The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1931-02-09
10 men, CAUGHT
ON DRIFTING ICE
FLOE, RESCUED
Trapped While Saving is
Men and Boy From
Giant Cake.
By United Press

By United Press
PINEHURST, N. Y, Feb. g.
Seven coast guardsmen and three
fishermen who had drifted on an ice
foe in Lake Erie since rescue at
tempts we're disrupted Sunday night
by broken line, were taken from
the foe today.
The men we're rescued by guards
men who had set out from shore at
dawn to 3rudge some six miles
across an ice shelf to reach the foe.
Surfman Fred Nirschel of the
coast guard was the first man to
reach shore. The other guardsmen
and the three fishermen followed
Nirschel within an hour.
Floe Only Few Feet Wide
1.-THE ice foe we were on was
only about 100 feet long and seven
feet wide" Nirschel told the United
Press when he reached shore. THE
end Of the foe changed into slush
ice as it drifted before the wind,
gradually bringing the edges of the
foe closer and closer to us.
pieces of ice broke away with
our supply Of charcoal, and we we're
left without fuel. The men had to
jump around to keep farm, and the
space we had to jump in wasn't very
large.
1.-THE only food We had was some
bread that was dropped to us by an
airplane this morning. It tasted like
banquet
Broke Away From Line
In addition to Nirschel, the fol-
lowing men were taken from the
foe:
Alvin Girardin, Lancaster, N. Y;
Joseph Gutkowski, Buffalo, and Ed
ward Bassett, Buffalo, fishermen,
and coast guardsman Merrill B.
Richards, Walter B. Bittner, and
Skinner Lee and Gokey, surfmen.
The three fishermen, who had
been stranded on the foe since
Saturday afternoon, when it broke
away from the main body of ice
opposite Athol Springs while they
were fishing, were none the worse
for their experience. Nirschel said.
The seven guardsmen we're left
on the ice with the three fishermen
when the foe was rolled by Lake
Erie currents Sunday night and
broke a line connecting it with the
main ice shelf opposite Eighteen
Mile creek.
Trapped Saving Others
Guardsmen have been risking
their lives in the rescue of the
fishermen since first reports of the
foe reached Buffalo Saturday.
Sixteen men and a boy mad been
set adrift on a mile-square foe and
it was while rescuing the group that
the guardsmen became trapped.
A thrilling search was started
Saturday for the sixteen men and
the boy and graphic story of the
rescue was told later by one Of the
men.
Airplanes chartered by the guard
and working with the land crew
first sighted the stranded fishermen.
These planes we're augmented by
planes chartered by the three Buff
falo newspapers.
Boy Fully Recovered
"You never saw such a sight in
your life" John E. Reimers, rescued
member of the fishing colony, said
in describing first sighting of the
plane.
I'VE jumped around, kicked up
our heels, and screamed for Joy. We
waved burlap sacks at the plane
and saw the pilot drop something
overheard. It was sandwiches, bread
and candy, and a bottle full of COT
fee. Coffee never tasted better"
Elmer Schneider, the 9-year-old
boy rescued with his father, M. r.
Schneider, was recovered fully to-
day from his experience.
He had cried a bit when some
one said something that day on the
foe and mentioned his mother. His
big moment of excitement came as
the rescue boat and its load neared
shore. He dropped loaf of bread
he was saving as a souvenir.