The Wichita daily eagle., 1904-05-29

ously walks on the thin ice with one foot,
thus balf pushing, half pulling the boat
through the rotten, pliable mass OF half
frozen water. Steel muscled though the
Bass Island mail carriers must of neces-
sity be, few minutes of creeping is
quite enough and after i half mile of it
they are fairly drenched with perspiration
and trembling from fatigue. while their
muscles ache as if they had been pounded
with sedge hammers.
THE rotten ice was followed by
stretch OF open water nearly a mile wide.
If the wind had been right the carriers
would have stepped their ten-foot mast in
the bow of the boat, spread their spirit
said and sa had brief period of rest. AS
it was all hands had to take to oars. The
wind freshened and the seas seemed as
high as steeples; every one broke over US
and everything in the craft was soaked.
thought my time had come for sure.
One of the carriers had TO go to the
stern and steer with an extra oar-the
boat had no rudder-and / had to take my
trick at the rowing. was inclined men,
tally to object to this at first, hut l was
glad l didn't. l was shaking with chill
when l began, but by this time we got to
fairly good ice again the exercise had
warmed me through and l was in no
danger of pneumonia, the one disease of
whic hthe carriers are mortally afraid.
After the open water we hauled the
boat up on the ice, stern foremost ,and
again had 10 tow and push it over the
frozen surface OF the lake. Here the ice
was hammocky and rough, and. before
we had gone very far. driving snow
storm set in which blinded and benumbed
us despite all we could do. How we ever
made the remainder of the three miles to
South Bass l can't imagine, but We land
ed at about dusk, left our boat at South
Dock, and Were driven two miles across
the island. After that there was a stretch
of two miles and half TO Middle Bass
over the ice-thank heaven ii was solid
with a second boat. We tramped across
Middle Bass. a mile and Il quarter, the
carriers backing the mail pouches that
were going TO Isle st. George, and then
took a third sledse-boat for our last mile
and a half stretch of ice. Fortunately it,
too, was solid.
when | turned in at near midnight my
emotions were a mixture OF thankfulness
that | was still alive and of fear that
Ia be drowned on the retur ntrip- But il
was comparatively uneventful. though it
took Us nine hours TO reach the MAIN
land
There are many such stories TO be heard
on the Bass Islands. Once a passenger
was careless and let go OF the boat when
the ice was broken into vast foes, which
were slowly moving down the lake with
a grinding motion and a force that would
A big snow storm was on hand and in
moment he was afoat on great cake
of ice moving so rapidly from the boat
and The carriers that they were soon lost
10 sight in the swiyling flakes. He was
wet to the skin. having been working like
a trojan with q pike for an hour or more,
helping to pole the boat along and he
dared not stand still, despite the danger
Of stepping off the cake Of ice, for fear
he'd freeze. Pretty soon the big cake
broke UP and he found himself on a
smaller one. not ten feet across Two
big foes crushed II and ne saved him
self only by jumping 10 one OF them In
despair he gave himself up for lost when
suddenly the storm abated SO that he
could be seen and he was presently res
cued. sound but almost scared TO death
TOLD By THE CARRIERS.
The carriers themselves tell stories
sometimes one carrier who was cross
ing with a horse and sleigh when the ice
was solid got lest III q snow storm and
travelled round and round in a circle for
nearly forty hours. II wasn't very cold
though temperatures away below zero are
common between the mainland and the
islands-or he'd have frozen TO death
He happened TO have a box Of crackers
along. and that kept him from getting
hungry
The present Bass Island carriers, George
Morrison and George ANiell. are tactitara
chaps before strangers, hut in The year or
two they have been on the route they
have had their own adventures. Luke
Meyers of South Bass. who has been
extra man Occasionally. had q decidedly
strenuous experience one day. told ey
him thus:
we started out from South Pass In
good shape with q lady passenger on
board" says Meyers The water was
full Of heavy drift ice and We had TO use
both poles and cars When We were .