The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-01-19
IN PERIL.

Prince Edward island is peculiarly in
accessible In winter on account of the
formation of ice around it's coast In very
cold and stormy weather iceboats are its
only means of communication with the
mainland
They are SO constructed that they can
eiaker 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 1885 went to the island
to buy some Clydesdales for firm in Bos-
ton. Being barely IS years old, was very
young to be sent on such an GRAND, but
had earned the confidence which the mis-
sion implied.
While making my purchases | stumbled
over an opportunity to buy large guam
tity OF oats cheap and decided to do lit
tie speculating 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 Shsdiac and Pictou suddenly ceased,
and found that I would have to stay
weeks on the island or get over to the
mainland on the iceboat which carried the
mails in such contingencies.
Passengers are taken by the mail car
rfers, but are always informed of the dan
gers they are likely to encounter and warn
or delays will be assumed by the owners
of the boats. Many lives have been lost
on these trips and many limbs frozen.
"We'n take you all right, sir,'' the cap
tain of the hybrid craft assured me, eff
you're bound to go, 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"
"What trouble do you usually have?" I
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
pAAA VIZ WGAO OLA lIOLC OT StdIV6u 10 QGAUu.
Two boatloads were 'nest wiped out that
way 'twixt here and Cape Tormentine in
side the recollections 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 were off every mans got to look
out
These conditions did net shake my re-
frn< eat IL T.
to nae, and on the spot paid my passage
money.
The next morning found three other
travellers ready to brave the dangers of
passage across the strait. They were all
Canadian s'drummsrs, - who, like myself,
had been shut up by Jack Frost in up. e.
l." They were 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 sail, and
fair wind is of great importance. With
out one the crew have to push their iceboat
over the ice with great exertion.
At the breakfast table of the inn at
Summerside near our embarking place,
Captain Hawkins informed us that the
chances were reasonable good, -" and that
no OWL dS VIC u00 RIVVlSlOu6u OuTS6lV6B
for the trip we must go on board.
"Eat hearty, gents" he advised between
huge bites of buckwheat cakes and sau-
sages; seat hearty. It's hungry work
a-crossin the strait There's some beef and
ye It get good square meal again I'M
til we're at the cape. So ye'd best eat
hearty, gents"
Va or rfuU
vided to the best of our ability against a
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 that 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,
CUR objective point on the New Brunswick
side, is only abctst 30 miles.
With clear sky, a fair wind and plen-
ty OF wraps, commend me to an iceboat as
the most agreeable method of progress in
She whele wide world. No pen could do
Justice to the delight of being the only liv-
lag things on great wide expanse of
clear, CLASSY ice and of Swimming over it
The bracing wind that blew in our faces
made every nerve tingle and gave such /
vigor 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
could whip our weight in wildcats' or
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-
me had to be unloaded and her bow slight
y raised.
We ali took hold and worked, as we had
been told wa must if anything went amiss,
out there was much to do, and we were
only amateur carpenters. So much time
vas lost by our inexperience that when
Inc repairs were stlast completed the short
winter day was nearly done. Now, too,
jhe snow had begun to fall in great thick |
lakes, and we could not see the shore ON |