Daily Kennebec journal., 1907-11-09
| LOST IN WOODS.
Alone and Helpless In a
Deserted Shanty
Thomas CIouiier Suffers Ten
Days without Food.
Is Finally Found by a Farmer and
Sent to Augusta.

woods. with no food and with Onl.
what water he could catch in rust.
tin pail from the roof of deserte'
logging Shanty to Slake his thirst, hi
feet and legs SO swollen that he W.
practically helpless and his body
racked with pain and illness cause'
by exposure to the rain and with m
! clothes soaking wet is summary o
the sufferingS Thomas ClOutier of 2
| Bond street endured in his efforts t.
find his way back from a Lily Ba,
numbering camp to the more congenia
| surroundings of his home city, Au
| guSta.
| Alphonse, who left the lumber cam
a quarter of an hour before III:
| brother almost lost his way before NJ
| had gone very far. He did not Zee
| qnir4- sure of his ground and returned
10 camp, later making a fresh start
| He arrived at his home in this city
| without mishap.
| 1t was four weeks ago last Tuesday
| that Cloutier, with his brother Al
| phonSe hired with James kinSley 10
| Join his logging force at Lily Bay and
started at once for the woods. The
! two brothers worked 16 days after ar
| rival at the camp. after which Thomas
CRED hOmesick and decided to leave the
| camp and work his way back to Au-
ellsta. AS soon as the resolution to
come home was formed he acted upon
it. leaving the camp alone and on foot.
He walked all day and towards night
came to a deserted camp blacksmith
shop. He had lost his bearings soon
after leaving the camp.
Weary from the long tramp soaked
to the skin by the rain which had be-
gun To fall shortly after he started on
the hOmeward tramp and footsOre
from wandering through the woods all
day he threw himself on a pile of coal
which had been left in the dilapidatod
building and despite the fact that the
rainriin was pouring through great
holes in the roof and driving through
the loosely boarded sides. he was soon
sound asleep. How long he slept is
uncertain. but when he awoke it was
morning.
Cloutier found to his dismay that
il would be impossible for him to pro-
coed any distance as his legs and feet
were so swollen. His limbs refused
to bear his weight and it began 20
look rs though he must stay in tnc
great woods until he starved unless
someone should come that way and
find him there before his strength was
exhausted.
He crawled to the door of the build
ing in which he had passed the night
and after looking about discovered
another shanty a short distance away.
Painfully he crawled to it over the wet
ground and in it he found a bunk and
a rusty tin pail. but nothing which
could be used to satiate the gnaWing
hunger with which he was already
suffering. The tin pail he placed in
such a position that the raindrops
which dripped from a leak in the roof
fell into it. thus affording at least the
means to Slake the thirst which had
by this time become almost as serious
as the lack of food. 1t is likely that
the water thus caught was the means
of saving the young mans life.
After crawling into the deserted
shanty. which had been used as sleep
ing quarters by logging crews of a
past season. young Cloutier lay for
nine days. helpless, sick and without
food. growing weaker every day. but
tenaci"usIy clinsing to life in the hope
that while it was yet time some good
Samaritan would come that way, dis
cover his plight and rescue him IN
time TO save his life. A part of this
time he was llcenly alive to his suffer-
ings. but some of the time he was m
n sort of stupOr and did not fully real
ize the seriousness of his position.
Late on the tenth day farmer who
belonged somewhere in that vicinity
happened to go to the camp and dis
covered the fact that a fellow
being was there. in dire distress. In
order to keep out the cold and wind
as much as possible young Clouticr
had fastened the door from the inside
with his suspenders. The farmer tried
the door. discovered that it had been
fastened from the inside and at once
pulled harder than before. finally pull
ing it open and gaining entrance. As
soon as he had forced his way into the
Shanty he questioned ClOutier and
learning Of his misfortune. at once
started for assistance. first fastening
the door on the outside
After an absence of some time he re
turned with three men. who carried
the young man to the nearest house.
first going to Little Point and from
there across a bay in boat to the
Lily Bay house. on the opposite side
The man who found him in the
shanty had some lunch in his pocket
and this he left with him. while ne
went for help. 1t was the first food
Clouticr had tasted in nearly 10 davs
and was eagerly devoured. The young
man was sent to Greenville, and from
there was sent to Augusta on the
train. arriving here Thursday night
He is now at his home on Bond
street and his feet and legs are stll
swollen. but otherwise he is not suf-
fering any i'll effects from his ex-
| posure and the physician in attendance
says that in a short time he will be all
right He is Is years old and lives
| with his parents
t He has forgotten the name of the
man who found him and hones that
someone who sees this will send his
address. that he may suitably EXPRESS
his thanks
/ The death of William WEYMOUTH :,
g..