The Osceola times., 1880-03-27
THRILLING ADVENTURE.
On q Floating Cake of Ice with an Insane
Man.


Clayton (s. " Cor. n. \. sun.
George Penn, one OF the survivors oi
the party caught on breaking ice on the
Sc. Lawrence River while crossing nom
Gananoque to Grindstone Island last
week. tells the following story Of the
nights adventure:
sAt 3:3Op. m. started from Gananoque
| for Watertown, by way Of Grndstone
Island, with the following party Of farm
ers, who came over in the forenoon on
the ice with a team and sleigh, and made
the crossing without difficulty: Eli stet-
son, and Charles Kendall, George Cum
mings, William Rusho. Ben and Elmer
Calhoun, David Harwood, Lewis kittle
and Willard Robinson. We had q grist
in the sleigh. aud had no trouble until
We reached the middle Of the channel,
where we found the ice shaky, and de-
taching the horses We led them separa,e-
ly and pushed the sleigh by hand. Soon
one Of the horses went through, and in
his struggles broke up the ice tor about
a hundred feet before we got him landed.
Seeing that our weight was too great
for the ice we separated, and also soon
found we had lost our course and were
heading above the island toward open
water. Cummings, Robinson and my
self stayed together and pushed the
sleigh. which we had unloaded, and
which soon went through, and We sban-
doned il. The wind blew a hurricane
and il was becoming pitch dark. Sud.
denly we all broke through at once, and
then each tried TO save himself. found
a AXE big enough TO sustain me in a
kneeling position, and Cummings and
Robinson got on another. We consul.
ted and | told Robinson | should go no
further. He said he would try to get
ashore and get boat, and he stripped of
his coat and boots and plunged into the
open water He swan about hundred
feet. crawled out on the ice and then We
lost sight Of him, should think | re
mained on my knees about two hours,
when the ice broke to pieces under me
and again was in the water and chilled
10 the marrow. The moon had come
out, and padded 10 the cake on which
Cummings stood, and which found to be
about twenty feeet square, and some five
inches thick. | found the poor fellow
was loosin his mind and perishing. He
was thinly clad, 50 | took my oyercoat
off and wrapped II around him anc got
on the windward side to protect him
from the gale. To add to my distress and
terror. the motion OF the ice, as it rose
and fell with the waves and ground
against other pieces, made me sick, and
began TO FEAR that | should have to give
up, Cummings was growing weaker and
/ strove to arouse him. | asked him
abou: his family and how many children
he had. He said five. and | begged him
for their sakes TO bear up. About this
time we saw lights on the shore appar-
emily about mile distant. i told him TO
look, help was commingl He turned his
eyes and exclaimed: 'Seel see, There is
one, two, three, eleven boats coming for
us ~ He was insane. / told him to cheer
ND, they would be here shortly. He Jecame
unmanageable, broke away from me,
said he was going ashore, and walked
off the edge of the ice. | caught him by
the leg, but my hauds were numb, and
before / could raise him he gave a yio-
lent. kick, broke my hold and went down.
was lying fiat on theice, and | watched
for him to come up, but nothing but a
few bubbles arose. Twas now alone and
supposed the whole party had perished
and that such would be my fate, too.
The lights had disappeared, but found
my cake had drifted against shore ice
and was not moving much, but those
around me were crashing and breaking
and feared to trust myself upon them.
| thought would call, in hopes ! would
be heard. | did 80 several times. AZ.
ter waiting, it seemed to me an age, saw
light moving on the shore, and called
again...I was answered by William Rusho
Il.
barn to take care Of the horses. He got
boat and some men and the pushed
through the ice out TO me. Twas rescued
at half-past twelve, having been on the
ice nine hours, six and a half Of it on
floating ice. Robinson reached the short
so weak, he could scarcely crawl. Ht
was unable TO give any account of wha
had happened. The rest of the party
who took different course, got ashor'
without difficulty and saved the team
| besides"