Marshall County independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1894-1895, 1894-12-21
ger was permitted to interfere with our

ger was permitted to interfere with our
sport.
One of my skates became loose and 1
sat down to tighten the straps. not Oh
serving that | was but few feet from
the edge of the ice bordering on the open
water. Suddenly there was Il cracking
sound. chorus of cries. and before |
could get to my feet | saw that Il great
section of ice had cracked off, broken in
to two pieces. and was floating down
stream. the smaller piece bearing me
with it. Instantly | realized my peril.
My very blood seemed to freeze in my
heart and for Il moment l could not even
scream. | was drifting slowly. but |
carried gently along in the center of the
the current and that my velocity would
increase with every moment. To my
ears the roar of the fall and the awful
rapids below sounded louder and more
dreadful than they ever had before. l
knew the course of the current perfectly.
for had stood on the bridge many times
and watched the sawlogs in the spring
carried gently along i'll the center of the
river, going ever faster and faster until
rs they nearcd the dam The current
cOurSed shoreward toward the left bank
and then plunged downward. flinGing the
logs half their lengths in the air us they
went over the watery precipice.I pictured
myself going over the fatal fall. and then
my tongue loosed and | added my cries 10
those of my terrified playmates, who until
now had not had the presence of mind TO
run for help.
In an incredibly short space of time the
banks We're lined with excited villagers.
helpless to render any aid, but each shout
ing useless directions to the others. |
could see my mother running frantically
along the the bank and then. sinking up
on her knees in the snow. turn her white
face to heaven The terror of my situa-
ton had quoted my cries and l was try
ing to decide whether it would be less
painful to plunge into the icy water and
drown than to cling to the frail piece of
ice and be dashed to pieces below the
dam. L had seen one woman go over
that dam the summer before. and the
memory of her poor bruised and battered
body as it was drawn to the shore half
mile below haunted me for month The
awful picture came before me again. and
l had closed my eyes and was about to
jump into the water. when | heard
shout SO different from the medley of
cries along the shore that / looked to my
right. toward the bank across from that
on which was my mother
From the right bank of the river. Just
in the rear of Doctor David's cabin, ex-
tended a log boom for several feet, then
turning and running parallel with the
shore nearly to the dam. Its purpose
was the protection of the grist-mill race
way from the sawlogs which came down
In drives every spring. Running along
this boom was Doctor David. with n riv-
erman's siXteen-foOt pike i'll his hands.
Between me and the boom was the other
piece of ice. the companion to the one on
which L was floating to destruction.
Striking his pike-hook into the foe. the
old man drew it toward him till he could
leap upon it. Then, turning. he planted
his pike against the boom and sent his
piece of ice out into the stream with a
powerful shove. Using the pike as pad
die, he soon came within reach of my foe
We were within few rods of the dam
now, where the water swirled toward the
bank before going over the awful fall
Another moment and we would be
pounding on the rocks below But the
old man never hesitated. Striking his
pike into my foe, he pushed with all his
might sending the pole out hand over
hand its full length, and then putting all
his strength into one mighty shove he
dropped the pike, and the cake on which
L was went shOreward until / was able
to catch noosed clothes-line which will
ing hands cast toward me- | was saved.
but even as | was dragged into the water
by the rope l cast my eyes toward my
preserver just in time to see him stand
ing on his ice foe on the very verge Of the
fall. his cap held in one hand and the 9th
er raised above his wrinkled old face.
which he had turned heavenward.
AS he plunged downward l tainted and
knew no more till | awoke in my own bed
with mother bending over me.
Doctor Dayid's poor crushed body was
recovered next day and buried with all
honors at the hands of the villagers.