Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1886-12-20

DO what they could to rescue us
They took row boats and by bresk \.
inR the leo ahead of them managed ~
get ont TO the nearest boats. Then they
tcwed the smaller oyster hosts 70 the
beach ono after another. Luckily the
westher moderated great deal, 20 that
the Ice did not grow any thicker, and II
was made soft and easy to break. II was
slow work, and, a. you see. there are
more boats Yet TO get In. But there Is
no longer any sp' clsl auxiety about those
that are out In the bny, Tor the weather
Is warm aud the Ice Is likely to melt Ia =
day or two, and meanwhile those on
board are supplied with provisions"
At different points along the beach
gangs OF CAPTAINS were at work drawing
the catbca,s upon the beach out of the
wsy Of ice that Is liable 10 fcym any
night The severe experience has CON.
WINGED tho oySlermeu thar the season FOR
dredging Is wailY over, and they win not
venture out sgsin unless long smell Of
moderate weather sets In when the
winters are very cold the ice forms In the
bay, and Is cast upon the beach IN
huge piles by winds and tides. rhe
captains Vie with each other In telling
how high the piles were last winter,
which WAS an unusually severe season
None of them puts the height OF the Zee
pile at less than twenty feet, and the estl.
mates run from that 10 Go forty. Thev
show a building two rods from hleh wa.
ter-mark, whose root was ravpd IN nv
the ice which had been ptled IN. The
building rs about litoen feet high Everg
washable man IN Sayyille turned out after
the storm to help 10 rescuing the boats
and crews, The Buhlah Potter, owned
by Daniel Gillet OF BaypOrt, win be a
total loss. II was driven ashore In a
mass ct ice and heeled over.
Capt, Charles L'Hommedleu Of Sayyille
was at work on marsh several miles
from Sayville packing hay, When marsh
hay Is cut 1t is staoked on plies drlyen
INTO Tho ground. Capt L'Hommedieu
was taking the hay from these etscks aud
packing II Ia bales to be shipped TO this
city, where Il u used for passing Ice for
export. His boat, which Is named the
Todd, served him for lodging. He
sailed about from stalk 10 stack
when the tide was high. A few days
ago his wife went down 20 the marsh
where the captain was at work Intending
to remain week with him. She took her
| little child along. No idea OF danger from
cruising about on salt marsh even in
winter occurred to anybody. just before
the storm came up the captain made his
way in small boat to the shore TO get a
fresh supply OF pr visions. He had
hardly got homo when the Temperature
began 20 fall, Mrs L'HOmmedIeu
felt no unesslness, however un.
I'll she observed that the TIDE was
rising ~ usually high, Still she thought
ha MA
tented herself with putting more fuel on
the flre IN the little cabin, Bat the wind
! Increased, and the yacht was roughly
swayed by the waves. she went on deck
to sec II her husband NIL ht be IN sight.
What was her terror TO discover that the
yacht had slipped her moorings aud was
| floating ont into the bay. The boat
was yet on the marsh as nearly az she
could Judge, but WAS rapidly getting
away from II. II was bitter cold, ana as
the yacht got further out into the
bay the waves broke over hcr bows and
dashed iced spray over the decks At a
distance She could discern the feet OF
oyster boats, but she could not tell that
they, too, were being driven out into the
bay. To her own distress was added that
OF the little one AS night came on au-
other feature OF the situation appeared
to her, Barring small scrap Of bread
| there were no provisions OF any kind
on board, The bread she gave 10 the
| hungry child. She was familiar with
the accidents that beset fishermen ind
| oysteTmen, and could not help feeling a
| hope that rescue would be made in the
morning. The real fear was that the
boat might be capsized by the storm, The
one redeemng feature OF the situation
seemed to be that there was plenty of
fuel. She used 1t literally through the
night; but before the storm had entirely
dieo away sbe felt the boat touch bot
tom and presently she was aware that
1t had grounded, though VIII 70
she could not by any means dis
cover. When morning came she found
that the yacht was stuck fast In both ice
and sand, on beach off Water Island, a
long distance out In the bay. Tho fleetoi
oyster boats was visible In the distance,
but there was no sign of rescue party
for the Todd. All day long Mis- u lion
medieu kept watch for sign OF relief.
Night closed In again with nothing TO
Live her hope. Then she began 10 fear
that the fuel would not last. Famished
as they were, they more than ever needed
warmth. The second night was passed
In anguish.
Meantime Capt. L'Hommediou was
doing his best TO rescue his wife
and child. 1t was long before he could
discover the whereabouts OF the Todd,
and when at last he sighted her II was
very difficult task to get to her. There
were plenty OF volunteers to assist him,
and on the morning Of the second
day they were on Water island
prepared TO 90 out 70 the stranded
yacht. Breaking the Ice in front Of
them, they worked along 10 small boat,
and soon were aboard the ice-tOund craft,
Mrs. L'Hommedieu and her child were
taken of In small bust and carried TO
the shore, where place was provided
for them in a fsherman's cottage. Then
the men returned 10 the work Of saving
the Todd.
Terrible Encounter with a Lions