Year: 1875

From the officers of the steamship
Minneapolis and propeller Depere we
CLEAN facts concerning the ice in Lake
Michigan which will interest and aston
ish our readers. Capt. Saveland reports
that he left Grand Haven with the Min
neapolis at noon yesterday, after the
wind had driven the ice into the lake
two miles. He steered a southerly
course until off Saugatuck, when he des-
cried the steam barge Charles Reitz
working her way through the ice from
Chicago. The Minneapolis was at once
headed into it, and made show but
steady progress until clear water was
reached well over to the west shore.
Her course was then changed to the
northward. towards Milwaukee. About
fifteen miles east-northeast of this port
heavy ice was again struck, through
which the Minneapolis could not pene-
trate. She was accordingly backed out,
headed southwark, and upon reaching
open water steamed around the ice field
into our bay. Capt. Saveland thinks
there is not to exceed forty miles of open
water between Milwaukee and Grand
Haven, a distance of eighty-fve miles.
Some of the ice IS of great thickness
bergs from beneath which the action OF
the wheel of the Minneapolis forced the
ice that supported them, showing a
height of between thirty and forty feet
as they toppled over. The bergs We're
mainly formed by the continuous west
erly winds of last winter. The present
warm weather, Capt. S. says, is rapidly
softening the ice, SO that III q few days
more no great difficulty will be expert
enced by propellers i'll running from
shore to shore.


The officers of the Depere state that
they left Ludington at l p NJ. yesterday.
After steering west about half an hour
they struck the ice, but kept working
slowly through it until half past Z o'clock
last evening, when open water was reach
ed off Sheboygan. In their opinion
there is not over fifteen miles Of clear
water between Sheboygan and Luding-
ton, while north Of those points the ice
undoubtedly at present extends from
shore to shore. Much of the ice in the
middle of the lake looks as if it had new
er been disturbed by the action of the
water while in process of formation,
plain for many miles. Although con-
combed, at present this ice is still eight
lI1CL1Co UiiACh. LII PloSN''
bodies of ice were passed which stood
at least four feet above the water, show
ing thickness of eight feet beneath
the surface.


These facts, astonishing though they
are, are stated by the officers in a mat
ter-of-fact way, without any attempt at
exaggeration, and prove beyond a
shadow of doubt that the ice during
February and the early part of March
extended from shore to shore between
Milwaukee and Grand Haven, and farth-
south.


A south wind is steadily driving these
immense fields toward the lower end of
the lake, where they will form an i'm
penetrable barrier to navigation for
weeks to come, unless they are again
driven this way by northerly currents.
To effect the change, however, the wind
must blow steadily from the north for
week or ten days. 1t will not be sur
prising to us to witness q repetition Of
the scene in our bay on the 9TH of
May, 1878, which was photographed and
is preserved by many of our citizens as
representing one OF the most remark
able incidents in the history of Milwau-
kee.- Wisconsin 9Th.