Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-02-04
ADRIFTON THE ICE.
A Night of Horror on Saginaw
Bay.
Macy FISHERMEN IN DIRE PERIL.

fioe-The story of a Party OF Fifteen
Which Got Safely to Shore-Uncertain-
ty as to the Fate of 0thers-A POSSIBLE
ity OF Heavy Loss of Life-Discriptiou
of w inter Fishing.
BAY CITY, Mich, Feb. 4-Fearful was
| the suffering of 200 fishermen cast adrift
| Monday on an ice foe in Lake Michigan.
| The heavy gale from the west loosened
| the great sheet of ice in the bay, and be-
| fore the hundreds of fehermen, who were
busily plying their occupation upon it,
| were aware a vast eXpanse of fiercely roll
ing water separated them from the shore.
The weather was intensely cold and the
wind, which at times reached the violence
of hurricane, cut the face like a whip
and chilled the blood in the veins. The
men WHO were on the moving raft of ice
seemed doomed to certain death. Few
| could endure the fearful cold OF the night,
| and the floating field forced onward by
| the beating wind could not long with
| stand the growing might of the heavy
| seas
| Efforts at Rescue.
When the cry was raised that the ice
| had parted from the shore and had carried
| its freight of hardy lives out into the
| stormy lake, the greatest fear was ex-
| cited, and it was thought that few, if any,
| o: the ctstaways would ever he seen again
! At once efforts were made to locate the
men or their unsafe craft, but from no
| point could it be seen. 4 great sea of
| stormy water stretched outward, and the
| hope that the men could be rescued grew
| fainter. Relief parties went along the
| shore and preparations were made to send
| ont tugs, though the peril of facing the
| rising waves Was enough to appall the
/ bravest
| Fishing Through tho Ice.
Saginaw bay l. great fishing ground
| in the winter As soon as the ice has be-
come strong enough hundreds of men
! build hrtle shanties just large enough
| Tor two, and which they cover with tarred
! paper 10 keep out the cold and take 10 the
| fishing grounds with hand-sleds. Here
| they usually remain until the ice becomes
| unsafe n the spring. Their method of
| catching fish Is interesting Their shan
| ties have no windows, but are placed over
| hole cut in the ice. Through this hole a
! decoy fish : sunk. and the patient fisher
man sits in his seat, spear in hand, wait
| ing fer the finRy tribe 10 be attracted 10y
| his decoy
Where the Danger Comes In.
| 1t Is seldom that the fisherman misses his
| prey. The greatest danger is in the posi-
! bllIty OF an ice foe on which the men are
| situated being broken up by the winter
storms and carrying the men and their
shanties out into the open waters of the
bay or lake often never TO return. Sew
eral cases in which lives have been lost
| and where others have gone through in
| tense suffering have been known. and
many have learned by experience that it
| pays to I've ever on the lookout for this
danger. Consequently the city was full
| of horror Monday when it became known
that the ice had broken up on the bay, and
the loss of many lives was feared.
| The Breaking of the Ice.
This winter a majority Of the fishermen
erected their shauties on the east shore of
the bay al point about fifteen miles from
the city. The village had reached consid-
cradle proportions, numbering over hun
| dred houses, with population OF nearly
twice thai mum Der. At $50 Monday night,
| the wind blowing a gale, says Mir. Bur
| nette, who arrived here yesterday and
| gave an account of the occurrence. a gen
| tie movement OF the ice was noticed, and a
number Of the older aud more experienced
! men abandoned their shanties and started
for t he shore. The ice soon broke ND info
| huge foe. ana these with their living
| freight were sent rapidly out TO sea For
! three long hours Mr. Burnette and four
| teen companions and horse were driven
about on foe of ice entirely at the mercy
OF the wind.
The Hoe Begins Breaking.
They then stopped for half al hour,
during which time the wind changed TO
the west and they began to move toward
the shore BY this time the wind was
| blowing i perfect hurricane The foe on
! which the !ittIe party was located struck
| another one and begaA breaking, the ice
| piling up and in places reaching a height
| of twenty TO thirty feet. The men were
all crowded into one large shanty. the
only one -eit standing on the ice where
they rema ned until morning.
| Reached shore in Safety.
They then started for shore. which ap-
peared 10 be five or six miles distant.
| They had gone about two miles when the
horse, VIII b was ahead, broke through
the ice and was extricated with difficulty.
Fearing that the ice in tie direction in
which they were travelling was unsafe
they started in the direction of Big creek,
where they at last reached solid ice and
where they found about forty shant.es
which had been located closer to the ST ore
and escape the general destruction of the
night before.
VIII Never Forget That Night.
a number of narrow escapes were re-
corded, but Mr.. Brunette thought that all
of the inha bitants of the village had sue
ceeded in reaching the shore. II there
were any W no did not escape they were $50
lated from the main village. The horrors
of the night will never be forgotten by
the little band that cluug together on a
frail cake Of ice so far from shore, and no
inducement could be offered that would
tempt them 10 again un err 20 the perils of
that awful voyage
Fears for Isolated Men.
There are grave fears for the men in the
shanties isolated from the village, many
of which were strung along both shore. of
the bay. l. l. Thought some of these men
must have been lost. and the munger is
estimated at from twenty 70 fifjy /, they
are on the floating ic- they may drift
about in the bay for days without reach.