Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1857-02-06
From The n. Y. Tribune, Jan. "a.
HOW THE EMELINE WAS
LOST.
NARROWING SCENES.
Captain and Crew all Drowned.
sUFFERINGs on THE WREoKERs


Few Of those who sat snugly by the
house fireside last Sunday and watched
the gathering storm, but thanked the
fates that they were not exposed to its fu-
ry. How few, however, realized that
within a short thirty miles Of their doors,
right by the gate Of the sea, many of their
fellow-creatures were bravely struggling
against the fierce elements for dear life
Next morning, long ere the storm had
subsidized, the sad news came out through
the newspapers than an unknown vessel,
brig, had stranded on the point Of Jersy
Beach, near Sandy Hook, and in spite Of
all that the wreckers could do it was fear
ed that the crew had every one perished.
Then the electric telegraph from Sandy
Hook broke down, and all day Monday
the weather was too thick to admit of
using the signal telegraph from the High
lands. tho Bay and Narrows were impas-
SADLY frozen up and all the rail and 9TH
er roads were buried under snow banks
ever so many feet down, so that reporters
could not get to the coast, and everybody
had to wait in sad suspense, until, in the
course Of events, further information
could be obtained. On Tuesday a pilot
boat managed to work up from the Low
er Bay, and reported that she had seen
the brig Golden Lead inside Of the Hook,
at anchor on Sunday morning carly
Everybody concluded that tho Golden
Lead was the unfortunate craft which had
been dashed to pieces on the beach. Late
at night, however, wc received a telegraph
10 note from Sandy Hook, stating that the
name Of the lost brig was the Emeline,
and yesterday the Golden Lead safely
reached the city, with the loss Of some Of
her spars and rigging.
The particulars Of the loss Of the En-
cline we have procured from gentle
man who arrived from the Beach last
evening, being the first person from that
quarter since Saturday last.
About o o'clock on Sunday morning,
whilo Capt. Haggerty. the host Of the
Ocean House, was quietly slipping his cof-
fee, and wondering when that N. ". r.
storm was going to cease, ho looked out
seaward, and espied the upper part of
brig heading for the beach. As yet her
hull was hidden from sight, but ho could
see that sae was crippled in her spars, and,
as he thought, in pretty sad plight
Soon her hull loomed up, and he could
SEQ that II was evidently the intention Of
her captain to run her ashore, because with
the wind which was then blowing she
might have been kept OFT without diff
Guilty. She came to the conclusion
that she was disabled in her rigging aud
lealsy, and the pumps being probably fro
zen, and the men worn out with toll and
exposure, her captain had determined TO
resort to the last chance for saving the
lives Of himself and his crew. On she
came, staggering and slow as il unwill-
ing to lay her bones on tho beach like an
old hulk, after the brave services which
she had performed. On she came, near
er and nearer; the stout Captain left his
comfortable abode and ran down toward
the beach, while the women-folk crowd
ed TO the door in breathlcss suspense to
watch impending catastrophe. On she
came nearer yet, till the faces Of her crew
could be seen, pale and ghastly, from the
shore. The white breakers leap and roar
eagerly to the fatal embrace; rs her Prov
parts the milky foam every man cried,
"God help us !' and held firmly to the
frozen rigging Another moment and she
has struck the beach, and the sea is dash
ing wildly over her decks.
Three miles off, these events had boon
observed by Edward wardle, the Under
writer's agent and keeper of the lifc-sa-
wing apparatus. who, leaving orders for his
trusty crew to follow with surf-boats, life
cars, cables and mortar, jumped into his
wagon and dashed off to the wreck
Twenty minutes after she struck, he was
on the beach nearher. She lay head on
shore, some seventy or eighty yards from
the beach, the sea breaking over her star
board side. There were only six men to
be seen on board. Whether any Others
were lying in their hunks below frost-bit-
ten, and unable TO crawl up, may never be
known. The main sail was half set and
the sailors, getting under the Ice of it,
were for while somewhat sheltered from
the storm. Capt. Haggerty thought that
il they had launched their boat over the
lee rail as soon as the brig struck, they
might have got safely ashore; bnt they
seemed physically incapable of excrtion.
Probably they were frost-bitten, OF had
not strength enough left 70 launch the
boat, and very soon it was too late; for
as our informant graphically described it,
the storm came on heavy enough to blow
the oars out of their row-locls." To
launch boat from tho beach in such a
gale was impossible. and as soon as the
mortar arrived. NJ. Wardle shot line
overthe briggs rigging. The poor fellows
cheered feeble cheer, but it was almost
dismal enough for groan and one OF
them tried to Chamber up the icy ratlines
10 catch it. He was evidently too much
benumbed, and the attempt was abandon
ed. Another and anotherline was thrown
over her by Mr.. Wardle; but they were
too far gone to help themselves. Five
lines were fred at various elevations