New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1895-10-23
AWFUL COLD EXPERIENCE.
a Couple of Young Men Narrowly Escape
Being Frozen to Death.
Stuck in the Mud in Swan Lake Thirty
six Hours.
When Rescued They Were Yenunbed
With Cold and Unable to Speak.

One Of the most thrilling: experiences
that has ever been reported in this yicin-
lty occurred at Swan Lake from Friday
morning till Saturday night By it, two
young men had death staring them in
the face for over twenty-four hours.
The young men were Frank spoer-
hase and Fred Schulz. Along with 9TH
ers they were camping at the lake and
early Friday morning they started out in
small boat In search of ducks. The
weather was warm and beautiful, and
gentle wind was blowing; from the south.
From the peculiar nature of the lake.
the wind caused the water to spread over
the former bed, now nothing but mud,
and paddle having broken, the boat
drlfted with the wind Suddenly the
wind shifted and the water was again
carried away like the tide, leaving the
boat stranded, with nothing but mud for
half a mile in every direction. The oc-
cupants made an heroic effort to push
the boat out of the mud, but it Was use
less. 1t was firmly lodged and began
slowly to, sink. Then 1t was that thew
began to despair. They saw no posi-
bility Of conveying knowledge of their
dilemma to their friends on the shore, |
and it began to grow cold. They were
clad only in their thin hunting suits, and
although they had plenty of lunch along
they had no appetite to eat. The hours,
dragged wearily along and with the lapse
of every minute it became more and more
certain to them that death was the only
thing they could expect. They exer-
cised to keep warm, but this only filed
the boat with slush, SO that when night |
came on they had to rest on their knees
on the two paddles. The cold wind |
blew at terrific rate and chilled them |
throug h and through. AS last resort
they threw themselves into each others
aims and resigned themselves to. their |
fate. A night of terror followed, COUP
led with biting cold and suffering. 10 |
descnbe their feelings would be impossi-
ble,, but 70 give some idea of their condi- |
tion Saturday morning 1t is only ceces-
sary to say that the lake was, covered |
with ice an inch thick and the slush in |
the bottom of the boat was frozen solid. |
The boys on the shore kept bon fire
burning all night as beacon light to
guide the hunters home, but as hour
after hour passed without anyone return
ing, they became alarmed. EARLY next
morning Henry Spoerhase started out in
q light canoe in search of them. He
wandered about the lake for some time
before finding them and' when he caught
sight of the boat, it was, a Job of several
hours and much difficulty to reach them.
He called to them, but received no reply.
Struggling ON through the ice and mud
he at last got up to the boat and found
the boys clasped in each others arms,
but too stiff to move. When he told,I
them he could take but one at time,
it was pitiful sight to see them plead
with each other to- be allowed to 60 first. |
There was no time to be lost, however,
and Henry picked his brother, who is a
married man and the father of three lit
tie children. He gave them overcoats
and while getting Frank into his boat,
he noticed that one end of the other boat
raised q. little. He then concluded to
Try to take both, and by doing the work
of three men he succeeded. He gave the
boys spirits to revive them and in this
way got some assistance from his broth
er. BY the use of paddles ana poles,' he
managed TO slowly make his way through
the ice and mud, and after six hours he
succeeded in getting them close to the
camp. Here Fred Brust assisted him
and in little while all was we'll.
It.was narrow escape that they are
not apt to forget in years. s.. ~.