Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1894-02-01
In PERIL.

accessible in winter on account of the
formation of ice around its coast In very
cold and stormy weather iceboats are its
only means of communication with the
mainland
They are SO constructed that they can
either skim over the ice or sail through
the water. This is necessary because the
ice, constantly subject to the tides and
currents, may break up suddenly and leave
large spaces of open water between the
fields.
Prince Edward island is well known for
its fine draft horses, so superior in size and
strength that buyers go there from the
New England states.
In the fall of 1855 / went to the island
Go buy some Clydesdales for firm in Bos-
ton. Being barely 8 years old, | was very
young to be sent on such an errand, but
had earned the confidence which the mis-
sion implied.
While making my purchases | stumbled
over an opportunity to buy large guam
titv of oats cheap and decided to do "A lit
Ito specializing on my own account.
The buying and shipping of the horses
and the attention my own venture reQuir-
ed detained me much longer than expect
ed, and by the time all was completed the
weather had become very cold and bolster
Gus. Owing to this the steamboat service
from Shediac and pictOu suddenly ceased,
and | found that ] would have to stay
weeks on the island or get over to the
mainland on the icehoat which carried She
mails in such contingencies.
Passengers are taken by the mail car
riers, but are always informed of the dan
ba, 70,
ed that no responsibility for any mishaps
or delays will be assumed by the owners
of the boats. Many lives have been lost
on these trips and many limbs frozen.
We'll take you all right. sir, >" the cap
tain OF the hybrid craft assured me, "if
you're bound to 60, but we don't insure
no passenger that he'll get there, and in
case of trouble all passengers has got to
turn in and work their passage.
"Nhat trouble do you usually have?" ]
asked
"Well, ordinarily we don't have any,
but we might chance on a snowstorm
when we got about half way acrost and
lose our way and drift round on the strait
till we We're all froze or starved to death
Two boatloads were most wiped out that
way ,,,twiXt here and Cape Tormentne in
side the rCcollections of some of the old
folks round here, so we always low it
might happen again. We don't start I'M
less the chances are reasonable good, but
once we're off every mans got to look
out"
, These conditions did not shake my re-
solve to get away by the only route open
to me, and on the spot | paid my passage
money.
The next morning ! found three other
travellers ready TO brave the dangers of a
passage across the strait They were all
Canadian 'drummers, " who, like myself,
had been shut up by Jack Frost in 'P. T..
j." They We're stout, athletic fellows and
proved to be most agreeable companions.
The morning WAS very cold, but the sky
was cloudless and the wind in the right
quarter, for iceboats carry a sail, and
fair wind is of great importance. With
out one the crew have TO push their iceboat
over the ice with great exerton.
At the breakfast table of the inn at
Summerside near our embarkng place,
Captain Hawkins informed us that the
chances We're reasonable good, ." and that
as soon as we had provisioned ourselves
for the trip we must go on board
LAT hearty, gents" he advised between
huge bites Of buckwheat cakes and saul
sages; 'eat hearty. It's hungry work
q crossin the strait. There's some beef and
bareback aboard in case of accidents, but
ye won get good square meal again I'M
til we're at the cape So ye'd best eat
hearty, gents"
We 'ate hearty" accordingly and pro-
vided to the best of our ability against
resort to the beef and bareback.
When we got under way about II
O'Clock, the sky was perfectly clear and
the wind fair, and there was every pros
pect chat in about three or four hours we
should reach our destination. Iceboats
travel with great velocity when the wind
Is with them, and the distance from the
point of departure to Cape Tormentine.
our objective point on the New Brunswick
side, is only about 90 miles.
With clear sky, II fair wind and pien-
~ of wraps, commend me to an iceboat as
the most agreeable method of progress in
the whole wide world No pen could do
Justice to the delight of being the only liv-
ing things on II great wide eXpanse of
clear, CLASSY ice and Of skimming over it
ct the rate of 10 miles an hour.
The bracing wind that blew in our faces
made every nerve tingle and gave such
Tigor and tenseness TO every muscle that
when we were half an hour on our way we
were all declaring that we felt as if we
something to that effect Before we reach
ed the snowbanks on the opposite shore
we had ample opportunity to show what
we really could do.
When we were something less than half
way across, the steering gear broke loose.
In order to repair the damage the Wolver-
inc had to be unloaded and her bow slight
ly raised.
We all took hold and worked, az we had
been told wo must if anything went amiss,
but there was much to do, and we were
only amateur carpenters. SO much time
was lost by our incXperienco that when
the repairs were at last completed the short
winter day was nearly done. Now, too,
the snow had begun to fall in great thick
flakes, and we could not see the shore on
either side. Our situation, which was so
pleasing few hours before, had grown
decidedly dangerous.
Captain Hawkins proved himself 10. he
C. brave navigator, aud the cheerfulness
with which he faced the emergency kept