Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1880-07-07

the stern, which it completely de
molished. The tug was going a
the rate of about twelve miles pei
hour. The captain Of the third
vessel seeing what had occurred
ordered two ropes to be thrown to
the fisherman. Mr.. Cuttings caught
one, but being up to his waist in
the water in the sinking boat, and
being fast to some part of the
wreck, he was unable to hold on,
and the rope slipped out Of his
hand. The other rope was caught
by Mcleod, who took turn
around the foremost of the fishing
boat. The sudden strain of the
rope when taut pulled ont the fore
mast, taking with it Mcleod, the
foremost and rigging attached.
Mcleod was then hauled aboard
the third vessel, the name of which
is not known. In the meantime
the Equator had sunk, taking with
it Mr.. Cuttings. He says he does
not remember how far he went
down, but after q time he come up
and was lucky enough to be close
by a gill net buoy, which is nothing
more or less than a pole twelve or
fourteen feet long with a chunk of
cedar about foot and half long
and ten or twelve inches in dame
ter, which is near one end of the
pole. Mr.. Cuttings got astride of
the pole and also managed to get
hold of small net box. 1t must
be remembered that Mr. Cuttings
is about seventy years of age,
and to the best Of our knowl-
edge he cannot swim. BY this
time the fish boat having got rid
of some of its ballast, had risen up
and part of her bow was sticking
ont of the water. Mr.. Cuttings
tried to reach it by using his hands
as paddles, but was not successful.
He says he then looked for the tow
and found that they were about
half mile distant from him, and
he also noticed another tow some
miles off, bearing down in his di-
rection, and took some consolation
from the thought that if the Glad
iator did not come to his rescue,
the other boats coming up the lake
might see him. He, therefore,
took his position in the lake, five
miles from the shore, and nothing
but a pole to ride on, somewhat
pbilosophically.
The Gladiator, as soon as was
possible, cast off the tow and turn
ed back, not, however, expecting
to find Mr.. Cuttings alive. The
captain of the hind vessel of the
tow had his yawl boat lowered and
sent her to the scene of the wreck.
The Gladiator got to where Mr..
Cuttings was floating, but coming
up at full speed, she went consid-
cradle distance past him before she
.ould be stopped, and before she
got to the place, the yawl boat had |
rescued him from his perilous pos
tion, where he had been about an
hour.
The captain of the Gladiator
lsked the men if their home was
n Alpena and expressed his inten-
ion, if it was, to take them there,
'ut finding that they lived near
Vine Mile Point, he left his tow
md took them ashore in the tug,
fter which he returned to his tow.
Mr.. Cuttings lost his fishing boat,
II the nets in her, some of his
lothes, and a number of other ar
icles, which, altogether, makes
eavy loss for him, as he makes his
wing entirely by fishing.
Mr.. Cuttings came to Michigan
hen it was a Territory, landing
4 Alpena when it contained only
ne trading hut, and has resided in
MS county and vicinity for the
lst forty-five years. He is well
nown to almost every fisherman
n the shore as "Uncle Billy"
Mr.. Cuttings has entered an ac-
on for damages, against the
forming Star, before V. @. Burn
am, U. S. Commissioner. /,