The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1897-05-27
THE FIELD OF ADVENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND OAR
ING DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA,

Adrift on Ice In the Open Sea
Towed by q Sawfish-The Con-
gresham and the Bear.
TETER MACHER, the manager
- of Carl Schultz's troupe OF
Great Danes, now on exhlbi-
tion at the Hagan, says the st.
Louis Republic, claims to be the only
full.bloeded Eskimo at present in the
United States. His adventures since
leaving his native country nearly five
years ago, against his will and per-
sonal inclination, read like an Arabian
Nights story.
Macher was born nearly forty years
ago at Davis Inlet, British posses
sion lying considerably north OF
Labrador, and spent the first thirty
years of his life at that place. He
then secured the British contract for
carrying the mail from Riglets to
Alexandria, distance of seventy-one
miles. Riglets is situated in the north
ern part of Labrador. It consumed
weeks time to make the round trip,
which was made with dogs and sled.
In the central portion of the terri
tory is a body of water called Hunters
Bay, nearly four miles wide. To save
detour of eight or ten miles, Macher
always crossed this bay, which was
frozen the year round to such an ex-
tent as to admit of traffic, although it
was at times attended, during the
summer months, with perilous Incl
dents, of which fact, Macher was well
aware.
On one of his trips, about four years
ago, in the latter part of May, as he
approached the bank OF the bay, he
heard a grinding noise, sound that
generally precedes the breaking up of
the ice. Macher at first hesitated about
driving, over the water, but being q
little behind time, he finally concluded
to risk it. The rest of the story is
best told in his own words:
"When reached the centre Of the
bay heard several sharp noises that
resembled pistol reports. Fully real
izing my predicament, I threw myself
on my sled II was at the time walking
beside it), and whipped up my dogs.
An instant later a crevice formed in
the ice and I had barely time to roll
off the sled when both it and the dogs
went under. I got up and staggered
back, when dizzy feeling came over
me and fell in faint. When I re-
covered consciousness, about, I sup
rose. two hours later, I was floating
southwark on large foe Of ice. The
water around me was filed with ice
foes, and I think if I had tried, !
could, by dexterously jumping from
one foe to the other, have succeeded
in reaching the shore. But was in q
dazed condition and soon afterward
again relapsed into inconsistencies.
81 did not recover until the next
morning. When looked around no
land was to be seen. think that I
must have been fully twenty miles
from the shore. The foe was on was
about the largest had ever seen, but
knew at best it could not last over
three days. If I we're not picked up
in that time my doom was sealed. !
thought. and for the time I forgot
that had had nothing to eat for the
preceding twenty-four hours. / de.
termined, however. TO make the best
of it, and all that day scanned the
horizon for the approach Of relief.
But none came the night passed away,
as did the succeeding day.
"The following night heard the ice
cracking on the edge and knew it was
but the beginning of the end. Iclosed
my eyes, hoping to be asleep when the
final crash came. But sleep came not.
During the entire night I could hear
the ice cracking as if it were sounding
my death knell. With tho approach
of day I again began to hope. I
watched sll morning for vessel, but
in vain, and I gave myself up as lost.
But about o'clock in the afternoon
was sighted by an American trading
vessel, picked up and carried to New
York. Relief came none too soon, for
I had not been on board fifteen minutes
before the ice broke with a terrific
crash"