Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-04-13
THRILLING EXPERIENCE.
Captain 6oyton, the Famous
swimmer, Takes a Swim in
Lake Michigan.
Getting Lost in an Ice Field. he Has
a Narrow Escape from
Death.

Capt. Paul Boyton, the celebrated SWIM
mer, who lives in Chicago, went to sea on
tuesday morning in his inflated rubber
suit, and he came near not getting
Dack. The Captain has grown heavy dur
ing the winter, and to reduce his flesh
twenty five pounds has been taking little
pulls out into the lake. These are the
points in his story as he furnished it:
Tuesday morning at Z o'clock he left
Fullerton avenue for swim to South Chi
cago and return. and met with the most
thrilling adventure of his life, in which no
battled for hours with great ice-floe, was
carried many miles out into the lake, strip
ped OF his navigating instruments, and lost
for fifteen hours in the cold, bleak waste
OF drifting ice, hanging clouds, and stray
Cling ducks and gulls. From o'clock in
the morning until midnight the Captain
was without food or drink, and the chill of
! the icy waters had driven him to the des.
Perate resort of hard work all that time to
Keep up vigorous circulation, so that he
would not chill and perish in the lake. At
midnight. when he was rescued at the crib,
his vitality was almost gone. Stimulants
were applied and the daring navigator put
to bed.
A telephone message was sent to the po-
lice that the Captain was saved, and by
them taken to his little family wife and
SON who were distracted by his long alb
sence, and supposed he had persisted. He
had promised them to return at 10 o'clock
IN the morning, as he had been doing.
Mrs. Boyton let that hour pass without
worry. At 6 o'clock she urged her father.
MIR. c. c. Connolly, to get tug and 90 in
search of her husband, but such search
at night was considered useless. At
o'clock, when the officer arrived with news
OF her husbands rescue, she was willing to
concede that his luck had not forsaken him.
Capt. Boyton was in bed when a Irib-
une reporter called at his home in the
evening. He was exhausted, the reaction
from his desperate excitement of the day
before having made him weak and sick.
When entered the water at Z o'clock,
the Captain said, "there was fresh west
to clear the crib fore trip to South Chicago.
just about the limit of my run east began
to meet ice. I pushed through it for time
and then ran across some foes onto which
climbed. Meanwhile q heavy sky had
shut out all view Of the sun and the wind
had got tho ice together. struggled quite
while in what thought was the west
ern border Of the field, and then ran into
what l thought was a pocket. pulled
through it and came again to struggling
foes. I must have fought them until 10
o'clock before l missed my compass. Whom
looked to get my bearings. having noticed
the band which bound the compass 70
my body had either been severed by .
piece of ice or had become unbuckled. It
was gone. The sun was hidden, and there
was nothing by which could get my bear
ings. The water was cold and had been
in it so long began to get drowsy. Chills
ran through my veins in quick succession,
and saw must either pull cut for some-
where or perish. looked about and saw
the field Of ice was at my feet swim feet
foremost-and then concluded had only
to pull from the ice 70 reach Chicago. So
started, and vigorously, too. For five
The water was heavy and lifeless.
had to fight for every inch made. Chi
cago was still nowhere to be seen, and
had no notion of the time OF day. Then
changed my course about halfway
round and pulled hard for awhile. The
ice gathered about me again, and whom
night came was fighting again for
my life. Sometimes I could dodge the
drift, at others l climbed upon the cakes
and crossed them. When the moon rose
got flash of q view of it and then saw my
mistake. I had crossed the field in the
morning when entered what thought
day with the ice at my feet had driven me
toward Michigan. The turn had taken
had sent me south. I set about and pushed
from the moon. At 10 o'clock saw faint
light in the western sky and an hour later
perceived it was from the furnaces at South
Chicago. Then 1 got my bearings and
sighted the lights at the crib. pulled up
there at midnight and blew my bugle. I
must have called half dozen times before
an answer came. Then Captain Mckay
answered my signal, and shouted, Crib,
":Aye, who's there? the Captain an
swered.
"'I must stay here to- night
"'Pull round to the port.
when got there they dropped bit OF
q rope, into which I fixed my foot, and
then they drew me up. They gave me re-
freshments, put me to bed, and telephoned
my wife that was safe. Capt. Mckay
says when left the ice at night it was
fully fifteen miles from shore, and I think
he is about right. because the swim in
would take the time used. have swan
greater distances by thousands Of miles,
and the battle with the ice and cold was
more thrilling episode than I care to ex-
perience again.
"Capt. Mckay was amazed when he
sYes, but the Captain had some fun out
of the episode. He has q young fellow
from Nebraska staying with him. Tho
Young man never heard of me- He sup.
posed when he began to haul me up that I
was a man in q boat. When l rose to
where h the light betrayed me and he saw .
pinch of my face in that hideous black
rubber suit, which, when wet, looks 40
sleek as an eel, he gave q shout Of horror
and ran. His eyes stuck out like the
horns of Texas steer, the Captain told
me-. o, I'll never pretend to tell you what
he thought was. o..
"This morning I pulled into Rush street;
where nv friends met me with apparel, and
7 came home. I'm completely played out.
By tho way, the public has no idea how
foul the Chicago River is. thought as l
swan through it the overcome