Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1903-09-09
TRAPPED in AN ICE JAM.
By Laurence ]. Yates:


alize the gravity of his situation. HI
felt sure that he could cut himself ou
with his jack knife, or at least make {
hole through which he could signal tc
camp for help by thrusting out his
coat and waving it. Tile sunlight FL
te.ing in through chink gave promise
of this, and helped to relieve the semi
darkness of his prison.
He inspected his camera in leis-
urely fashion, glad to find that it had
not been in the least injured by the
fall, took out his knife and then looked
at his watch. 1t was 10 o'clock; the
tide was due at three minutes of -.
Then all at once the peril Of his posi-
tion flashed upon him; the tide would
set the whole jam in motion, perhaps
demolish 1t. If he did not escape he
would be ground to powder. One
movement Of a cake would arnihilate
him.
For an awful moment 4 sickening
terror clutched him, but shaking 1t OF
he began to make a calculation. He
had just one hour and fifty-seven min
utes in which to cut his way out and
get ashore. Could he do it? A tunnel
large enough for the passage of his
body must be made through more than
thirty inches Of hard. brittle ice by
means Of rather slender knife blade.
Selecting the most vulnerable point
Of attack, the slight crack between the
cake that formed fIe cover Of the trap
and the one that formed the lower
wall, he began chipping away the ice
At first he worked with feverish anx-
iety, but gradually his usual coolness
returned.
When he had cut steadily upward to
q. depth of ten inches, lie noticed that
he was letting the hole get smaller
the deeper it went into the ice. If the
dimensions were allowed to decrease
any more he saw that the hole would
be much too narrow for his exit by
the time tie cake was pierced. So,
beginning Mt the bottom, he enlarged
its necessary convergence would sui
leave q wide enough opening when the
surface was reached.
Soon operations We're again delayed.
He was obliged to stop and cut foot
holds in the almost perpendicular side
Of the lower wall that he might raise
himself enough to work with advan-
tage.
At last, judging that he had cut
half way. Hardman looked ut his
watch again. 1t was seven minutes
past eleven. He bad been siNty-seven
minutes in cutting the easier half
Only fifty minutes remained; 1t seemed
useless to go on.
"Time and tide wait for no man.
the trite old adage struck him with
new and appalling force. But he must
and would get out in time. His de-
spair gave way to resolution, and he
set to work with renewed vigor strlk'
ing so forcibly that the blade threat
ened to break at every jab.
Although surrounded with walls Of
Ice. Hardman's whole body driDped
with perspiration. Every muscle III
his arms and shoulders ached intol-
erably with the strain of clinSinS to
the vertical wall and picking away
the relentless ice overhead. Showers
of chips poured down upon his face,
half binding him, and he worked in
great measure by guess. Yet slowly
the tunnel was cut upward inch by
inch until he estimated there could be
no more than three inches left.
At this point he was seized with a
lurking fear that another block from
above would slip down and double
the thickness of the cover. In frenzy
of haste lie struck rccklessly. The
blade snapped short off at the handle
Not daring to look at his watch,
Iordman opened the small blade, anu
steadying his nerves, began again.
very carefully now. A dozen strokes
and the knife pierced clear through
the cake. There was nothing on top
! He listened for the roar of the eX
pccted tide, but the only sounds hl
heard were the soft tapping of tho
waves at the foot of the jam and thu
hoarse scream of q raven wheeling
I'm the still air high overhead.
Cutting out the opening to siz'
sufficient, he thought, to permit TIT
egress of his body, Hardmar graspet
tbe upper edge and raised himself unit
the top of his head was above TIT
level of the ice. Then the breadth o
his shoulders refused to let him s.
farther.
AS he struggled va!nly, sullen roa
far down the arm heralded the comin
of the tide. 1t was now or never
With a sudden inspiration Hardmal
dropped back, pulled off his thic'
, outer coat, and then. with almost 81
perhuman strength forced hlmsel
slowly upward out of the vise-lik
grip of the narrow opening.
He rose to his feet, free OF an ic
tomb at last; but lie found there wa
no time to cross to the shore Defor
t..c ice-laden wave of the bore Woui
strike. 1t was already within ilv
, hundred yards Of him.
Knowing that it would take man
: times more force to move the lai
D resting on the bar than it would
q move the field in the channel, Hare
, man quickly realized that the be:
, thing to do was to stay on the moun'
q The safest place was ut the SUNNI
{. so to the one big cake forming II
k pinnacle he made his way, and croucI
& ing OIL its s!antin% surface, waited.
y over to the southwest was the cam
q in thc shadow OF the foothills. \
X one was in sight. There was no II:
y in shooting to let his men know OF Ii
p danger, for above the roar oil IL
water his voice would not carry h;'
.o 1;stoncn Nor could the men 4