The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1894-12-13

hope. But the driving snow shut out
the land. The cold increased, and the
waters dashing over the men soaked
their clothing and soon turned to ice.
The ropes and rails and everything
which offered hold were coated with
ice The decks were ankle deep with
freezing slush, and none but the hardi-
est frames could stand the ordeal. One
sailor fell to the deck corpse-frozen
to death.
the drowned captain, now remained. 1t
was o'clock in the forenoon, time for
landsmen to be stirring, and with strain
ed eyes the hopeless fellows looked
shoreward. All at once two persons ap-
peared on the beach gesturing in the di-
reotion Of the wreck. On receiving an
swers from the sailors the pair, two
schoolboys, ran off at full speed in diff
ferent directions. One of the boys while
on the way to school had sighted the
wreck through a rift in the snowclouds,
and hailing his fellow had run down to
the beach. On separating one notified
his father, who, in turn, spread the
alarm until it reached Lakeview hotel,
summer resort on Woods pond. A
telephone carried the news to postof-
fee on the way toward Big Sandy life
saving station, where a messenger was
dispatched to Captain W. A. Jenkins,
lake navigator, who got the news at II
O'Clock. Hosting a flag at the mast
head of his schooner, which was ice
locked near his house, he set out across
the marshes to alarm the station, some
miles away. The outlook at the station
saw the messenger coming and aroused
Keeper Fish, who started in an iceboat
and met Jenkins just as the latter struck
rotten ice upon the marshes and could
proceed no farther. Jenkins told his sto-
ry briefly, and the two hastened to get
out the ifeboat, which was tracked
along shore in order to save pull Of
two miles to the windward in the stormy
lake and the danger Of swamping her
in meeting the bends in the coast. Tt
was rough, laborious work, and the
boat, with its weight Of three men, who
guided it, was often cast ashore. Final
y VA4O p<1A W w tho AACU Wy ~ AR41ACA w WASA
team in readiness to haul the boat to
the scene Of the wreck. Even then the
difficulties Of travel were not overcome.
The boat again and again filled with
water and needed to be constantly push
ed against the surf 10 keep her ahoat.
Fortunately she was of the self bailing
type, and no time was lost in freeing
her Of water, but the spray which the
wind dashed over the struggling party
froze as it fell and even showered the
horses and the men following on shore
to keep the boat in her course The ther-
mometer dropped to 16 degrees, and
soon the clothing of the surfmen, the
harness and tow rope as we'll as the oars
and poles became stiff with an icy coat
ing. The wagon to which the rope was
attached also became weighted and
ologged with ice, SO that. the driver,
having his hands busy in managing the
team, couldn't keep his place on board
without help.
It was o'clock when the team pull
ed up opposite the wreck. Before at
tempting rescue it was necessary for the
surfmen to beat their clothing and the
oars, thwarts and rowlooks of the life
boat with heavy sticks in order to crack
and loosen their thick scales Of ice.
Meanwhile signals had been given to
cheer the survivors on the wreck, three
of whom could be seen olinging to the
hillock of ice out in the surf, for such
the frost covered bow Of the schooner
appeared to be.
The trip Of the boat to the wreck was
the fortunate event of the rescue, for, al
though the sunken schooner was sur
rounded with wreckage held to her by
lines and pounding up and down in the
heaving surf, the gallant life craft bore
through it and brought up alongside the
forerigging without serious collision.
Three men at the point Of perishing
and too far gone to display any interest
in what was taking place crouched in
the lee Of the bulwark, with dead
shipmate half buried in ice at their
feet The deck was covered with ice,
and at motion from Keeper Fish the
poor fellows loosed their holds and slid
across to the rail above the lifeboat,
where strong arms received them. One
Of them appeared to be crazed, and on
finding himself safe asked after his cap
tain. Taking a hint, the surfmen ex-
amined the wreck further and discover
cd, in a coffin Of ice, the body Of the
mate, who had perished Of cold early in
the day, or soon after the schoolboys
| sighted the forlorn vessel and started on
their seemingly hopeless quest for aid.
GEORGE r. .KILMER