The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-01-08
A Mariners Tale.


"THIs sudden close of navigation is
bad thing on the vessels OUT" re-
marked an old sail-loft man yesterday,
"but | don't expect our lake marine
will ever see another such time as in
1913. l was sailing in the Albatross
then, and within twenty-four hours Lake
Huron frOze six inches thick. On the
morning of Nov. 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 island ?"
asked man who was chewing crackers
behind the stove.
Gentlemen" said the saloon-keeper,
"this sail-loft man is person of truth,
and hope there will be no further in
terruptions.
"There we were, fast as rock, and
the weather growing colder all the time"
continued the narrator. cat the end
of the next four days the ice around us
was twenty-five inches thick"
"Who measured it?" queried an old
man with frost-bitten ear.
Gentlemen, if there is any man here
who doesn't believe that ice was twen-
ty-two inches thick, out he goes!" ex-
claimed the saloonist, as he struck his
fist down.
cat the. end of five days we hadn't
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 nigger?" asked the man
over barrel.
s'Gentlemen, we must have order
here!" shouted the owner of the place.
81 was selected to kill him. sadly
continued the sail-loft man. al 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 sailor
from Chicago, but he had chewed plug
tobacco so long that it made us all sick.
lis name was Smith"
"First name, if you please?" queried
boy who was working next door.
Young man, you go right out of
here!" ordered the saloonist, and the
boy had to obey.
awe next killed the Captain. All!
he was fine eating, tell you'll He had
used just enough brandy to season him
clear through. We let him commit sui
eide by hanging. We ate the last of
him on Christmas.
"With cranberry sauce?" asked big
deck-hand.
"What was they doing with cram
berry sauce out thereP" demanded the
saloonist. "This is true story, and
know it."
"Well, we kept drawing lots and eat
ing each other up, and by the LIST of
February was the only one left. On
the I'd of February had eaten the last
morsel of the last man, and was as hun
CRY as bear, when somebody hailed. /
looked over the side and there was
farmer from the island half mile
away"
"Was the island inhabited?"
cit was, but we couldn't see the
houses for the woods. There we'd been
eating each other up for three months,
with farms and plenty right under our
noses! The farmer thought we might
want a change, and he'd come out to
offer us board at twelve shillings per
week.
"And you went with him?"
"No. | saw signs of a breakup, and
didn't dare leave the schooner. The
farmer was stout and fat, and figured
that he'd last me over week. | there
fore killed him and stuck by the craft.
The ice began to break up that night,
and in three days was at Port Huron
with more than half of the farmer left. :"
"Did you ever tell this story before p"
asked Captain who had listened with
out word.
"Never."
evil you tell it again for glass of
beerP"
az will"
"Then go ahead. 1 believe three of
that crew were with me in the old Mary
Jones when we were cast away in the
Pacific, and that they helped me eat a
woman and three children. Please speak
slowly and distinctly, and when you get
to these men describe them as infinitely
as possibly"
When our reporter came away the
sail-loft man had cleared his voice and
begun:
"This sudden close of navigation is q
bad thing on the vessels out. n-Detroit
Free Press.