A Cruise On The Ice

The Bay City Chronicle gives the tollowing descriptionof the lecentice cruise of McÊwen and Smith, in Sagina w Bay : William McEwen and George Sinith weut out on the ice on Saginaw Buy, on Wednesday, December -31st, 1873, to fish. They took with them to the shore suudry supplies of provisions, etc., intending to be absent i'roia home several days. ïhey took with theui on to the ice, however, only their blankets, ñsh spears, two hand sleighs, tools for cutting holes in the ice, and soine oiker flshermen's apparatus. - The ice at this time was from tour to six inches thick, and the weather was steadily but not severely cold. They spent the afternoon in fishing through the ice, and secured three fish. AsoutherJy wind was blowing, and about half-past four o'clock McEwen lookedup and sawa man whohad been near them running toward the shore. At the same instant McEwen saw that the ice had cracked in a long line about six rods from them, toward shore. McEwen called to Smith, and both ran waid the crack for the purpose of escaping to the shore, but bei'ore they reachod it, the crack, at first discovery only six or eight feet wide, had increased so niuch that it was impossible to jump across it. ïhey called to the man who had escaped to the shore ice. and waved their hats to him. ïhis was the man Rundell, who saw two men float ofï on ice, and said uorhing about it until inquiry was made on Saturday. There were plenty of men and means within easy reach, and the casta ways could have been rescued in half an hour, with a little exertion iiom this man, or a party of others, who were in a fish shanty near by. These men say they tried to launch a boat but it was too heavy, and then they thought soiue one trom the lighthouse would go out and get MuEwen and Suiith. It is unnecessary to comment upon this conduct, which 80 nearly cost two lives. When it was evident that there were no means of getting across the crack otherwise, McEwen 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 Süear roles. Thev sounded the water ürst aud found it but eight feet deep. 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 the bottoin with their spear polea. They were diifting straight out toward the Charity Ialands, and rapidly too. A south wiud al-ways lowers the water in the bay, and this goes ou until the depression becomes too great, and then the ice breaks at some point near the shore, and the loosened portioB goes outward with a rush. The custaways then abandoned all hope of getting to shore at that poiut, and started over the ice to the west, in the belief that it had not yet separated from the shore along the west The ice which had broken loose had also broken into many pieces, some large and some small. The piece upon which the men were was five or six. acres in extent. Passing on to the westward.thay went over cakes soiuetimes not over six. or eight feet square - I'inally the ice became so rauch broken up that they could no longer proceed.- Then they tried topóle a cake toward the shore, using their spear poles for the purnnse when the water was 8O deep that to reach bottoin they had to put their,, arias into the water up to the elbows. But 1 ter half an hour of this desperate work, they were cornpelled to ABANDON ALL EFl'OKT and make their precarious way back to , the larger cakes of ice in the rnain body. This attempt was continued into the night of "Wednesday, which was fortunately a bright moonhght one. The men found a secure piece of ice, and lay down fox the night, putting their hand-sleigh on the windward sidu, and so making a tolerably comfortable night with the aid of their blankets. On their way toward the west shore they paesed a fish shanty on a large cake of ice, but next morning it was goue. This showed theexceodingly precarious nature of the support which kept them out of the water. During Wednesday night and Thursday the wiud blew sceadüy from the south west. This was THE SECOND DAY, and still they were drifting toward the Charity Islands, as nearly as they could judge. The ice did not seem to waste any on Thursday.'but it was evident tliai it was not sttengthening. Neither of the men had eaten anything since coming on t.h in Wednesdav. Thev had with them the three raw fish which they had caught before the ice broke away, but they had no craving for i'ood. This day they again moved to the westward, to get as near the west shore as possible in the hope that tbe ice would ultimately drift that way. Ou Friday afteraoon, THE THIED DAY, while moving towards the uorth shore across the drifting cakes of ice, McEwen's handsleigh, which be was using to cross from one cake to another, went down between two cakes, and he waa instantly in the water. Smith, however, was securely on a cake, and reached his spear pole to his conirade and helped him out, pretty thoroughly wèt. On the afternoon of this day they came to the conclusión that the man ïtundell had not given any notice of théir f ate, and they were inclined to beliove that he had deserted a couirade of his own on the ice when it broke, and so was afraid to make known anything about the desertion. They were not , greatly frigbtened at any time, believin ïat the ice would form a oompact masa omewhere in the bay, when a night of 'reezing would make it solid, anda favorble wind would eend it to some shore. - 'he drift waa still eastward, howover, and n Saturday, THE FOUKTH DAY, ey had drit'ted so far in that direction ïat they carne in uight of Fish Puint. Sxcopt that of Wednesday, the nights had ot been very cold, and Saturday uight as not uucomfortably so. At least the nen do not so reiueniber these nights, but icre was a steady wind blowing over the )ay during the time, and it could hardly )een otherwise thau chilly. They were onfident that as soon as their disaster as known at home, every possible effort ould be made to rescue them. It was n this dny, it will bo remembored, that ie first news came to the city, by reason : the Sebewaing stage driver seeing on ie shore ice two men whom he thought were adrift. This, as beretofore stated, as a false alarm as to the men seen, who were the Trombly boys, and were in bo anger. It served to bring the fate of [cÉwon and Smith to notice, however, nd the atteuipts at ruscue were at once O Li Kin -lV7-V- SUNDAY, THE FIFTII I)AY, as the worst, they had experienced. The orm was not of long continuance, but t was violent, and the warm rain out ïoles in the ioe about the eastaways, as arge as a man's head. The cake upon hioh they were had weakenod until it as only about threo inches in thiokness. 'he heavy gale made a heavy sea, which )roke and ground up the ico on the edges :' the great field, and must soon have ono the samo to the piece on which the nen were, had the gale continued. Sudenly, however, the wind shifted to tbe orthwest, and the ioe began to join up oser together. There was a steady wind ai'ter the storm and they found pieps breaking off the cake on which thuy were floating. THE SIXTH DAY, MONDAY, ïey started for the east shore of the bay, ïaving been drifted so far in that direo;ion that they thought they could soonst reach the shore there. After going bout thiee miles they carne across a small ucking boat fast in the ice. This they did not try to move, but traveled on till twelve at nierht, when they found that he wind had parted the body of ice, and 'urther progresa in that direction was jarred. They returned to the westward, nd taking up the ducking boat on their way through endeavored to break their way through in it to the west shore, toward which they were then drifting. - One of them, however, got into the water, ud finally they were obliged to GIVB IT UP AQAIN. Then they resigned theinselves to wait 'or weather cold enough to stiften up the ce, or to make.new ice between theui and he shore. On Sunday they saw in the irection of the Saginaw lighthouse the moke of asteaui vessel, and thought then lat their frieuds were at last apprised of leir situation and were raaking an effbrt o save them. This was the sruoke of the tug McDonald, which went out some miles beyond the lighthouse, and returned when the storm camp on, having discovered nothing. The castaways had seen smoke in several places before, but knew that it was from fires on shure. 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 Mouday, when nothing more of the kind was seen. Monday mgbt brought the cola, ireezing teniperature which theoastaways had been looking and hoping for, and on the morning of ïuesday, whicb would have been their SEVENTII DAY, they found that the oíd ice had not only been materially strengthened and frozen together, but that a sheet of new ice had been formed stretching off to the west shore. Here was deliverance, and 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. Once the cake upon which ttíey were BKOKE WITHIU TWO FBET OP THEM as they lay upon it in their blankets. - They were coinpelled 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 He down to rest. The ice was driven inward about a mile during this time About seven o'clock Tuesday morning they were again on the move, and got to the boat before mentioned. There they left everything but their sleigh and spear poles. With these they struck out for THE ICE BRIDGE OF DELIVEBANCE between them and the shore, which had tbrmed during the night. It was six miles to dry land, and the new ice wis only about three-fourths of an inch iu thickness, but it was very tough. They went in single file over it as rapidly as possible, and it bent and sunk beneath their feet at every step. But it did iiot break fatally, though Suiith wentthrough once, and was helped out by McEwen with his spear pole. When near the Pinconuing bar they descried some Indiana on the ice near the shore, and soon oue of them skated out to McEwen, who was ahead of Smith. As soon as the Indian came up, McEwen got upon his hand sleigh and bade the Indian push him to the shore. The red man did so, and McEwen sent him back for Smith, who was brought in in the same way. ON SHOB.E AGAIN. The wonderful enduranoe of the castaways was suddenly at an end. They had eaten not a inouthful since Wednesday, until Tuesday morning, when they took about one-quarter of a pound each of the uw flsh which they had carnea through ut their driftings. They were unable at my tiuie to cook the fish, which they would have tried to do by making a fire 3f one of the handsleighs, if they had bad natches. MoEwen found aome percusión caps in his pocket, and füled tbom with cotton and exploded them on the íleigh runner to get a spark ot' fire, but without success. They had not feit weak up to the timo of getting ashore. Then their strongth gave out, and thsy were barely able to walk to the house of Mr. Joseph Meaoh. Here they were fumished with victuals. McEwen ate sparingly, but Smith gave way to the weakened cravings of appt'tite and ate pork and potatoes rather imprudontly. It was ten o'clock Tuesday morning when they reached Mr. Meach's house, and at twelve they were taken on an ox-sled to Pinconning station. There McEwen telegraphed the glad news of the final rescue, which went over the city like a flash yesterday afternoou. The Suprerae Court of Texas has decided that the election reeen tly held in that Stato was unconstitutional, andhastherrby set at naught the work of the people in repudiating by upwards of 40,000 majority the present State administration. - The people of the State must therefore for some time yet submit to the infliction of haviug Davis as Governor, but it will only be until they are again given an opportunity of asserting their power.