Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-01-30

When the ice broke up at St. Louis
er, his son, Stephen L. Smith, and a
workman, were engaged in cutting ice
near the middle of the river opposite
the foot of North Market street. PeO-
pie on shore first noticed the rise and
shouted to them to come off, but the
warning was either unheard or unheed
ed. Finally the ice along the bank be-
gan to erumble under the pressure, and
a prolonged shout attracted the atten-
ton of the men. CHANGING toward the
shore, they saw the ragged edges of the
cakes tossed in the air, and recognizing
their danger, at once made preparations
to save themselves. On the ice where
they had been working was a frame
platform sixteen feet square, and this
the elder Smith proposed to remain by.
He told his son that the field of ice
could not pass the bridge piers, but that
it must lodge against them, and that
they could then continue their work
The son feared, and Justly, that the ice
would break against the piers, and put
ting his shoulder under the platform
tore up two of the planks. Telling the
workmen to gather up the tools, he took
one plank, his father took another, and
all three started for the shore. They
had travelled about twO-thirds of the dis
lance when they found that the ice be-
tween them and the bank was rapidly
going to pieces, and the elder Smith,
preferring to take his chance on the plat
form returned to it.
His son and the workman kept on,
and succeeded in reaching the shore
without accident. When they again
looked for Smith he was standing on the
platform, and was borne down the river
toward the bridge piers. These he pass
ed in safety, and although the cakes sur
rounding him were crushed and broken
into fragments, the one on which the
platform rested retained its size. Furth-
er down, however, the ice closed in on
it and the edges were ground and crush
ed off until less than half its original
size was left. When opposite the foot
of Poplar street the mad rush and whirl
of the swiftly moving flood threw Smith
off his feet, and the spectators believed
that he was lost. His son, however,
who hurried along the bank, still saw
him clinging to his frail support, and
hoping for some opportunity to rescue
him, ran down the levee until he passed
the foot of ChOuteau avenue, a mile be
low the spot from which he started
He was joined by two friends, Michael
Lynch and a Mr.. O'ConnOr. and the
three kept up the apparently useless
chase until they reached the dry docks.
There they found skiff, and without
hesitation all three entered it and deter
mined to risk their lives in an effort to
save that of Smith. With great labor
they finally launched it into the stream,
but the ice was so thick that on half a
dozen occasions they We're forced TO get
out on the cakes, drag the boat over and
launch it on the other side. In this way
they worked through the turbulent mass
until they reached the cake on which
Smith still remained They took him
into the boat and by almost superhuman
exertions reached the shore opposite the
head of Arsenal Island How the frail
skiff ever avoided destruction is a mys-
terry, and the men themselves are much
astonished at their miraculous escape as
We're the spectators. Five minutes af-
ter Smith was taken from the platform
the cake on which it rested was swept
into the narrow channel between ArSen-
al Island and the shore, and in an in
slant was ground and torn to pieces till
scarcely splinter of it remained. Too
much credit cannot be given to young
Smith and his companions. who riskPd
their lives in the frail boat where the
owners Of the strongest ferry boats
would not have thought for an instant
of taking their crafts.-St. Lo'tis Demo-
crat.