The Douglas independent. [volume] (Roseburg, Or.) 187?-1885, 1882-03-11
Caught In the Ice

aAiOhSS bLC OiCbh 1CC UCldo 1lfsb low I'LL
again intrude upon the waters of the
recently occurred It had nearly ont
stripped in magnitude the dismal ice-foe
tragedy of April, two years ago, an ac
Herald at the time. The sad story of the
present is briefly told:
On the first day of the last week in
January, nine skiffs, with their crews,
left Porte de Grave, town on the north
west side of Conception bay, to proceed
to Topsail, on tine south side. The num-
Der of men manning these skiffs has not
yet been ascertained with any accuracy.
but the aggregate number would proba-
bly, be fifty. Their destination was the
where, from the surrounding forests,
they were accustomed to cut frames of
houses, fake pieces, stage timber and
without accident, and having completed
their work left for home on the morning
of the 1st instant. The wind was blow
ing q moderate breeze from the eastward,
and there was stroug westerly set of the
Arctic current.
Before they had reached the central
line of the bay they found that the north
ern drift-ice was running in with great
rapidity, both along the northern and
southern shore of Conception Bay.
Borne along both by wind and current it
appeared to them as we'll and as hopeful
to proceed as to retreat. They accord
ingly determined to keep on their home
bound course, but this was fatal decis-
ion. In few hours they were literally
nf1ri o6 iy1o ,,f <,f /,
skiffs which had not parted company en-
ergetically united their whole forces, and
after hours of terrible struggling, sue
ceeded in libearting themselves from
their icy bondage. This the Joint crew
effected by dragging the skiffs altern-
| ately over the ice, pans and through the
watery slatches till they eventually
reached the inner western edge of the ice
and succeeded in making the harbor of
Killegrew in safety.
The other two skiffs that were nearly a
mile further advanced in the bay were as
hopelessly caught, with all retreat cut
| off, as would be an unfortunate sailor
overheard, fallen into the corpse-like
embrace of a devil-ish. The two ILL
fated skiffs were commanded by men
| named, respectively, Porter and Man
gan. The precise number of the crew in
each skiff, or their names, bave not
been able to ascertain. There is no tele-
graphic communication with that portion
of Conception Bay where the disaster oc-
Cured, and, although five days have
elapsed, it was only last night by an ex-
| press courier that the news reached your
correspondent. The unparalleled snowfall
along the line of the road has inter-
rupted all communication during the
past week. The wind blowing from the
eastward while the skiffs were crossing
the bay, it was earnestly hoped by the
| people looking on from the shore that
they would be able to effect q landing on
Kellys Island, but that hope has been
dispelled.
Wednesday night last was one of ter
rife storm and wind and frost, and those
skiffs were unlocked and unprovided
with fuel or means of kindling fire.
They had barely one days provisions on
| board. Under favorable circumstances
they could have reached their homes in
four or five hours, and hence their
absolute lack of resources in food and
/ fire.
A traveller on foot who arrived last
Thursday evening from the gullies oi
Fox Trap, reports having seen the two
skiffs locked in the embrace of the ice.
foes about ten miles from the highlands
of Brigas. When looked at through q
glass there was no vestige of human life
visible, and the unfortunate crews must
have perished by the most cruel ol
deaths-frost and starvation. No rescu.
ing party could reach them, as the ice
plain was of that fatal mixed character
compound of snow aud ice--oyer whlcf
q human foot could not travel, and
through which no vessel save a power
ful ice steamer could penetrate. Fal
from their friends and homes, imbedded
in sea of ice, their bodies are doubles.
rigidly entombed in their frail skiffs. .and
the wintry winds may long moan re
quiem over their sufferings and sad fate
N. Y. Herald.