The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-02-15
now Or. W. T. GRENeEII ONCE
FACED DEATH YFReEzINc -
ICE BREAKING UP.
FLAG POLE OF DOG LEGS
A Missionary in Labrador, He Was
Caught Alone With a sledge and
Dogs in the Midst Of a Bay - Res.
cued Just In Time.

Kansas City. Feb. IA thrilling
story of struggle for life was told
/ by DIR. Wilfred T. Grenfell at the
Coates house last might Dr. Grenfell
spends his winters on the icebound
coast Of Labrador, minlstering TO the
material and spiritual needs of the
scattered population. When physi.
clan is wanted he goes on a seventy
or eighty mile journey with his sledge
and team Of eight dogs. carrying a
medicine chest provisions for two
days pork buns made OF -four,
molasses and strips OF pork fat-some
whale meat for the dogs and some ex.
ira clothing.
Il got call from forty miles away
last Easter Sunday DR.. Grenfeil told.
THAT day | made twenty miles and
stayed over night at a village | held
an Baster service that night. | set
out early next morning over the Ice.
dressed in running shorts and jun.
per made of soft reindeer hide. head
and ears well covered with fur cap
and good warm moccasins on my
feet no. not furs. II had been
wearing furs should have had no
chance The ice looked good so |
took n be cline across a bay, eight
miles it would have been. But about Q
o'clock before had gone half way.
felt the ice move and In another min
ute l was floundering in the icy water
entangled in the dog harness and the
sledge. tried to climb back onto the
ice, but there was no edge to II. In
fact 1t was nothing but pounded ice
and snow that had frozen up again
and was now being rapidly broken up
by the rise and fall of the sea.
I had the presence of mind to cut
the dogs loose from the sledge or we
should have been drowned at once.
sent q dog ahead with line and tied
my knife onto another. Then began
an awful search for a piece of ice firm
enough TO hold us. Time after time
the floating pieces split into frag-
mcnts as | tried to haul myself out of
the water. At last / managed to get a
foothold on a pan of ice. 1t was about
eighteen inches thick and ten by
twelve feet across.
1T seemed as If had only escaped
drowning to freeze to death. There
was no time to lose, so without hesita-
tion | took my knife and killed three
of the faithful dogs, who had scram-
bled out with me. They fought Ike
wild animals and bit great scars on
my body and limbs. but | was fight.
ing for my life too. was nearly frozen
stiff by the time had skinned them
and wrapped their warm fur about me
inside my frozen clothes. piled the
dead bodies up to protect me from the
wind and made the other dogs lie
around me. | took the rope out of
their harness and uicked II into oakum
10 stuff into my stocking feet. That
saved by toes.
Then | waited. don't know what
for. thought perhaps the men who /.
had been sent for me and had gone !
on ahead would miss me. But there !
was little hope and we were drifting
ont 10 sea. When night came on the |
sea began TO freeze over I enyied the .
dead dogs for having got through it so
quickly. Before morning the live dogs |
were eating their dead fellows I had
nothing. | was ready to eat the |
frozen dogs myself The salt Of the
water and the ice had given me a
raging thirst too.
when daylight came | realized our
pan of Ice would never be noticed un-
less I could make some kind OF
signal. SO I cut off the hind legs
from the frozen bodies. spliced them
together and tied my handkerchief
on the end of that flagpole. The ice
that formed in the night was only a
thin coating that melted as the day
came on. The worst Of the suffering
was when my hands began TO freeze.
for unfortunately had lost my fur
mittens in the water. Then al last af-
ter I had been afloat on that desolate
frozen sea for twenty-four hours, !