Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-01-10


that I'd about given up ever seeing SHORE
and the babies and their little mother any
more when OF sudden, at almost exactty
o'clock. the fog lifted and we saw Just
where we were-miles down the lake, but q
good deal nearer Put-in-Bay than the main
land. Now, I'm telling you that we got to
the island as soon as we could.
Il did say that night that I'd never go
out with the mail again, not for $500 q trip,
but did often, and for 81 trip. too.
Through 1.suck Hole"
"Once we had lot Of fun with q drum
mer who was a passenger. The boat had
to be towed that day, but we didn't ask the
drummer to help, cause he was too fat
and didn't look as though he could pull
none. But he had to walk and we fixed
him up with 'creepers,' SO that he shouldn't
slip. and told him to keep close to the boat
for fear he'd fall through thin place and
get wet.
well, he did just that. The sun was
shining. the air was bracing, he felt pretty
frisky, and he let go Of the boat By and
by he got to skylarking around and then
in a minute he was in up to his armpits.
He'd stepped through a big suck hole
made by rain-and all we could see of him
was his head and arms. He wasn't really In
any danger. though it must have been
he was done for sure.
oh. I'm drownded, he screeched. I'm
dead. I'm dead, sure. Won't nobody help
me out ana save my life?'
1--WE fished him out, but 1t was a pretty
tough trick, for he was heavy and as help
less as big bag Of potatoes. After we got
him out he wanted to get into the boat,
but we wouldn't have that. He'd have
taken cold sitting still after his Ice bath
and got pneumonia, and besides he was too
heavy to haul
THAT same winter the two carriers got
fine wetting and came near being drown
cd T emf oil MI
all Bass Islanders remember it. There was
no ice to speak of, except floating cakes.
at the time; there had been breakup ow-
ing to high winds and the men had to row
and pole the boats One morning they
started out from South Bass with big
load Of fish besides the mail. There had
been solid freeze for weeks, the islanders
had been lucky fishing through the Ice and
the carriers were freighting the fish to the
mainland. The sea was running high and
the boys were warned that 1t might be
risky to try to go through the breakers
with so big a load. But they took the risk,
and, say! When they got out to the break
ers they Just rolled right over. and men,
mail bags and fish were all af1oat in a min
ute. The folks ashore had a great time
rescuing them with ropes and such. and
there wasn't any mail brought to the main
land that day."
Typical Lake Erie Yarns.
Perhaps the most picturesque Of the
stories are told by certain weather-beaten
old carrier who never uses sleigh when
the ice is solid. preferring his sledge boat
instead To this he harnesses his horse.
broncho which doesn't weigh more than
900 or 700 pounds at most.
'Twict" says the old man, in dialect
which it would be impossible to more than
family indicate in type, when warmed up
in the company of his friends, II have
struck open water when 1 was making the
trip with me pony. Do you know what I
done the first time? Why. I just got out
me ak, be jing, and I cut off big cake of
Ice, be gosh, and I put me pony on the Ice
and got me boat on it. too, and I poled
the big cake and the pony and the boat
and all right acrost. Couldn't have did it
If the water had been rough. And 1t was
fool thing to do, anyway, for suppose
the ice cake had split in two! I'd have lost
me pony. you bet.
1.-THE next time that happened to me I
tried another scheme. 1t worked all right,
though maybe you won't believe me If I
tell you about it. But this is the way it
was, be jocks.
"It was an ALFRED cold day-mercury
away down below zero, and I was so cold
sitting in the boat and driving me pony,
bling, that I was wishing for some exer-
else to warm me up and keep me from
freezing. Well. just as I was a-getting drow-
sy, seen big wide black strip Of water
ahead Of me. 1t was then that 1 found out
l.
just got out Of me boat and unhitched the
beast and led him into it. Then I kinder
pushed him, gentle like.
Lay down. says. lay down. Well,
boys, he Just looked at me a minute, be
jimmy, then he laid down, just as easy like
as you please. Then pushed the boat into
the water and rowed across to the ice,
hauled her up high and dry. hitched up the
boss again and on we went. Bring us an
other like the last, all round
The old carriers friends always hear this
story with great delight, and they likewise
wink the other eye when he has finished.
No other carrier hauls his boat with
horse or takes a horse out at all unless he
is sure the ice is firm from shore to shore,
but there was once a Bass Island carrier
who used to drive a cutter sometimes, and.
when everything looked well, wasn't afraid
to go alone.
One day, late in the season, when the
ice was beginning to soften up bit, he
started out from South Dock. on Putin
Bay, with his horse and cutter and I'M
accompanied, in spite of the protests Of
his friends. When he turned up all right
at night, they were naturally prime6 to
hear tall yarn about the day, and they
ct There el: was no troublel on the shoreward
trip, according to the carrier, though the
ice was plainly weakening and there were
ominous and cannon-like explosions
"Comin' home, though" the carrier said,
twas where I got scairt The ice was con-
siderable thinner than it was in the morn
Ing ana In mlQ-cnannel 1 nOtlCeQ tnat
kinder bent down, under the weight of the
horse and cutter and me, so that wherever
we was, we was in the bottom of a Smaller
bowl like of ice. When I seen that,
knowed I'd got to hustle or I was goner
and I began to drive like-well, like every
thing. Now, that wasn't SO easy as you
might think, for, bein' as I was in the bot
tom of the bowl all the time, was drivin'
up hill continually. I amt sayin' that the
hill was very steep, understand, but still
twas up hill.
'Boin by heard a roar in behind me and
then a smash! boom! I looked over my
shoulder just once and seen that the ice
was breakin' up back there. Then I put
the bud to the boss and we skun across
along faster. Then there was a snap,
smash! in front, and pretty soon I seen
crack Of water right ahead That want no
time to stop, as you must see, and the
boss let out another hitch. In no time he
was right on to the crack, and the
boss, he just gave one spring and cleared
that water with me and the cutter all right.
1t looked a rod wide to me, but was scairt
and 1t mightn't Of been more than six or
eight feet, but 1 was mighty glad when it
was over and past"
Bass and Catawaba Islanders chuckle
when they are reminded Of this yarn, and
always tell another one related by the same
carrier about a day when the ice fairly
waved almost like water the carrier and
his feet-footed pony sped over its frozen
surface But they all agree that he Is
foil nd