Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-02-05
ONE MAN MISSING
Out of the Scores Adrift on the
Broken Ice.
TALES l,y1D OF THE FEARFUL PERIL

A Long Jump for Safety That One Man
Couldn't Cover and Got "a Cold Bath |
Lost Floe in Snow Storm-Ad-
ventures of - Another Party-A Night |
of Despair Followed by Good Luck i'm |
the Morning Rejoicing at EsseNville.
BAY CITY, Mich, Feb. 5--At noon yes
terday all of the fishermen except two |
had been heard from, and these two it is
thought, have gone ashore on the Charity
islands. Albert Pratt Jake Coon, and a
Frenchman ran out of provisions Monday
aud started that night for Essexville to
lay in a new stock They became lost in
the snOwstorm and wandered about all
night. to find in the morning that they
were cut Off from shore by onen water, the
gap then being fourteen feet wide The
men endeavOred to jump it, and Pratt and
Coon succeeded, but their companion
jumped short and went into the bay. He
was rescued by means of fish spear
Rejoicing Over the Saved.
Most of the men imperiled lived in Es-
seville, and there was great rejoicing
there when the hardy men-who it was
feared had been doomed TO death-returned
i'll struggling groups Reports were also
received that all o, the Iuis,ing villagers
were safe with the single exception OF IT.
win Felker The fishermen " 40 return,
tell pitiful stories OF the suffering and
and hardship endured Monday night
while atioat ON Saginaw bay The three
men mentioned i'll the foregoing para
graph left their shanCies, which re ght
miles out, about ) O'Clock p. m, ana
started at brisk pace to walk to Essex
vile. Shortly after starting the wind
which had been blowing from the north
yeered and blew from the south.
Fearfuily Dangerous Trip.
increasing its force every minute, at
$50, when the men were still some dis
lance from shore, it was blowing gale.
To make matters worse, it began to snow
very heavily, and the men at one time
thought they were lost. They found the
road, however, and were pushing forward,
half running and half walking, W hen their
ears were startled by succession of boom.
ing reports like the firing of cannon. The
noise could be heard all along the bay
shore on either side of them. 1t was then
known that the main body of ice lad
broken away from the shore ice, and
would soon be moving out into the bay
faster than man could run. They wealth
cred all the difficulties, and Were saved as
recorded about.
Adventures of Other Men.
One of the other fishermen who re
turned gave this account of that fearful
night: Most of the men in the settlement
on the ice had finished their days work
and THAR
All the fishermen noticed that the wind
had changed to what is known to them as
"unlucky pOint"-blowing from the south
west-and they were a little uneasy. But
then they thought it would stop at day
light and everything would be all right.
The wind increased to such violence, how
ever, that some of the men who were far
thest out formed a party of about fifty
and started to walk to land. Those who
were near the shore were made aware (
the danger first.
The Sounds oJ Coming Danger.
About o'clock they heard the success
sion of reports previously alluded to. The
booming of the ice was at once terrifying
and grand, although there was not a man
who did not know what the believing
sound meant. A report would be heard
as the ice started to break and then
could be distinguished the grinding, tear
ing and cracking along the shore for
miles. To make matters worse the wind
was dismally bowling along the ice, and
the snow was binding One common i'm
pulse soon drove this company of men to
gether, and they started for the shore AS
they were not so far out as the others they
soon arrived at the place where the ice
was broken. But they were Mortified to
see chasm of water at least thirty feet
wide, over which it was impossible to
cross.
Net Some More Unfortunates
About 10 O'Clock at night they found
another gang OF men who had come from
the middle OF the fishing grounds The
two gangs then united, and once moe
started to search for place to cross.
After wandering up and down for about
two hours they gave up in de spair, and,
retiring from the edge of the ice foe. they
decided to wait till morning. The men
who had been along the edge reported that
as far as the eye could penetrate the dark
ness nothing was discernible but the
boiling, seething water
A Discouraging Prospect
The foe on which the men were stand
ing soon began to break around the edges
from the force of the waves, and the men
were compelled to keep going farther and
farther toward the center of the crum-
bling foe. Daylight came at last, and
with it the spirits of the castaways rose,
for then there was prospect of getting
ashore. On all sides as far as the eye
could reach was nothing but tumbling
waves Soon after daylight, however, the
wind changed, coming directly from the
west.
Drifted to the Welcome Sho re.
This was just what the men wanted,
and three hours later the foe drifted in to
shore The. men then landed, some getting
ashore at place known as Big Greek, and
others getting off at Fish Point All were
suffering from exposure and exhaustion
Almost all of the fishermen have now
reached home. There were nearly 100
shanties on the ice. Most of these were
occupied by two or three men, Two good
sized barns and three horses were left on
ha