The morning call., 1893-10-08
A SWIM FOR LIFE.
!: Efforts to Keep AfIoat in Shallow
:. Water.
Detroit Free Press.

Detroit Free Press.
1t was the second mate of one of the great
lake propellers that spoke as they were
passing Pointe Aux Barques. and his
=: words were to this effect: THAT is queer
coast over there, and don't you forget it. !"
:: The interlocutor, a passenger, promised
:. that he would not forget it, providing the
: sailor man would tell him why the coast
was queer.
well" said the sailor man. bat without
hitehing his trousers or shifting his quId
or performing any of the nautical gym
n astics attributed to his kind in the story
books: "It wasn't exactly queer perhars,
but IL is coast that / shall remember the
:; longest day | live.
:: lit was about six years ago that | was
sailing on a lumber schooner, and just
when we were about where we are now the
Ca plain discovered that our yawl was
adrifs. We had been towing it. and some
.:hoW the painter had parted or slipped. and
= there the boat was nearly a mile away.
drifting ashore as fast as the water could
:. carry it. There was not a soul to
"::be seen, and if there had been it
would not have been an easy matter TO get
/: him TO bring US our yawl, and the captain
:: did. not know what to do. Finally, as l
saw the old man was good deal worked
sup. over it, volunteered to swim ashore
Hand:brng the yawl, if be would run in as
::cl0se as he could and anchor until l came
aboard
- .The captain accepted my proposal very
= gladl and as the water was warm l thought
j would have tirst-rate swim, little think
:: ing hat was in store for me. SO stripped
and lowered myself into the water. For a
): quarter of an hour it was mere fun, but l
.s0tn found / had bit off more than j could
-obe f,,rf off thor
+. had figured and l could see few ominous-
= docking clouds, which Indicated that the
wlnd was rising, which might make 1t hard
: for me TO get back to the schooner after l
:,got the boat 1 kept on. however, getting
more and more exhausted every moment.
i tried every way | knew TO rest my tired
:: legs and arms. First l turned on my back
and swan in that position for while.
Then | tried swimming on my side then
:: 'dog-fashion' and thsn floating. But all
the time was getting more and more worn
"oGt. tried to signal the schooner, but my
:: :: vQtce was so weak l could not make them
hear and they did not understand, as |
:. afterward learned, my frantic motions.
Besides they could not have helped me.
because they had no boat.
:: II had swum about mile and was still a
:: mile from the shore. Mechanically / kept
up Wy motions as well as l could, but
X rev was doomed. The water began TO
sing in my ears. and my thoughts went
back over my past life, as / have heard
:dfoWning mems always do. | thought of
my poor wife and children and wondered
; whether my body would be found and get
: Christian burial or be carried out into the
lake and ind last resting place there. 1t
did not. worry me much on Iuy own ac-
:: count had ceased to care for myself but
: / hoped somehow, for the sake of my
:: family, that / should be washed ashore
and that somebody would have my body
nome gena ps hast na as0 as f to the
: sorry when | thought he might never see it
again.