Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-02-16
Awful suffering on the Ice.
The Experience Of Three FishermeI
Who Went 10 Sleep in Their Shanties.

The Experience Of Three Fishermen
who Went 10 Sleep in Their Shanties.
The Cas- City. Mich. Enterprise, pub
lished on the shore of Saginaw bay, tells
thi, thrilling story from real life. Last
week Friday forenoon l.. q. Fittinger,
aged 81 years Frank Van Pelt, aged 80
years and man by the name of Coasting,
aged 5G years, left Bay Port for a fish
going on the ice in Saginaw bay about a
mile, each taking along the usual fish
shanty.' They spent the day in fishing,
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-h1lf miles from Little Charity
Islands, the ice they were on reduced fully
three-tOurths in size, and the shantles,
which contained their small supply of
provisions, gone.
They thought, perhaps, that they might,
by walking to a certain portion OF the ice,
reach Point Lookout, but the wind carried
them further northeast, 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 10 Tawas TO be able to make
themselves heard on the land but the
wind shifted and they were carrie back TO
within oue-halt mile of the northeast side
of Big Charity Islands.
Thus they drifted Saturday night. sun
day, and Sunday night the weather CON
stantly growing colder. Early Monday
morning the ice broke badly. and they
were left on a piece about 20 feet square.
/ COastng, who had became crazed by long
suffering, started to reach land by jump
ing from cake TO cake 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 Fttinger attempted to
end his terrible sufferings by stabbing him
self with a knife, but was prevented bv
Van Pelt, who had all along bravely
assisted and encouraged him as much as
possible The broken pieces of ice had,
during the night, partly frozen together.
and the two men resolved TO make a last
desperate struggle to reach land. They
commenced to crawl on their hands and
knees in a direction supposedly toward
| Caseville. Flttinger soon became exhaust
ed, and Van Pelt concluded TO leave him
and push on, Fittlnger 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.
The hurried to Caseville, secured a boat
and help, and soon reached Van Pelt,
although to him it seemed almost an ace.
He was rescued none too soon, as the ice
he was standing upon was about six feet
square, and his weight settled it TO the
extent that he was standing in almost
foot of water.
Fittinger was found about a mile and
three-quarters further out in the bay.
He was so near dead that it was with
difficulty that he could raise himself upon
his elbows TO see his approaching 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
back and dragged behind the sleigh to the
boat, the ice not being strong enough 10
admit OF any one walking across.
In a short time after being rescued Van
Pelt and FittingeI were as Two dead men,
During their terrible voyage and struggle
for life they were nerved to ahdOst super
human efforts, and not until beyond all
danger of the icy waters did they fully
realize the extent of their bodily injuries.
They We're cut, bruised, and frozen.
All that medical skill can suggest and
kind friends can do for them is being
done, and it is thought with careful nurs-
ing they will recover in due time, but
their three days and three nights terrible
experience on Saginaw bay will never be
recalled TO their memory without a shud-
der, Fittinger had returned from Bay
City but short time before leaving Bay
Port, where he had drawn 5000 out of
She bank, and this he lost with his shanty