Sharp County record., 1880-06-24
A VOYAGE on AN ICE.BLOCA.

! THE breaking up OF the ice Ill huoola
is always a fine sight to look at, even
upon q small stream like the Neva at
St. Petersburg, which is a mere brook
compared with the great rivers OF the
South. As soon as the spring thaW sets
in, all the wooden bridges are removed,
and nothing checks the descending ice
but the stone piers of the NikolalevsN
Bridge, named after its founder, the
! Gar Nicholas. Every morning, while
the show lasts, the balustradeS OF this
bridge are lined with a crowd OF eager
spectators, looking as intently at the
wonderful sight as if they had never
seen it before.
And wonderful sight it is indeed,
Far as the eye can reach, the smooth,
dark surface of the river is one great
procession of floating masses Of ice, Of
all shapes and sizes, moving slowly and
steadily downward.
But the place to see this famous sight
at it's best is the Volga, which, with its
two thousand miles of length, brings
down ice enough to overwhelm whole
city. At times the force Of the current
piles it up, sheet over sheet, into huge
mounds, the crashing and grinding OF
which, as they dash against each other,
make the very air shake. When the
river is "moving,n as the Russians call
it, he would be bold man who should
attempt to take a boat across it; for,
once caught between two of these mOV-
ING islands, the strongest boat on the
Volga would be crushed like an egg
shell.
So, doubtless, think the group of
peasants who are standing upon the
river bank one bright March morning,
mile or two below the great manufac-
turing town of Saratov, watching the
endless procession of ice-blocks sweep
past. Strengthening fellows they are,
with their flat. sallow faces and thick
yellow boards, their high boots Smeared
with tar instead of blacking, their
rough caps pulled down over their
eyes, and their heavy sheepskin frocks
with the wool inside. But. queer as
they look, they are a merry set, laugh
ing and joking increasingly, and enjoy
ing the spectacle like party of youths
at circus.
Come, now, Meesha Michael,
here's an open course; let us have a
race across"
"All right, Stepka Stephen ; and as
you're friend of mine, I'll give you
half-minutestart."
And then follows loud laugh, for
little fun goes long way in Russia.
But sudden shout from one of the
men draws everybody'S attention, and
he is seen pointing to huge sheet of
ice some distance up the stream. On
its smooth white surface lies a dark,
shapeleSs lump, perfectly still; and
guesses begin to fly from mouth to
mouth as to what this can be.
"A block of wood, | Think
"a dog, more likely"
TOO big-must be bundle Of hay"
A handsome young fellow, lately ar
rived in that district from the North,
presses to the front, and fixing his keen
e7es for moment upon the mysterious
object says, emphatically, "Tchelo-
yekl" "a mani.
"A man?" echo two or three of his
companions. "He must be frozen,
then, for he don't seem to move bit.n
"Feodor Theodore] has the best
eyes among us, though" puts in anoth-
er. :" If he says a man, why, a man it
must be-"
"And so it is" shouts one who has
run little way up the bank; "and he's
alive, too, for | saw him move his head
just now"
By this time the ice-block had come
near enough to let the strange object
upon it be plainly seen. 1t was the fig
ure of man in sheep-skin frock,
doubled up in a crouching posture.
"We must help him, lads" cries
Feodor; sit won't do to let a man
perish before our eyes"
"Ah, my boy" answers an old man
beside him, shaking his gray head,
its easy to say help him. but how
are we to do it? Crossing the Volga
when it's moving is not like dipping
spoon in bowl OF milk"
"Pll try it, anyhow says Feodor,
resolutely. "God cares for those who
care for each other. I'll just run and
get out my boat"
But as he was starting off to do SO, a
shout from the rest made him turn his
lead, and he saw something that stopped
him short.
Just abreast Of the spot where they
stood three or four small islets, or
rather sand-banks, lay close together
in the center Of the stream. The huge
fragment of ice upon which the man
was crouching, turned sideways by the
current, had just run upon the end of
one Of these banks, where it stuck fast.