The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-01-20
WINTER INCIDENTS.
A Thrilling Adventure-Only One Man
ssved-How Herder's Cattle Were

Thrilling Adventure-Omly One Man
ssved-How Herder's Cattle Were
Lost.
Representative Seymour, OF the Mich
igan legislature, Collector Chandler, of
the port OF Sault Ste. Marie, and three
French. woodchoppers recently found
themselves on the Ignace side OF the
eits OF Mackinac, waiting an oppor-
tunity to cross. Being anxious TO reach
his companions to attempt the passage
at once, though q severe storm was
| driving the snow in great clouds down
| the fields of ice. Three guides, Louis
| Ryerse, Jack Lasley and Simpson
De Forest, volunteered to lead the voy-
ayers over the straits, and so about noon
the peril us undertaking was begun.
When more than half way over
the squalls became terrifi, and the ice
was felt undulating under the feet
| of the skaters like the low, long roll
of waves at sea. Mr.. Seymour was
thoroughly alarmed. Ryerse, the bold
est AID most intelligent of the guides,
refused to give any further satisfaction
than to utter reueatedly: "a tirst-class
cake of ice." What Ryerse meant was
understood fifteen minutes later, when,
on approaching the shore, Mr.. Seymour
saw that the field of ice upon which the
party stood was sweeping down the
straits at a speed not less than five miles
an hour. Between the party and the
shore was 200 feet of open water. The
situation was alarming. To return was
| impossible, and there was nothing to do
but stand still and await developments.
Fortunately there was q bend to the
eastward just below, and the voyagers
saw that the head of their icefield was
being driven by the wind against the
shore. The force of the collision was so
| great that small cakes Office W ere th1 own
twenty feet into the air, and great
masses were ground to powder. Going
through this line of ice surf was no
child's play, but every man OF the party
at last succeeded in reaching the shore.
They had been three hours making the
passage, and had travelled fifteen miles.
During one OF the recent snow storms
on Lake Ontario the Canadian schoon-
ers Zealand and Norway went down
with all on board, and of the crew OF
the schooner Belle Sheridan only one
man, James McSherry, was saved.
McSherry gave Toronto reporter a
graphic recital of the wreck and his
miraculous escape, The Belle was ten
miles from the Canadian shore, Just
| dOlcetSb vi pOihps.op zig IN
o'clock in the evening, when the storm
came bowling up from the West Cap
tain McSherry, the survivors, father,
put the Belle before the wind, apd she
was hurled along in the heart of the
tempest until daylight the next morn
ing. The intense cold and savage in
trusion of the waves Frustrated the
whole crew. At three O'Clock in the
morning Edward and Thomas Nc
Sherry, brothers of James, dragged
Themselves into the latter's arms and
there died. Captain McSherTy shortly
afterward was swept away by wave
that cleared the deck, and at six in
the morning the mainmast, to which
four of thn crew had lashed themselves,
fell among the pillows. James clung to
the wreck until the middle Of the FORE
noon, when some people on shore res.
cued him, one man being drowned in the
poble effort.
Stockmen or the Missouri river, near
Benton, Montana, have been puzzled
this winter at the disappearance of sc
many of their cattle. A few days age
one OF the herders who was stationed
at a point on the river bank where the
cattle have been in the habit of drinking
solved the puzzle. At that point ice
had formed while the river was high,
and after the water had receded there
was long slope of ice an ice.chute-
which ended in an air-hole in the chan
mel of the river. The herder saw sew
eral hundred cattle approach the place
The leaders of the herd stopped at tht
head of the chute, but they were
Gro Nded forward from behind, started
down the chute, lost their feet and dis
appeared in the air-hole. Before tn
herder co lld interfere nine of the hert
had been sent into the river.