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Defying Ice Floes On Erie Skipper, Near Exhaustion, Pilots Split Tug To Por Tons of Ice in Stern^ ., .. D . i r+ • Keep vessel Afloat-Lanad/on Liners Become Armed Cruisers Guides Craft Alone ^ :^^^: Throughout Night Port Stanley, March 13 (Special) —Victor in a one-man battle with grinding ice floes and a five-foot split in the hull which threatened to sink his sturdy fishing tug, Capt.) John Matthews was acclaimed this: afternoon when he brought his craft safely into port here. With nothing to eat since last night and a journey of miles through ice-packed Lake Erie from Port Burwell to Port Stanley behind him, Matthews was alone aboard the fishing tug Dover Clipper, stuck fast in the ice off the Port Stanley pier this afternoon. Capt. Matthews, attempting to clear a channel to open water for Port Burwell boats, got out of the port last night and couldn't get back in. So, without a crew or supplies, decided to try to make Port Stanley, further west on the lake. On reaching Port Stanley he could not get into harbor because of ice. This afternoon, however, the Donald Mac, a fishing tug, captained by Tom Morgan, was able to break a channel to the stranded Clipper, and the Clipper made port. It had five to six tons of ice in its stern to keep the front end up, where a five-foot seam had broken into her. Capt. Matthews was near exhaustion. He hadn't slept a wink all night, and had to duck ice floes all along the trip of more than 20 miles. At the same time he kept the pumps working to bail out the Clipper. Besides the damage done at Port Burwell and believed repaired, further damage resulted in the long trip.. Capt. Matthews took his life in his hands, with the damaged Clipper and the ice fields, both a threat to his safety. Hardy fishermen who The Canadian National Steamships pas- themselves have risked death more enger ]iners prince Robert (top) and than once, lauded his courage. ° a big meal and sleep was whaPrince David (below), which are being con- Capt. Matthews wanted most when________________________________________________ he reached shore. Capt. Matthews is usually the first man out in the spring and the last one in in early winter, and has figured in a number of stirring episodes, including one in which it took _^^—^ ^ ^^ ~q gn _» an airplane to find him and his crew ^^^^ ^™™^ .^^^ C c © Weeks ago, he took the Clipper out »•>__ ^\ f^^mm <D *jjj v> single-handed to reach his brother, ^"^^ ™,™l™, lUt*™ m © also a captain, stranded in ice off I^^^J ^^»f0 ¦+¦ >. Port Burwell aboard the tug Ken-teau. verted into armed naval vessels, the War Supply Board announced today. The total cost of reconstruction of the two vessels is estimated at $1,135,000. © ~D __ O £ > ** Q -2 OM <u © a, c c 2 i_ i_ —_ a. a. J> —I cc <n 2 O. o oo 3 c 3 "} C M •" Sol IS ¦B id m id 5° « E J5 J" M«> « •~ g! .5 £ CD O « s > t« M tL ^ fi dj rt <« to QJ in +-» ^ >. £g o io S £2 **-• ; O w v~ IS, l£ ;> t to o o Is S-3 K^ s°l cu 2 ^ , cj 5 o c ° - .Ho " - ' ft, *-> >? ¦" ,- ^ o > ¦« o 01 -^ 1 w ? g a „ -5 « ; r, CO i_, CO Ah £ 3 e n ¦ 5 ;