Year: 1870




Two Days siege in the Ice--Nar


ting Ashore.


From Grand Rapids mich. } Eagle, March 81
The hardest freeze of the winter, Sun
day, February 20, will be remembered b,
our readers. Though navigation be
tween Grand Haven and Milwaukee has
been less impeded this winter than fol
several years previous, it caught touch
of the quality of that cold snap. The
steamer Manistee, of Engelman' line
crossed the lake on her regular trip all
right just as the freeze was coming on;
but the propeller Bertschy, which left
Milwaukee on the following Monday
evening, February Il, was not quite SC
fortunate, as we learn. She had some
fifteen or twenty passengers, and when
outside encountered slightly rough
weather, but nothing serious till she
struck the ice off the Grand Haven piers
the next morning. From Mr., Howard
l.. Platt, Of Grand Rapids, Wisconsin,
who was a passenger, we gather the fol-
lowing: Ice had formed to great dis
tance out in the lake, and, when the
Bertschy struck it, it was found exceed
ingly tough. Nevertheless, Captain
Scoot undertook to work the vessel
through up to the piers. But the pro-
gress was very slow, as the ice grew
thicker and tougher the nearer shore she
got. She would back hundred yards and
then come on with full head of steam;
but the ice would not break away--only
crackle, and bend, and crush, and roll
upon the bow, parting heavily before the
prov like a furrow in stiff clay soil.
Laboring in this way, night found the
steamer still long distance out, and the
next morning Wednesday, matters were
not improved. To add to the perplexity
the supply of fuel was fast giving out, as
she had, of course, only laid in the usual
quantity for the few hours trip across
the lake. The shore line next to the ice
bergs had cracked, and the ice was drift
ing slowly down the lake, carrying the
vessel along with it. Attempts were
made to get out through the channel she
had cut, into the open lake again, but the
ice has closed in, and this was found im-
practicable. By afternoon the ice had
carried her down about two-thirds of the
way to Muskegan, opposite the Little
Rock Lake, and some two or three miles
from shore. Mr.. Plat, three other men,
passengers, and boy, here concluded to
try the chances of going on shore over
the ice. Taking gang plank, with a
rope attached, for a Siege, they placed
their baggage on it and started, expect
ing also to be obliged to cross assures in
the ice As they neared shore, Mr.. Platt
and the boy dragged the planklOad of
baggage. while the others went on
ahead. Close in to the icebergs they
came to the break, where the immense
floating field Of ice was cruuching and
grinding against the shore line. In
places there was open water, but most Of
the way the chasm was filed with broken
ice. rolling up sometimes as high or
higher than a mans head. Those who
FIRST reached il got safely over, climbed
the great bank Of boulder-ice anchored
fast 10 the shore and as the motion Of the
floating field was fast increasing, and
threatening to open an impossible chasm
between it and the shore, they called
loudly to Plat and the boy to hurry,
which thcy did with ell the speed they
could muster strength for The ice was
now moving apparently at the rate Of
three or four miles an hour. and the
chasm was wide, while the broken ice