Rensselaer Union, Volume 6, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 January 1874 — A THRILLING EXPERIENCE. [ARTICLE]

A THRILLING EXPERIENCE.

Seven Bays Adrift on an Ice Floe in Saginaw Bay—The Story of the Castawaya as Told hy Them after Their Rescue. The Detroit Free Press condenses from the Bay City (Mieh.) Chronicle tiie following account of the terrible experiences of McEwan and Smith, tiie two men who were nearly seven days adrift on the ice in Saginaw Bay: William McEwan and George Smith went out on the ice on Saginaw Bay on Wednesday, December 31, 1873, to fish. They took with them to the shore Bundry supplies of provisions, etc., intending to be absent from borne several days. They took with them on the ice, however, only their blankets, fish Spears, two hand sleighs, tools for cutting holes in the ice and some other fishermen’s apparatus. The ice at this time waß from four to six inches thick, and the weather was steadily but not severely cold. They spent tbe afternoon fishing through the ice, aud secured three fish. A southerly wind was blowing, and about half-past four o’clock McEwan looked up and saw a man who had been near them running toward the shore. At the same instant McEwan saw that the ice had cracked in a long line about six rods from them, toward shore. McEwan called, to Smith, and both ran toward the crack for the purpose of escaping to the shore, but before they reached it, the crack —at first discovery only six or eight inches wide—had increased so much that it was impossible to jump across it. When it was evident—that there were no means of getting across the crack otherwise, McEwan and Smith set about chopping out- a cake of ice large enough to hold them, which they proposed to pole across the open water with their spear poles. Before they had half cut out the cake, however, they saw that they were drifting into deeper water, and a trial proved that they were already beyond reach of bottom with their spear poles. The castaways then abandoned all hope of getting to shore at that point, and started overthe ice to the west, in the belief that it had not separated from the shore along the west. Tiie ice which had been broken loose had also broken into iqany pieces, some large and some small. The piece upon which the men were was five or six acres in extent Fassing on to the westward, they went over cakes sometimes not over six or eight feet square. Finally the ice became so much broken up that they could no longer proceed. Then they tried to pole a cake toward the shore, using their spear poles for the purpose when tne water was so deep that to reach the bottom they had to put their arms into the water up to the elbows. But after half an hour of this desperate work they were compelled to abandon all effort and make their precarious way back to the larger cakes of ice in the main body. This attempt was continued into the night of Wednesday, which was fortunately a bright moonlight one. The men found a secure piece of ice aud lay down for the night, putting their, hand sleighs on the windward side, and so making a tolerably comfortable night with the aid of their blankets. During Wednesday night and Thursday the wind blew steadily from tiie southwest. This was iu the second day, and still they were drifting toward tiie Charity Islands, as nearly as they could judge. Tiie ice did not seem to waste any Thursday, but it was evident that it was not strengthening. Neither of the men liad eaten anything since coming on the ice on Wednesday. They had with them the three raw tLU which they had caught before the ice broke away, but they had no craving for food. This day they again moved to the westward, to-get as near the west shore as possible, in tiie hope that the ice would ultimately drift that way. On Friday afternoon, the third day, while moving toward the north shore across the drifting cakes of ice, McEwan’s handsleigh, which be was using to cross from one cake to another, went down between two cakes, and he was instantly in tbe water. Smith, however, was seeurelv on a cake, and reached the. spear-pole to liis comrade and helped him out, pretty thoroughly wet. The drift was still eastward, and on Saturday, the fourth day, they had drifted so far in that direction that they came in sight of Kish Point. Except that of Wednesday the nights had not been very cold, and Saturday night was not uncomfortably so. Sunday, the fifth day, was the worst they had experienced. The storm was not of long continuance, but it was violent, aud warm rain cut holes iu the ice all about the castaways as large as a man’s head. Tliecake upon which they were had weakened until it was only about three inches in thickness. The heavy gale made a considerable sea, which broke and ground up the icc on the edges of tiie great field, aud must soon have done the same to the piece on which tiie men were, had the gale continued. Suddenly, however, the wind shifted to the northwest, and the ice began to join up close together. There, was a steady wind after the storm, and they found pieces breaking off from tiie cake on which they were floating. The sixth day, Monday, they started for the east shore of tbe bay, having been drifted so far in that direction that they thought they could soonest reach the shore there. After foing three miles they came across a small ticking boat fast in the ice. This they did not try to move, but traveled on till twelve at night, when they found that the wind had parted the body of ice, and further progress in that direction was barred. They returned to the westward, and taking up the ducking boat on their way, endeavored to break their way through ln it to tttte-wcst shore, toward which they were then drifting. One of them, however, got into the water, and finally they were obliged to give it up again. They they resigned themselves to wait for weather cold euoughto stiffen up. the ice, or to make new ice between them and tiie shore. On Sunday they saw in tiie direction of the Saginaw light-house the smoke of a steam vessel, and thought then that their friends were at last apprised of their situation, aud were making an effort to save them. This was the smoke of the tug McDonald, which went out some miles beyond the light-house and returned when the storm came on, having discovered nothing. The tug’s smoke was peculiar. and they recognized it at once as the first sign they had received that anything of their fate was known at home. The hope which this sight inspired of course died away during Monday, when, nothing more of the kind was seen. Monday night brought the cold, freezing temperature which the castaways had been looking and hoping for, and on the morning of Tuesday, whieli would have been their seventh day, they found that the old ice had not only been materially strengthened and frozen together, hut that a sheet of new ice had been formed stretching off to tiie west shore. Here was deliverance, apd none too soon. Though the night before had been friendly in its freezing, it had also been fuller of peril than the others. There must have been a storm outside, for during the night the cakes of ice were constantly cracking and breaking. Ouce the cake upon which they were broke Within two feet of them as they Lqy upon it in their blankets. They were compelled to move three times during this night in consequence of the ice breaking near them. When at last it broke.within two feet of them, as above noted, they got up and did not again attempt to lie down to rest. The ice was driveu inward about a mile during this time. About seven o'clock Tuesday morning they were again on the move, and got to the little boat before mentioned. There they left everything but their sleigh and spear poles. With these they struck out for the ice bridgefor deliverance between them and tbe shore, which had formed during the night. It was six miles to dry land, and the new ice was only about three-fourths of an inch iu thickness, but it was very tough. They went ft single file over it as rapidly as possible, and it bent and sunk beneath their feet at every step. But it did not break fatally, though Smith went through once, and was helped out by McEwan with his spear-pole, When near the Pinconnlng bar they descried some Indians |on the ice near the shore, and soon j one of th«g skated out to McEwan, i who wtw ahead ,of Smith. As

soon as the Indian came np McEwan got upon his hand sleigh and bade the Indian push him to the shore. The red man did so, and McEwan sent him hack for Smith, who was brought in the same way on shore again. The wonderful endurance of the castaways was suddenly at an end. They had eaten not a mouthful since Wednesday until Tuesday morning, wheu they took about onequarter of a pound each of the raw fish which they had carried throughout their driftings. They had not felt weak up to the time of getting ashore. Then their strength gave out, and they were barely able to walk to tbe house of Mr. Joseph Meaeh. Here ttiey were furnished with victuals. McEwan ate sparingly, but Smith gave way to tbe weakened cravings of appetite, aud ate rather imprudently. It was ten o’clock Tuesday morning when they reached Meach’s house, and at twelve they were taken on an ox-sled to Fineonning station. There McEwan telegraphed the glad news of the final rescue, which went over the city like a flash yesterday afternoon. These two heroes of one of the most wonderful adventures on record, at half-past ten last night, were in as comfortable condition as could be expected. Smith is suffering from overeating on first landing but McEwan was apparently as good as ever, saving his frostbitten feet. Of course, however, both men feel a weakness which they did not uoHce so long as tiie struggle for life lasted.