Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1880-12-15

morning Of November 10, it was as
warm as June. Next day we were
fast in the ice under the lee of an
island, 100 miles from the main
land"
"What was the name of that is
land" asked man who was chew
ing crackers behind the stove.
"Gentlemen," said the saloon
keeper, "this sail-loft man is a per-
son of truth, and ! hope there will
be no further Interruptions"
"There we were, fast as a rock,
and the weather growing colder all
the time," continued the narrator.
'"At the end Of the next twenty
four hours the ice around us was
twenty-five inches thick"
"Who measured it ?" qusried an
old man with a frost t.bitten ear.
Gentlemen, if there is any man
here who doesn't believe that ice
was twenty-five inches thick, out
he goes y exclaimed the saloonist
as he struck his fist down.
"At the end Of five days we
hadn't a scrap Of provisions left.
There were seven men of US, and
starvation stared us in the face.
We fried and ate our boot legs,
made soup of the mates fur hat,
and scraped along for three or four
days, and then we drew lots to see
who should die. 1t fell on the
cook"
"Was he a nigger3" asked the
man over a barrel.
"Gentlemen, we must have order
here !" shouted the owner of the
place.
81 was selected to kill him." sad
ly continued the sail-loft man. ~
put him to sleep with morphine
and then sawed his head off. He
lasted us just three days, and then
we were as hungry as ever. The
next man to go was a sailor from
Chicago, but he had chewed plug
tobacco so long that it made us all
sick. His name was Smith"
"First name if you please I"
queried a boy who was working
next door.
"Young man, you 60 right out of
lere!" ordered the saloonist, and
he boy had to obey.
"We next killed the captain.
Ah he was fine eating, tell you
Ie had used just enough brandy
% season him clear through. We
ct him commit suicide by hanging.
We ate the last of him on Christ
nas."
"With cranberry sauce :" asked
big deck hand.
"What was they doing with
ranberry sauce out there ~ de-
handed the saloonist. "This is
rue story, and I know it,
swell, we kept on drawing lots
nd eating each other up, and by
,e first of February | was the
My one left. On the 3rd of Feb
1ary had eaten the last morsel
the last man, and was as hun
ry as bear, when somebody hail
l. / looked over the side and
lere was farmer from the island
alf mile away"
"Was the island inhabited 7"
at was, but We couldn't see the 5
ouses for the woods. There we'd 4
cen eating each other up for the
lree months, with farms and plen-
right under our noses! The
rmer thought we might want q
lange, and he'd come out to offer {
, board at IL shillings per week"
"And you went with him :"
"No. l saw signs of break
D, and / didn't dare leave the
hooner. The farmer was stout
ID fat, and l figured that he'd
st me over a week. l therefore
lied him and stuck by the craft.
he ice began to break up that
ght, and in three days i was at
ort Huron with more than half D
the farmer left" "
"Did you ever tell this story be-
ref" asked a captain who bad
stoned without word.
"Never." 3
"Will you tell it again for q glass
beerp
"I will" r
"Then go ahead. l believe three
that crew were with me in the