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Unpleasant Experience of Birch River Missionary While Carry ing Gospel to Citizens of the North On Friday afternoon, Nov. 18th, F. D. Ward, Missionary of the Birch River territory, left for Old Fort and the Swan Lake region. Visiting on the way, dusk came by the time the old millsite of Button Co. was reached. Following a false trail, Mr. Ward found him elf in a partly-frozen muskeg, and had to go back to the old mill. Night fell, and the Missionary realized he was lost in the bush, lightly clad for walking, hungry, below zero weather, and no house within miles. Stumbling through the darkness, falling every few steps, getting weaker and more drowsy as the laden-footed minutes passed, the situation seemed hopeless. At last the half-frozen traveller reached the present site of the Batson mill, found some hay and straw and with supreme difficulty crawled into an abandoned stable . For twelve hours, under Arctic conditions, to the ominious howl ing of wolves, in the humble draughty manger of a stable, the little sky pilot remained in a state of collapse. At sunrise—in a badly frost-bitten condition—he crossed the Big Woody river, and by pain ful degrees made his way to the home of Mr. and Mrs. E. P. Beckett, where all that was possible was done for the wandering evanglist. Regardless of this severe exper ience service was held in the Old Fort school Sunday, and was well attended, but the visiting places of the Missionary have had to be re vised; the after-effects of Friday night’s severe hardship being still apparent.
Newspaper Details
Swan River Star
Swan River, Manitoba, CA
Thu, Nov 24, 1921
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Leslie P.
