The daily Alaska citizen., 1919-08-31
By Thomas B. Oraytor
Seward, Alaska. Aug II, 1918

"llIt ItdlILIuS that ne uIlh~tI Idd but negligible chance of escape from the same fate, was he awful experience of Frank Ernst, a mill wright, who arrived at his home in Seward during the past week after seven months under the care of Doe tor Spaulding, a physician at ScE dovia. who pronounced Ernst's re- coyery the most amazing in his eX perience.
 The details are given in Ernst's own words as related to the cores pondrnt ot the Daily Alaska Citizen, and are believed to make up a story of cumulative horrors rarely oQuaIIrd even in this land where men must often face the elemental forces of na- turr in all their fury.
 My partner, John Parker, and r. said Ernst, had business interests needing our attention on kaCkemah bay, which explains our presence in the region of Seldoyia last December We had d good 36-foOt power boat and all necessary supplies when We left IIalbut Cove on the morning of the 9th It was cold, but not much below zero, and as bright and quiet a day as one can imagine We were half way across Tuska bay when a sQuall struck Us; as suddenly and unexpectedly as if it had dropped from the skies We were near shor" and al once ran into little blight a short distance ahead, where we drop ped anchor IL dragged, so 1 tied d rope to q spare anchor We had and dropped it overheard also. Parker was al the engine and, aS We con tinued to drift even with two anchors out, he started the engine at half speed and this held Us despite the terrific fury of the wind that had suddenly sprung up. 1 felt 1t was getting colder, and upon glancing al the thermometer noticed il was 22 below zero Even in our somewhat protected position the seas were run. not go over Us seemed to bounce our boat into the air like q rubber ball After an hour or such g matter the anchor chain broke, and q moment later the rope attached to the second anchor parted with a snap like a whip. Parker yelled into my ear to grab the rope to keep it from foullng the propeller. did so, but it took quite time as everything WaS coy cred with ice and 1 had to move with great care When l got d chance to look up 1 noticed that Parker had turned the prov toward China Pot bay, which begins just beyond the lit tie blight we Were in. l craWled up near enough to be heard and sug gested that We beach the boat, but Parker yelled back that he thOt he could save the boat just around the turn into China Pot, and went on. Al the moment We came to the turn q breaker struck us and the boat seemed to jump into the air, and over went our mast A second break CT was on us at once and took the cabin. We were swept overheard when the cabin went. The water was scarcely shoulder deep, so 1 wad- ed and floundered and swan ashore to where the boat had already been hurled up on the beach and smashed to pieces, Looking back for Parker l noticed he was having trouble, and tide was coming in fast, and Parker, who had been in the country before, said we had best hurry to higher ground or we would be cut off on the flats. My oVercoat, which l could not get off in the water, felt like it was made of boards in just q minute or so. Our clothes all froZe solidly before We had gone fifty yards. l had lost my cap, but pulled q handkerchief out of my hip pocket and tied it over my ears, which had already begun to sting painfully Parker had only a jumper over his mackinaw, that he wore when run ming the engine. His oVercOat had gone overheard with the cabin.
 Above the tide line the snow was swirling and drifting in great clouds so we could only see the timber be tween gusts. We made for it, in tending to get back far enough to escape the wind, which made the bit ter cold almost impossible to bear. Parker was already in distress and could scarcely walk, but he was gam
 10 the core and made it to the timber by sheer force of will, altho We had to founder thru four feet of snow after leaving the flats, and face blasts that almost Strangled us. As soon as we got in the timber 1 took off my mitts and began feeling for matches They were all soaked and useless. l tried to dry one by rub ping it in my hair, but it was just like rubbing it against a cake of ice l could not feel the matches in my fingers they were so numb. Finally we got under thick-limbed spruce