Year: 1874

Four Days without Food or Fire.


Three or four weeks ago young man
named George Spinney, living in Cleve-
land, received word that his brother
John, foreman of lumber camp in
Huron County, Mich, was dangerously
ill and desired his presence. George
reached the camp as soon as possible,
tound his brother better, and remained
ten days and nursed him. The lumber
camp was twelve or fifteen miles from
any settlement, and five or six from any
house, and the road leading in was
blind road, having many wirdings and
turnings. When he went in Spinney
was accompanied by some of the
lumbermen who were hauling out their
goods and breaking up camp, and he
paid little attention to the road or the
direction.


John was to remain in the woods with
few men to drive some logs, and
George made preparations to return
home as soon as his brother was con-
valescent. A team and three men left
camp with him early in the morning, but
after proceeding mile Soinney found
that he had forgotten his watch and
went back after it. He secured it and
started to overtake the team, and had no
Idea of being lost until he had walked
two hours and failed to overtake them.
He had endeavored to cut across an
elbow in the forest instead of following
the track of the wagon, as was prudent,
and when he found himself bewildered
he struck for the camp. He went right
away from it, and it was four days be-
fore he saw human face again. He
was not alarmed at his situation until
after noon, as he expected to come upon
a camp or cabin.


He shouted himself hoarse in an
hour or SO, getting no response, and he
fired off three chambers of his revolver
before it occurred to him that he might
wander in the woods for day or two.


About 3 o'clock in the afternoon
Spinney found himself walking in q
circle. He marked tree and started
due east, but at 5 o'clock he returned
to the same locality, and as it was be-
ginning to grow dark he made prepara-
tions for the night. He says he slept
quite soundly, and suffered but little
from the cold, being in a thick forest.
Next morning he saw squirrels and
partridges, but having only three bull
let's he dared not risk a shot.


He made his breakfast of strips of
Eastwood, which he peeled from tree,
and did not suffer from hunger during
the day. He shouted about every half
hour, and many times listened for the
sound of axes or the shouts of men.
The morning was sunshiny, and he
could keep direct course, but the sky
clouded over after dinner, and Spinney
caught himself walking in circle. He
came upon an old camp just at dark,
and slept there that night, appeasing
his hunger by chewing some old pork
rinds which he found in the cook
shanty.


1t was about 8 o'clock on the after
noon of the fourth day before Spinney
found his way out, and was then guided
to the lake shore by the sound of
breakers. He was constantly on the
move during the four days, averaging,
he thinks, about twenty five miles per
day, but he must have doubled on him
self good many times, as the camp
was only twenty-one miles in direct
line from where he came out. He
chewed Eastwood sprouts, slippery elm
bark, beech limbs, and once found a
few dozen thornapples, and he did not
lose much flesh.