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It will be remembered that in the great storm T of January 21st, it was reported that the sloop 6 Lady Ann, from Racine to Chicago,'loaded with l’' empty barrels, anchored off the mouth of the river at the latter port and daring the night broke her cables and disappeared- We published a telegraphic dispatch from Chicago, stating that she had gone down with all hands onboard. We subsequently received a despatch which informed 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 tbe 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 byiy perils which none but the hardy sailor dare* brave. The narrative Is as follows :The sloop was lodged In a Held of Ice, between which and the field lodged upon the shore, tain tervened an open water abont ten miles wide.Hastily constructing a light skiff, and patting . . it on runners, the three men started witha month’s provisions to reach the sloop. The ig Ljd was south and warm when they drew er their boat over the ice and launched it in the clear water. They had rowed abont half tbe , 1 distance when the weather suddenly changed Jo 10 Intense cold. Bravely they rowed on. The y. iCe began to form rapidly around their frail id sldff. Their progress was slow. The cold grew more Intense. The ice made faster. The wind came into the north cast and blew a gale. Night .came on. They coaid move their boat no e- more in any direction, and they were yet a ie I mile from ‘the vessel. In an open boat, ten al feet by four, its sides only a few inches above, the water, with no protection against the cold ] sc but their ordinary clothing, thosethrecmcn “* 1 gtared one another in the face as the darkness il came upon them. Capt. Eason never gave up,he whatever might may have been his thoughts or fears. One of his companions, overcome with I the terror of their situation, lay down in his , Id boat and cursed his own foliy. -'The other kept j un up a better courage, Gapt. Easson had in his . he pocket a bottle ot brandy. He knew jnst how , , to use it- Drinkinguoue himself, that he might ; ed exercise a better control over himself and his companions, he gave them from time to time vc hunt enough to animate them, and there, in that ilittle space, he kept them boxing and scuffling ,abont with him to keep them and himself from freezing to death. The wind increased in fury reB atHj drove the outward field of ice toward the *h- shore, breaking up the thin ice around them Ip and piling the cakes one upon another and driving them sometimes over their little boat as nfi well as under it The Jrait thing was often nearly crushed. Once a mass of ice drove un-, der one side, nearly turning the boat aver. As [1Bt quick ur thought Capt. Easson and one of the men jumped together upon the upper edge of 80 the boat, the force of the concussion breaking eat I {he cake and saving themselves from . instant ate destruction. Daylight dawned upon them, and 1 soon after they drifted np to the ice on the shore over which they escaped to land,'with only I their feet frozen.But captain Eassou was hot content ;to sur render thus. lie found in Racjue n venture-ing. some sailor, named Horace Van Doozcn, who in* 1 offered to join him in a second attempt to save a a the little Lady Ann. They kept their project 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 flonr, salt, meat, matches, coffee' brandy, a biblc, a song-book, a pack of cards rgB and ft fiddle, they waited for the movements of the winds and waves. The narrative contin-40 j Soon after going aboard they drilled out of, *m' sight ol land, and life became monotonous.: They soon exhausted their inventive powers ia 1 In any variety of cookery they could producefrom their assortment of edible*. Whenever they emerged into clear water, they would make l10, sail toward* Racine, or if it was only a little ,ock clear spot, they would soil around In a circle moe for the fnn of it, until the lee closed in on them n f 1 again. They made a note of the name of eaeb day os it passed, that they might not forget luftl when Sunday came, so that they could run lip re- a flag, put away the cards, song-book and fid-iha 1 die, and bring out tbeir Bible. OnB day they (( passed near Durfee’H dredge, lifted entirely out 18 of water by the Ice, bulrigbf side np, and un- the broken. On another, they euw what they sup-wma posed to be the sloop Ole Bull out Of hlilwan-:» kee. Lost Wednesday morning they heard the ’ cars whistle at Waukegan. Soon after they emerged from the ice into clear water near the Me. shore, and thinking they saw a spot where d to they pouM beach the vessel, and Bave them-ig in selves, they steered for it. When within five er'is- rods of the supposed beach, they discovered that i the it was lodged ice, Death seemed dtting there, is to waUing 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, el.— The storm increased. The prospect for the own, two men was dark enough. The shore was lin. were I ejj with ipe everywhere, and vast fields of il The were closing pP'dly down upon them. Vat husi- poozan brought the cards OB deck, hoye then emp- overboard, and would have sent the fiddle aftei er 1,- them, but for the earnest remonstrance of. iti more owner. The Bong-book was thrown Into the give, stove, and the Bible was frequently consulted pur- The captain steered as near as he conld in tin know direction of Chioago, and about noon emerging tions, froin a field of ice, be found himself rightclos. i was I to the harbor. He had no anchor, and the ici en-1 vyppld not lot hi™ come to the piers,' Hp cQuh , that j not endure the thought Of being EX) pegr Bfstl »e ho- and yet be lost. What could he do for an kji 3 pro- chart A sudden snggestion. A piece ofcabl as eec- I was still on board. Making it into a coil, an aiasts, Jibing it well together, he made a line fast t ly eai if, and lowered it overboard; this novel audio — in bold the sloop while tbe loe slowly drifted pas' t° The two men took courage. It was somethin to look to the laud and see human bdng lodge watching them with apparent interest. Nigt ide of I came on again. A dark and stormy nigh F last Cold, too. No lights were displayed abont tt and piers to guide or cheer them. “Is it possible! names thought they. Where is the light-house kee] and I er? we were .seen here all day. Will not h lr and 1 will no one put out a beacon for our benefitf1-imm The Jdnrkness answered solemnly “No!” TlI lights of the city disappeared one after anothc , Hnn and nothing rcUeved roe gloom of their eitm tioD.' So near a great city were they, that tin!?S| fti could hear its heart beat, and its tongues ti r£~J -i the hours, and yet not one finger raised to herwi the hours, and yet not one finger rlt;thcml A governmentlighthouse keeper asle ' in a comfortable house, and no light for mii°ers wrestUng with a storm. Two govet ment lile boats securely housed, and no one launch them for tbe rescue of the two men! mse in r,.,,..). +!,„ wind iRnIrlt;L “Stime,” said the two men both together. Qnic „„ ly putting {he line which held the flopp, tb made Bpl fop the entrance to the raifroad ha* of '“It was dark as tar,” says the captain in teiU Ji l|us story. “I steered boldly for the break'. , iof no^inut whinh the sen brake heavily.ft The tor, against which the sea hrokn heavily. I could see nothing, sol steered by round.l rphpv CULUii ecu — j-----' could hear the breakere all along except at lt;turdav P°Int- and lkere \ jult;3ged waa OP6111?turiinv t point, anu-------the basin. If I hit It, I was safe. If 1 mtssei rVnfrt there was no hope more. It was a despcr ■ case, bnt I was tired of uncertainties. We nted tbc breakwater. Van heia the helm, an ivattan Btwxl by the jib sheet. The roar grew deal 13 Ing. As we came closer, I grew confused,._v 4_ a moment, and thought it was all roar, all bre - r«!i water, no opening at all, that I had miRjudg w nf On we came. ‘Thank Godl boy, we are in ■ conld ho®'11*5 1 cried* ^ 5f 1 CTer waa 1Him or hope to be, I was that ndnntc.|g*h |tied as a We ftre gratified to learn that the sloop Ltion the entered the harbor of Chicago on/?iroQgl1 day last, and now T'u}e* pt anphor in t aJtiaved Ofthe wisdom of such a venturesome voj the roof we will not pretend to speak, bnt of the h* vlth the 0p {be two sailors there cannot beeralbnr-ler We 10p’ni°PB-sp of his | Who knows bnt at the present time, the I Bull, whlpfi left *bc mouth of tfie Mllvai ■nmenoed Fiver Dn the “HP6 unfortunate night as the rith little I dy Ann broke her cable at Chicago, Is now tig. The j ing piloted throngh the floating ipebergB, less than] OT6l, gtorrny waves of the Lake? breaking
Newspaper Details
Weekly Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US
Wed, Feb 21, 1855
Page 7
Full Page
Clipped by
Uw -.
WI, USA 22 May 2025
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