Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-03-11
The Awful and Fatal Sufferings of n
Michigan Family.

A recent letter from Little Traverse,
Michigan, tells the following sad
story:
One Martin Rouse, resident of
this place, who with Others has been
at work getting out railroad ties on
the Beaver islands, arrived home on
Saturday last with a dreadful tale of
suffering and loss of life. 1t seems
that there was some dissatisfaction on
the island, and on Tuesday morning
he and Charles Odell and Mrs Odell,
with their two children. boy about
eight and a little girl about six years
old, left the island in a small sail boat
with the intention Of making the main
land at or near Gross Village, about
twenty miles distant.
1t was lovely morning, and there
was no ice to be seen until within
about mile and half of the main
land, when they came in contact with
masses Of floating ice drifting south
ward from the straits. Seeing an
opening they passed into it for quite
distance, when the ice grew thicker
and at last hemmed them in and crush
ed their boat so that it leaked badly
and confined them in that place. Then
it began TO grow colder and the ice
held together in larger masses. Here
they were compelled to stay without
provisions and in freezing condition.
They at last left the boat, on Thursday,
weak and exhausted, and attempted to
get away on the dangerous ice. They
came to an opening of few feet in the
ice, which they easily jumped over, and
Odell attempting to cross with his boy
in his arms, on an oar that lay over the
gap, fell in, and only after great deal
OF difficulty succeeded in getting out
again. He then started back to the
boat to get an axe with which to cut
off piece of ice, with the intention of
getting on itand showing from one piece
to the other, but this they found they
could not do, and they then urged
Rouse to proceed, if possible, TO the
land and get help; but the ice kept
breaking up more and more, and drift
ting away from the land, and Rouse in
attempting to cross another break, only
after the greatest difficulty succeeded
in getting out, the ice slanting upward,
and he only succeeded at last in saving
himself by catching hold of small
projection and raising himself up by
degrees.
Weak and exhausted from hunger
and cold, he again started off, but he
again had another break of several
rods that he had to swim, and at last
neared the lighthouse on an island
about five miles from the mainland,
and which he mistook for the main
land. He found no one, but there
were matches and plenty of wood.
with which he made a fire, and he
stayed there all night, and the next
day came to the mainland in a boat
he found at the lighthouse. He got
to the lighthouse about four on Thurs.
day, and Immediately rung the bell,
and did everything that suggested it.
self to him, but though he could see
at a great distance the woman walk
ing backward and forward, to and
from the boat, the man. and the chill
dren could not be seen, OdeIl either
being sunk in one of the breaks or
lain down in the boat to freeze to
death with his children. Yet he could
not aid them, and the next day no.
thing of them was to BE saen. Ten
Indians in sail boat, started yester-
day TO find them. They could see
the boat about five miles out, in the
thick ice, but could not reach it. To-
day the steam tug lying here started
after them, with what result we cam
not tell until she comes back.