Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-01-17
The story Of the Men who Orirt..d
for N Week ON a Cake of Ice.


rible experience .ot McEwan and Smith, the
two men who we're nearly seven days adrift on
me ice IN Saginaw bay: VIM. MeEsau and
hsy on Wednesday, December 81, 1873. to hsh.
They took with them 70 the shore sundry sup
pies OF provisions, &c, Intending to be absent
from home several days. They took with them
on to the ice, however, only their blankets, fish
spears two hand sleighs, tools for cutting holes
IN the ice. and some other ishermen's appara-
tus. The ice at this time was from four to SIX
inches thick, and the weather was steadily, but
not severely, cold. They spent the afternoon
in fishing through the ice and secured three
hsh southeTly wind was blowing. and about
half past four O'Clock McEwan looked up and
saw man who had been near them running
toward the shore. at the same instant McEwA1
saw that the ice had cracked in a long line
about six rods from them, toward shore. Nc
Ivan called to Smith, and both ran toward the
crack for the purpose of escaping to the shore,
but before they reached it the crack at frst
discovery only six or eight inches wide. had in
creased so much that it was impossible TO
jump across it.
When it was evident that there were no means
| OF getting across the crack otherwise, McF van
| and Smith set about choppirg out cake of ice
| large enough 10 hold them, which they proposed
| 10 pole across tue open water with their spear
poles. Before they had half cut out the cake,
however, they saw that they were drifting into
| deeper water, and trial proved that they were
already beyond reach of bottom with their spear
| poles. The castaways then abandoned all hope
| OF getting TO shore at that point and tartetI
over the ice to the west in the belief that 1t had
not yet separated from the shore along the
west. The ice which had been broken loose al
also broken into many pieces, some large and
some small The piece upon which the men
| were was i've OF six acres in extent. Passing
on to westward, they went over cakes sores
| times not over six or eight feet square. Finally
the ice became so much broken mp that they
could no longer proceed. Then they tried TO
! pole cake toward the shore, using their spear
poles for the purpose, when the water was so
| deep that TO reach the bottom they had to put
thelf arms into the water up to the elbows. But
| after half an hour OF this desperate work they
were compelled TO abandon ali effort, and make
| their precarious way back to the larger cake OF
| ice on the main body This attempt was con-
tinued into the night of Wednesday, which was
fortunately bright moonlight one. The men
| found secure piece of ice and lay down for
the night, putting their sleighs on the wind
| ward side, and 80 making tolerably comfoTta-
| BILE night with the aid of blankets.
! During wednesday night and Thursday the
| WIND blew steadily from the southwest. This
| was in the second day, and still they were drift.
ing toward the Charity Islands, as nearly as
| they could judge. The ice did not seem to
| waste any Oh Thursday, but it was evident that
/ 1t was not Strengthening. Neither OF the men
mad eaten anything since coming on the ice on
raw fish which they caught before the ice broke
| away, but they had no craving for food. This
DAY they again moved to the westward, to get
as near the west shore as possible, in the hope
| that the ice would ultimately drift that way.
| On Friday afternoon, the third day. while NOV
| ing toward the north shore across the drifting
cakes of ice. McEwan's hand sleigh which he
was using to cross from one cake to another,
went down between two cakes, ana he was in
| sidbtIy III lne water. Smith, however, was
curely on cake, and reached his spesr-pole TO
| his comrdde and helped him out, pretty thor
oughly wet. The drift was still east ward, and
I on Saturday, the fourth day. they had drift-d
! so lar in that direction that they came in sight
OF Fish Point. Except tn of "Wednesday, The
| nights had not been very cold and Saturday
| night was not uncomtOrtably SO. Sunday. the
NTH day. was the worst they had experienced.
| The storm was not of long Continuance, bat it
was violent, and the warm rain cut holes in the
ice an about the eastaways, as large as a mans
| which thew
| weakened, until it was only about three inches
In thickness. The heavy gale made a consider
| Gtle sea, which broke and ground up the ice on
The edges OF the great field and must soon have
Gone the same TO the piece on which the men
ever, the wind shifted to the northwest, and the
ice began TO Join up closer together. There was
a steady wind after the storm, and they found
pieces breaking Oft from the cake on which
they were floating. The sixth day, Monday,
they started for the east shore of the bay having
bean dIifted so far in that direction that they
thought they could soonest reach the sh ore
there. Alter going about three miles they
came across small duckiDg boat fast IN the
ice. This they did not try to move, but tray
that the wind had parted the body of Ice, aud
| further progress in that direction was barred,
They returned to the westward, and taking up
the ducking- boat on their way, endeavored TO
| break their way through in il to the west shore.
toward which they were then drifting. One OF
them, however, go: into the water, and finally
| they were obliged to give it up again Then
they resigned the mselves to wait for cold weather
| enough 10 stiifen up the ice, or to make new ice
between them and the shore On Sunday they
| saw, in the direction OF the Saginaw light house
| the smoke of steam vessel, and thought then
tbat Their friends were at last apprised of their
s sner Tb and were making an effort to save
| when went out some miles beyond the light
! mouse aud returned when the storm came on,
having discovered nothing. The tugs smoke is
| peculiar, and they recognized it at once as the
| nrst slgn they lad received that anything Of
then iate was known at home. The hope which
| tins SIGHT inspired of course died away during
MONDAY, when nothing more OF the Kind WAS
| seen.
Monday night brought the cold, freezing tenn
| perature which the castaways had been looking
| and hoping for, and on the morning of Tues-
| day, which would have been their seventh dav
they found that the old ice had not only been
| materially strengthened and frozen together,
| but that sheet Of new ice had been formed,
| stretching OF to the west shore. Here was de-
| nverance, and none too soon. Though the night
| before had been friendly in its freezing it mad
also been fuller of peril than the others. There
must have been storm outside, for during the
| night the cakes of ice were constantly cracking
| and breaking. Once the cake upon which thew
| were brOiA within two feet of them as thew Law
upon i y their blankets. They were com.
| consequence OF the ice breaking near them.
| When at last it broke within two feet OF the
as above noted, they got up and did not again
| atte pit TO lie down 10 rest. The Ice WAS driven
| inward about mile during this time.
About O'Clock Tuesday morning they were
again again on the move and got to the little boat
|
but their sleigh and spear poles. With these
they struck out for the ice-brdge FIR deliver
ance between them and the shore, Wslich had
formed during the night. 1t was six miles TO
| dry land, and the new ice was only about three
iourths OF an inch in thickness, but it was very
tough. They went in single file over 1t as rap
IDLY as possible and 1t bent and sunk beneath
their feet at every step. But il did not break
fatally. though Smith went through once, and
| was he'll ed out by McEwan with his spear POLE
| When near the PincOnning Bar they deserted
| some Indians on the ice near the shore, and
soon one Of them skated out to McEwan, who
was ahead of Smith As soon as the Indian
came up McEwan got upon his hand sleigh
and babe the Indian push him to the shore
The red man did so, and McEwan sent him
| back for Smith, who was brought in the same
| way on shore again. The wonderful endu-
rance OF the castaways was suddenly at an end
| Ihey had not eaten mouthful since wedues-
day, until Tuesday morning, when they took
about one quarter OF a pound each Of the raw
| fish which they had carried throughout their
dIiitings. They bad lot felt weak up to the
| time OF getting ashore. Then their strength
gave out. and they were barely able to walk 10
| the house of Mr.. Joseph Meach. Here thew
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