The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-02-25
AFLoAT ON AN ICE FLoE.
suFerings of Three Men Carried
Away in Their Fishing Shanties.


sufrerings of Three Men Carried
Away in Their Fishing Shanties.
Last Friday week forenoon L. G.
Fittinger, aged 81 years, and a man by
the name of Costing, aged 56 years,
left Bay Port for fish, going out on
the ice in Saginaw bay about mile,
each taking along tn usual fish
Ishanty.'' They spent the day in fish
ing. and that night, as usual slept in
the shanties. Saturday morning they
made the awful discovery that the ice
on which they were had broken loose
from the ice near the shore and was
floating out into the bay. They hastily
endeavored to find a place on the large
ice craft, which was near enough to
the shore for them to land, but escape
was impossible, as they had gone too
far out into the bay. They now
punched their shanties in hopes that
they might by keeping them together,
use them in some manner to reach
land.
They continued to drift further into
the bay, and Saturday night found
them but one and one-half miles from
the Little Charity islands, the ice they
were on reduced fully three-fourths in
size. and the shanties, which contained
their small supply &C provisions, gone.
! Who can portray the thoughts of
the unfortunate men at this time, be-
ling on q comparatively small piece of
ice. portions of which were constantly
breaking off-each departing piece they
probably realized as but signaling their
doom: the weather at freezing point,
their clothing frozen stiff with the icy
oh;
marrow? Did they think of loved ones
at home whom they would probably
never see again? But their cruel ex-
Derience had only begun.
They thought perhaps. that they
might, by walking to a certain portion
of. the ice. reach Point Lookout, but
the wind carried them further north
east, and this faint hope vanished.
They were now in the channel, and
could see the lighthouse at Tawas.
They now had hopes of drifting near
enough to Tawas to make themselves
heard on the land, but the wind shifted
and they were carried back to within
one-half mile of the northeast side of
Big Charity islands
Thus they drifted Saturday night.
Sunday and Sunday night, the weather
constantly growing colder Early Mon
day morning the ice broke badly, and
they We're left on a piece about twenty
1eet square. Costing. who had become
crazed by long suffering, started to
reach land by jumping from cake TO
ca&e. About three hours later his
despairing cry for help was heard by
Fittinger and Van Pelt, and he was
seen to sink amid the ice to rise no
more.
Before daybreak F'ittinger attempted
70 END his terrible sufferings by stab
bling himself, but was prevented by
Van Pelt, who had all along bravely
assisted and encouraged him as much
as possible.
The broken pieces of ice had during
the night partially frozen together,
and the two men resolved to make
last desperate struggle to reach land.
They commenced to crawl on their
hands and knees in a direction sup
posedly towards -Saseville. Fittinger
soon became exhausted, and Van Pelt
concluded to leave him and push on,
Fittinger encouraging him to do so.
Van Pelt succeeded in getting within
about a quarter of a mile of the shore,
and his joy can be imagined when he
became aware that two men. who were
hewing timber on the shore, noticed
him
They hurried to Caseville, secured
boat and help, and soon reached Van
Pelt, although to him it seemed almost
an age. He was rescued none too soon,
as the ice he was standing upon was
but about six feet square, and his
weight settled it to the extent that he
was standing in almost a foot of water.
Fittinger was found about a mile
and three-quarters farther out in the
bay. He was so near dead that it was
with difficulty he could raise himself
reScuers. The reScuerS, after going as
near to him as they could with the
boat, found it necessary to send one of
their number across a thin portion of
ice on a push-sleigh. Fittinger was
turned over on his back and dragged
behind the sleigh to the boat, the ice
not being strong enough to admit Of
any one walking across.
In a short time after being rescued
Van Pelt and Fittinger. were as two
dead men. During their terrible voy-
age and struggle for life they were
nerved to almost superhuman efforts
and not until beyond all danger of
the icy waters did they fully realize
the extent of their bodily injuries
They. were cut, bruised and frozen.
Their clothing, which it was necessary
to remove by cutting, was worn en-
tirely through in many places, exposing
their hadly-mutilated flesh
All that medical skill can suggest
and kind friends can do for them is
being done, and it is thought with care
full nursing they will recover in due
time. but their three days and three
nights terrible experience on Saginaw
bay viii neverS be recalled to their
memory without a shudder Fittinger
has returned from Bay City but
short time before leaving Bay Port,
where he had drawn $500 out Of the
bank. and this sum he lost with his
fish shanty.-Cass City (Nlich) Enter
prise.