be-
fore him; 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 tantalizingly through the
darkness and storm. Who can imagine
the bitterness of spirit and agony of the
wretched boy? Early Oh Monday morn
ing the report iii town was that Engel.
bert Shuler was seen on the log stiff in
death, upon which Mr.. Neoly Birnie and
Mr.. Blackshire Bullock determined to
so down and bring off the body. Ar
rived off the place, they saw what they
believed to be the body stretched ont on
the log. The scow also was found half
filled with water frozen solid They i'm
mediately set to work building fire Oh
the ice on the boat. aud finally succeeded
in clearing it. Pushing out cautiously,
they managed to make their way across,
stemming powerful current and pur-
suing zigzag course through thin but
large sheets Of ice rapidly floating down
strea n. When they nearod the log they
found, to their glad surprise. that Shuler
was not dead, but his speech and con-
seriousness we're nearly gone. Isnyiving
him with little spirits, they us fast as
| possible brought him to the shore, and,
taking him between them, his arms
around their necks, they hurried with
tho utmost despatch towards town.
After proceeding about half mile, they
met party with n wagon, which had
also started To the rescue. Placing him
thereon, the party soon reached town.
On examination it was found that Shu-
lcr's hands, nose, ears and lower extre-
mites were fearfully frozen. He now
lies in precarious condition at the resi-
dence Of Mr. Jos. Noble, nttcn ae,l by
DR.. Duvnl. He will probably lose his
feet. Great credit is due to Messrs.
Bi-nio and Bullock for their timely res
cue Of the young man, without which
lie must C, rtanly have perished
Fort SmiM (A7k J INe,c Era.