The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1891-02-06
In DIRE PERIL.
- Number Of Michigan Fishermen
Adoat on the Ice.
TgE SEAS RUNNING VERY HIGH.
- Hurricane blowing and No Sight OF the
ESOs and the Missing EEen-HOW the
Disaster Occurred-sseaEners to
BE Sent Out.

BAY CITY, Mich, Feb. Much exc
.s.iteaent prevails here concerning re-
ports that many fishermen have drifted
into Lake Huron on an ice field, carried
out of the Saginaw bay by strong
south wind yesterday forenoon The
fishing village is about fifteen miles
szlortheast of this city and five miles
from land. It Is estimated that 200
7zaen were engaged in spearing fish and
s&IIs first reports are to the effect that all
we're lost
Toward evening several of the fisher
aEaen reached Essex village, a suburb of
this city, and reported that most of
their companions had reached the shore
an safety. The best authority obtain
able places the number of castaways at
from twenty to fifty. Those acquaint-
ed with the situation say they will reach
shore before the ice passes outside of
Saginaw bay. In case they do not there
as no hope of their being rescued.
The story of the disaster so far as
known is that during the night the
wind had driven the ice out towards the
lake, taking with it all the fishermen
who were on the foe IN their shanties,
numbering about 200 men. They were
distributed all over the bay for miles.
Relatives of the lost men went to the
lighthouse at the mouth of the river
and with marine glasses were unable to
see any thing but open water. Later
bay shore, and from an elevation looked
through glasses, but could get no trace
OF the ice.
a party of men went out a short time
Eater on an ice boat at the point where
the crack occurred and thought they
could see the floating ice four miles
away
Six of the lost men managed to get
ashore twelve miles east of the river,
having been on the eastern portion of
the ice. Dennis BOnne1le, who had his
house on the ice, says he thinks about
twenty men got ashore on the east side
OF the bay near Big creek. The others
will escape if the seas, which are rum
ming mountains high, do not break up
the ice.
The first definite news of the disas-
ter to the fishermen on Saginaw bay
was brought here late in the afternoon
by Dennis Burnett, who arrived at his
home in this city in an exhausted con-
<iitiOn. He says that about o'clock
Monday night the wind, which had
been blowing lightly from the south,
began to increase in violence and soon
had developed into gale. At $3.50
O'Clock a great movement of the ice was
noticed, and a number of the older and
more experienced fishermen abandoned
the 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.. Burnett and
fourteen companions were driven about
on a foe of ice, entirely at the mercy
Of the wind. They then stopped for
tazaIf an hour, during which time the
wind changed to the west and they be-
gan to move toward the shore. BY
this time the wind was blowing a per
Sect hurricane and the men We're all
crowded into one large shanty,
the only left standing on the
ice. where they remained until morn
ing. They then started for the shore in
the direction of Big creek, where
they found about forty shanties which
had drifted closer to the shore and es-
capped the general destruction of the
might before A number of narrow es-
-capes were recorded, but Mr.. Burnett
z4lOzSgiat that all the inhabitants
OF the main village, numbering
about 200, succeeded in reaching
the shore. There are grave fears, how
ever, for the men in the shanties $50
lated from the village, many of whom
were strung along both shores of the
bay 1t is thought some of these meI
must have been lost and the number i:
estimated from twenty TO fifty. Steam
~ers viii be sent out in search of the
>anen as soon as the ice in the river car
he broken up enough to let them ont
The Ccnger lard BllI
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4.-SenatOrs Cock