The Iola register., 1900-04-06
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CAUGHT BY THE ICE
BY Charles H. Heustis. Z
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES ~.

TT WAS the coldest kind of weather
The shores of Long Island and Con
necticut were covered with snow. The
bays and inlets were filled with ice.
Broken by the rise and fall OF the tide.
it made great winrows along the beach
and choked the mouths Of the streams
Even Long Island sound was filled
with immense cakes of floating ice, IN
til navigation was seriously impeded.
Rarely had the captains of coasters.
who were familiar with The sound, eN-
perienced such a continued, cold snap.
They rubbed their tingling ears and
blew upon their frost-bitten fingers a.
they kept a lookout for the icy obstruc-
tions.
The freezing weather played fantas-
tic tricks upon the vessels.
Wherever a drop of water struck it
congealed. Cordage and standing rig
ging. were covered with a coating Of
crystal, very beautiful to look at but
/ dangerous to the mariners. Even the
| great passenger steamers that ran be
| tween New York and Stonington, Fan
| River and Newport plowed' along look
! ing like huge icebergs. Their pilots
kept a sharper watch than usual upon
the lights along shore and kept theii
! ears open for danger signals.
One of the most dangerous points
along the entire sound was reef OF
rocks making ont from the Connecticu'
coast. At the very end stood light
house, built upon iron piles driven into
the hard ledge. At low water the rec
was exposed, but at high tide il wa
completely covered. Like "A giant sen
try the tower stood out Of the water
appearing for all the world as if /
rested on nothing more substantial
than the waves which washed its base
The tall pile of granite was disma
sight from sea or shore, but in realit!
It was coy and comfortable within
There were rooms in 1t just as ther
are in an ordinary house, and Keepe
David Rollins aud his wife lived ther
contentedly all the year round, will
an assistant 10 help tend ,he lenses
, Another member OF the family wa
Raymond Rollins, their son, sturd.
boy, who took to the queer habitatioi
naturally enough and thought il rar
fun to live practically on an island.
In summer life in the tall tower wa
not SO bad. There was a cool sea breez
continually blowing, and if Dish wer
wanted all that was necessary was 4
throw a line off the ledge and fresI
breakfast was awaiting them. The
there was II boat always at command
and half an hours sturdy pulling woul
take the oarsmen into the Ettle harbo
inclosed by the reef andto the town a
r the end o? the bay. Whenever possibl
. Raymond would row ashore and atten
school. There was a novelty about thi
that pleased him. Resides, he wa
! looked npon with certain awe by tn
, children, and when the great storm
: shook tLetr own comfortable house
they would think Of the boy in the gran
/ ilu tower and wonder II he were fright
? ened.
? 1t was seldom that Raymond misse
. going ashore in summer or during tn
. mid months of tne spring and fal
but in winter it was quite diiferen
,, thing. Then the fierce gales that OK
a casionally swept the coast blew up
, heavy sea and made the attempt dar
4 gerous. Then life in the confined lin
4 its of the lighthouse became mono
J. onons, for there was nothing TO d