The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1891-02-13
ADRIFT ON THE ICE.
A Night of Horror on Saginaw
Bay.
MANY FISHERMEN IN DIRE PERIL.

EAOe-1nt story ~ va Theeon
which Got Safely to ShOre-Uncertain-
ty as to the Fate of Others-A Possible
ity of Heavy Loss of Life-DiscriPtion
of Winter Fishing.
BAY CITY, Mich, Feb. 4.-Fcarful 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 ilehermen, who were
busily plying their occupation upon it,
| were aware n 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 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
| IL r,IgIt o. hardy lives out into the
stormy iaNe, the greatest fear was ex.
| ci,ed. and it was thought that few, ii any,
| OF the ca. taways would ever be seen again.
| AT once Efforts were made TO locate the
men on their unsafe craft but from no
point could it be seen. A great sea of
stormy water stretched outward, and the
hope at the men could he rescued grew
fainter Relief parties went along the
8 IRE and preparations We're made to send
OIL tugs, though the peril of facing the
rising waves was enough to appall the
bravest
Fishing Through the Ice.
Saginaw bay is great fishing ground
IN the winter. AS soon as the ice has be-
come strong enough hundreds of men
Dulld little shanties just large enough
for two, and which they cover with tarred
paper to keep out the cold and take to the
fishing grounds with hand-sleds. Here
they usually remain until the ice becomes
unsafe in the spring Their method of
catching fish is interesting Their shan
ties have no windows but are placed over
a hole cut in the ice Through this hole a
decoy fish Is sunk, and the patient fisher
man sits in his seat, spear in hand, watt
ing for the finny tribe to be attracted by
his decoy.
Where the Danger Comes In.
1t Is seldom that the fisherman misses his
prey. The greatest danger is in the posi-.
bility 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 be ever on the lookout for this
danger Consequently the city was full
of horror Monday when 1t 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 shanties on the east shore OF
the bay at point about fifteen miles from
the city. The village had reached consid-
cradle proportions, numbering over hun
dred houses, with a population of nearly
twice that number. At $3.50 Monday night,
the wind blowing gale, says Mr.. Bur-
nette, who arrived here yesterday and
gave an account of the occurrence, a gen.
tie movement of the ice was noticed, and q
number of the older and more experienced
men abandoned their shanties and started
for the shore. The ice soon broke up into
huge foes, and these with their living
freight were sent rapidly out to sea. For
three long hours Mr.. Brunette and four
teen companions and horse were driven
about on foe of ice entirely at the mercy
of the wind.
The Floe Begins Breaking.
They then stopped for half an 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 perfect hurricane. The foe on
which the little party was located struck
another one and began breaking, the ice
piling up and in places reaching n height
of twenty to thirty feet. The men were
all crowded into one large shanty, the
only one left standing on the ice, where
they remained until morning.
Reached Shore i'm Safety.
They then started for shore, which APP
peared to be five or six miles distant.
They had gone about two miles when the
horse, which was ahead, broke through
the ice and was extricated with difficulty.
Fearing that the ice in the direction in
which they were travelling was unsafe
tuty III bnc ulTcCUlOu VI dig CTeek,
where they at last reached solid ice and
where they found about forty shanties
which had been located closer to the 81 ore
and escaped 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 inhabitants of the village had sue
ceeded in reaching the shore. IL there
were any who did not escape they were iso-
lated from the main village. The horrors
of the night will never be forgotten by
the little band that chung together on a
frail cake of ice so far from shore, and no
inducement could be offered that would
tempt them to again undergo 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 shores of
the bay. 1t is thought some of these men
must have been lost, and the munger is
estimated at from twenty to fifty. II they
are on the floating ice they may drift
about in the bay for days without reach
ing land, but even if the ice foes which
they are on do not break up they can