Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-03-01
SWEPT INTO TIL LAKE
Two Hundred and Fifty Men
Carried From the Shore on
Ice Floe.
Heavy Gale at Bay City. Mich,
Imperils the Lives OF the
Fishermen.
Fate of the Prisoners on the
Ice Field Not Yet
Known.

| Bay City, Mich, March 1.-Two hun
dred and fifty fishermen. residents o
Bay City. Essexville, Wenona Beach
! Bayside, and other towns near the
mouth of the river We're carried out in
| to Saginaw bay before daybreak yes
terday, and, if still alive are being swept
northward on huge ice foe. which
may break UP at any time under the
gale which is driving it along.
The families of the men are wild with
anxiety, but hope that the foe will hold
the shore ice at Point au Ores, or GRAY
ely Point, on the west coast of the bay
towards which the wind is driving.
Word has been sent to all towns along
the west shore of the bay to watch for
the endangered fishermen, and II they
are sighted sn attempt will be made to
take them off the foe.
The ice is twelve to eighteen inches
in thickness, but it has been honey
combed by the recent warm weather
and may break UP into smaller foes, in
which case 1t is probable some of the
men will never be rescued.
The sudden change of weather and
wind during the last night caught the
fishermen by surprise, and the foe had
probably beer carried many miles from
shore before the men knew it was NOV
ing.
Most Of the fishermen lived at Essex
vile at the mouth of the river below
here. Livery winter the ice freezes solid
to mile and a half into the bay. There
the heavy current and the exposure to
the wind causes what is called the big
crack to remain open. The crack"
never freezes, no matter how cold the
weather. The northeast gales drive the
floating ice down to the crack" Where
1t piles up in huge windrows and the
next southerly gale sweeps the lake
clear from the crack outward. Fisher
men find a passage across the big
crack and drag their shanties out on
to the foes in the bay, where they re-
main during the fishing season. Be-
sides the regular fishermen many, go
out each evening to spend the. night and
the next day fishing on the Ice.
The outer foe has been remarkably
fishermen larger than usual. The thaw
ing weather of the last few days caused
little uneasinesss in the minds of the
fishermen or of their families ashore
Thursday night the wind swung sud
denly around and began to blow reavily
from the southeast, and when daylight
came the great foe was nowhere in
sight. There was nothing but open wa
ter beyond the big crack. The wind
was still blowing a gale, carrying snow
and rain, and the waves were running
high.
The news Of the disappearance of the
$50 fishermen caused wild excitement.
AS the day passed and no word came
from the missing men the fears of their
families continued, altho old fishermen
declare the foe will not break UP and
that the men will reach land in safety
Almost every winter fishermen are car
ried away on the ice in this manner
and they nearly always have reached
shore in safety.
The old timers declare there is but
slight danger of the foe being carried
out into the open lake, but admit that
if it should be swept past both Point
au Ores and Gravelly Point there would
be little hope for the men on it.