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It will be remembered that in the great storm f of January 21st, it was reported that the sloop 3 Lady Ann, from Racine to Chicago,'loaded with empty barrels, anchored off the mouth of the 11 river at the latter port and daring the night broke her cables and disappeared- We published a telegraphic dispatch from Chicago, atatlng that she bad gone down with all hand? onboard. (Ve subsequently received a despatch which in-formed us that she had been seen off New Buffalo fast in the ice, and that the men bad suceeded In reaching the shore in safety. For several days the sloop floated hither and thither about f j the head of the Lake.From the Democratic Press we gather the particulars of her rescue by her gallant captain, as related by himself. It seems that the first attempt was unavailing, and accompanied by ? I perils which none but the hardy sailor dare 6 I brave. The narrative Is as follows:“I The sloop was lodged In a field of Ice, bet ween e which and the field lodged upon the shore, intervened an open water abont ten miles wide. Hastily constructing a light skiff, and putting . | it on runners, the three men started witha month’s provisions to reach the rioop. The £ wnd was south and warm when they drew r their boat over the ice and launched it In the clear water. They had rowed abont half the distance when the weather suddenly changed to Intense cold. Bravely they rowed on. The -1 ice began to form rapidly around their frail d sldff. Their progress was slow. The cold grew more intense. The ice made faster. The wind 1 came into the north cast and blew a gale. Night came on. They could movo their boat no , more in any direction, and they were yet a e mile from ‘the vessel. In an open boat, ten ,i feet by fonr, its sides only a few inches above 1 the water, with no protection against the cold bnt their ordinary clothing, those three men stared one another iu the face as the darkness , came upon them. Capt. Easson never gave up, ie whatever might may have been his thoughts or fears. One of his companions, overcome with the terror of their situation, lay down. in his Id boat and cursed his own foliy. 'The other kept m up a better courage, Capt Easson had in his pocket a bottle oi brandy. He knew just how , to use it- Drinkinguoue himself, that he might id exercise a better control orer himseli and his id companions, he cave them from time to time m just enough to animate them, and there, in that I little space, he kept them boxing and scuffling about with him to keep them and himself from ’n freezing to death- The wind increased in fury es and drove the outward field of Ice toward the h- shore, breaking up the thin ice around them and piling the cakes one upon another and driving them sometimes over their little boat as well as under it. The Jrail thing was often nearly crushed. Once a mass of Ice drove un-n-1 der one side, nearly turning the boat over. As 1B. quick aB thought Capt. Easson and one of the men jumped together upon the upper edge of 80 the boat, the force of the concussion breaking at I the cake and saving themselves from. instant its destruction. Daylight dawned upon them, and 1 soon after they drifted op to the ice on the shore over which they escaped to land, with only r01 their feet frozen.!e’ But captain Eassou was hot content ;to sur ^ render thus. lie found in Racjue a venture-Bg. some sailor, named Horace Von Doozen, who I offered to join him iu a second attempt to save H the little Lady Ann. They kept their . project I a secret, from wife and sweetheart, and went to New Buffalo, and after laying in their supplies which they dragged oyer the Ice to the sloop, consisting of flour, salt, meat, matches, coffee' l,y brandy, a biblc, a song-book, a pack of cards rge and a fiddle, they waited for the movements of winds and waves. The narrative coatin-1Mxsfi. arrest ei trespassJacksotiee, whi equlpmV*ni ton oortelegramakingSpain.Despi be gran The i in MarThe i false al governi tion hai Gen. sit ions Bcheme;Cuba rived a 15 th.Grea tnryco; Island 1 all the;Apri enllgtm and 50,the eiPortal The! and thi voyingSoon after going aboard they drilled out of sight of land, and life became monotonous. Tuey soon exhausted their inventive powers la l In I any variety of cookery they could produce from their assortment of edibles. Whenever they , emerged into clear water, they would make sail towards Racine, or if it was only a little 3Ck clear spot, they would Bill around in a circle uoe lor the fan of it, until the ice closed in on them f I again. They made a note of the name of eaeb day os it passed, that they might not forget uftl when Sunday came, so that they. could run up re- a flag, put away the cards, song-book and fid-ihd 1 die, and bring out their Bible. OnB day they , | passed near Durfee’s dredge, lifted entirely out of.water by the Ice, bulrigbt side up, and un-the broken. On another, they Eaw what they Bup-ama posed to be the sloop Ole Bull out Of blilwan-, kee. Last Wednesday morning they heard the ’ cars whistle at Waukegan. Soon after they emerged from the ice Into clear water near the shore, and thinking they saw a spot where 1 to they ponld beach the vessel, and Bave them-g in selves, they’ steered for it. When within five 3ris- rods of the supposed beach, they discovered that the it was lodged ice, Death seemed dtting there, e to vaiting for them. They resolved to give him the slip. The sloop was put short about Right ters- bravely did she work off into the lake again. »!._ pbe storm increased. The prospect for the wn, two men was dark enough. The shore was Bn-vere I gjj ^rifh ipe everywhere, and vast fields of itcontain ico of were e, Gonad Mexico to havThe] The ru emmet Gen. AThe favor c Goven feat at taken i that a defeat*Thecisco a under the for 1500 n him, 1 bodies.The mails 1Antquake parts i lentlyPortsiannartwo 6Iu tion fices iinsi- pobzeii brougL. ......imp- overboard, and would have sent the fiddle after * 1,- them, but for the earnest remonstrance of its nore owner. The Bong-book was thrown Into the jive, stove, and the Bible was frequently consulted, pur- The captain steered as near as he conld in the uiow direction of Chicago, and about noon emerging ions, from a field of ice, he found himself right close waa to the harbor. He had no anchor, and the ice i en-1 wppld not let b™ cope to the piers.' Hp cuulfi that j not endure the thought of being eo pegr safety e ho-1 and yet be lost. What could he do tor an sn-l pro* e Aw I A sudden suggest! on. A piece of cable igftC' I was still on board. Making it into a coil, and lasts, j IftEhiug it well together, he made a line fast to y eo! it, and lowered it overboard; this novel anchor in held the sloop while the loe slowly -drifted past. 1° The two men took courage. It was something to look to the laud and see human bdngs lodge watching them with apparent interest. Night do of came on again. A dark and stormy night.last Cold, too. No lights were displayed abont the and a piers to guide or cheer them. “Is it possible?” lames thought they. Where is the light-bouse keep-and I er? We were .seen here all day. Will not he, r and 1 will no one put out a beacon for our benefit?”— me.— The “darkness answered solemnly “No!” The I lights of the city disappeared one after another, iT.n and nothing rcueved the gloom of their situa-tion. ‘ So near a great city were they, that they ioh ni could hear its heart beat, and its tongues tell vwiru l the hours, and yet not one finger raised to help iwvnm 1 thcml A government light.house keeper asleep in a comfortable house, and no light for mar-inera wrestUng with a etorrn. Two govern-“TEA ment life Boats securely housed, and no one to launch them lor the rescue of the two men!Suddenly the wind hauled. “Now is our ■ y time,” said the two men both together. Quick-, j Jv cutting the hne whiph held the slopp, they ■ made suil for the entptnpq to the railroad basin,?*- “It was dark as tar,” says the captain iu telling1 1.2.. .iT offionoS bMSltr lf\r tlSP.alcWa-™ Ji I his story. “I steered boldly for the hreakwa-iSJ I tar. aminst which the sea hrokn heavily. Iagainst which the sea hrokn heavily. I i see nothing, so I steered by to and. I'* Tfh*2 1 could hear the breakers all along except at one nrUftv point, and I here I judged was the opening, to Sfc the basin. If I hit it, 1 was safe, If 1 missed it rongiy 1 ,,... mr.r.. Tt mao n. ilpSTWrfttethere was no hope more. It was a desperate Pa., case, bnt I was tired of uncertainties We near-nir ed the breakwater. Van held the helm, ~~vatton stood by the jib sheet. The roar grew deafen-ing. As. we came closer, I grew confused forI a moment, and thought it was all roar, all break--a water, no opening at all, that I had misjudged.J»ii ! water, no opening »i mi, ui» i ^ « nf On we came. ‘Thank God! boy, we a : bosin,J I cried, and if I ever waa thiie^as a We are gratified to learu that the sloop Lady ion the Ann entered the harbor of Chicago on Tburs-through-11 day last, and now r’u}e*pt auphor to ®fety-ijsaved Of the wisdom oi snch a venturesome voyagethe roof we will not pretend to speak, but of the hardy rlth the 0f tj,e two sailors there cannot be two;ral bar-1er We optoions.ip pf his | Who knows bnt at the present time, the Ole Bull, whlph left toe mouth of tfie Milwaukee amenoed F‘yer on tl|P same unfortunate night as the Lo-ith little fly Ann broke her cable at Chicago, Is now be-The j ing piloted through the.' floating icebergs, and se than] 0Ter tke gtormy waves of the Lake? breaking1
Newspaper Details
Weekly Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
Wed, Feb 21, 1855
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Uw -.
WI, USA 21 May 2025
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