Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1875-05-27

Three Months Alone Amid u Sea OF Ice.
Henry Best and wife, who have charge
Of the crib, have had, perhaps, the mos:
sensational experience during the past
winter OF any family il or about Cleve-
land. The couple are enjoying the pres
ent spring weather as highly as anybody,
and arc commencing, not tomalze garden,
but to do such chores about their hab;ta-
ton as the circumstances will allow. A
Herald reporter paid them a visit Thurs
day afternoon and found MI Best busy
whitewasiling the inside OF the roof and
wood-wnrk CT the crib, while Mrs. Best
was engaged in other employment about
their solitary home. They stated that i'll
Nove,lebe: ice formed on the lake, and
from that time on, for three long months,
they were utterly alone and entirel " TN.
able to reach the shore. The ice at times
was strong enough to bear their weight,
but it was not safe to leave the crib for any
distance as spaces Of water were frequent
ly created between the crib and the ice,
which would not close up for several
hours. They told our reporter that the
fury Of the winds and surging of the ice
were sometimes terrific. The ice often
piled up around the crib twenty feet hi gh,
aud the force Of the wind and waves shook
the whole structure, strong and firm as it
is. On the night Of January %, the build
ing was rocked with such violence that
Mr. and Mrs Best became thoroughly
alarmed. Jumping from their bed, they
remained on the floor till daylight, ex
pecting almost every II mute to find their
habita,ion capsized and they left at the
mercy Of the furious powers that ragged
without The building shook so that the
water in a pail standing on the floor was
half splashed out, and their bed moved
about on its casters. The hours 6f dark
ness were anything but cheerful and pleas.
ant, and that particular night will be re-
membered as notable one III their expe-
rience However, they stood it until morn
ing, when the wind went down and that
dread time of peril was over. Some time
during one Of the violent storms that pre-
vailed the heavy iron sheeting on the out
side wall of the crib was broken in two
places by the surging of the large cakes
Of ice.
One day in February the ice was safe
about the crib, and appeared to be SO all
of the way to the shore, SO Mrs. Best start
ed to. walk to the city. Her husband
watched until he saw her arrive safe on
land, but when the hour came for her re-
turn the ice had moved away from the
shore, and she was not able to venture out
It was two weeks later before Mr.. Best
dared is come in after her lie was, Of
course, very uneasy, not knowing but that
she had started home and was drowned,
or what could have delayed her coming;
while she, in her anxiety concerning his
welfare, lost ten pounds in these two weeks
Mr.. Best found his wife in the city, and
they returned to the crib in safety, and
made no more attempts to come ashore
until after the ice had entirely cleared
away.
During the long siege Of Winter the
time was not unemployed. An ice-housc
was built, and twelve tons of splendid ice
stored for Summer use. An aquarium,
about five feet in diameter was built OF
brick, where they intend keeping nice
lot of fish of all varieties. Mrs. Best EN-.
ployed much of her time in cleaning tho
floors and woodwork of the interior of the
CRIB, 80 that everything is now as neat as
a new pin. As q pass-time Mr.. Best put
iron runners ON small row boat, and by
the aid of sail was able to pass around
over the smooth ice on the more calm
days with remark able rapidity and ease.
In answer. to a question of the reporter as
to what they would do in case OF sickness
during the winter time, the reply was that
! they didn't expect to get sick, and hadn't
4 thought Of doctors or. medicine. They
had plenty Of good, substantial food to
d last the winter through, except in the way
Of fresh meat; and, aside from the heavy
storms, they had lived as contentedly as
J, could be desired The husband has the
] Best wife, and she the Best husband in
that community, and, barring the slight
Iunpleasantness mentioned, they were one
Of the happ;est families under the reign
of Mayor Qtis. s.