The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1872-12-19
A CLEVER BOY.
PIE STORY OF HIS ESCAPE FROM
DEATH.

rotary OF the Royal National Life
Boat Institution
"My dear sir An incident occur
red here on the 10Th which think
calls for a brief report, as showing
both the promptltude with which the
Teignmouth iife-boat answered sn APP
peal tor assistance, and III recording
q most skilfuI act of sesmsnship, an
act exhibiting greater self reliance on
the part of a little boy fourteen years
of age than | have alU ost ever wit
messed in 50 young lad. The boy,
named Frederick Perriane, OF No. III
Clarence road, Exmouth, had occa-
sion 10 go to some place near
Exmouth, in small dingy,
when the tide suddenly swept
him out into the open sea. 1t was
blowing hard from the northeast, SO
the poor hide fellow got up his tiny
mast and sail and ran along the coast
Ill tie vain hope of finding SONS
sheltered spo' where he could land.
He saw nothing, however, but the
white foam of heavy breakers, and
found himself drawn swiftly towards
them, When within few hundred
yards OF Dawish beach he let go bis
tiny anchor and lowered both mast
and sail upon the slight chance of
10 ding on until the sea sutsidsd \
little.
sit was at this time (about one
O'clock that on going 10 the front of
my house, which faces the sea, first
observed him, and, NOT being so &C.
tive as | once was, | called a naval
friend who was with ne, and who.
observing as | had done the iu,mi-
nenf peril of the poor boy, ran down
to the beach with the intention of 90
ing off IN tie first boat he could get
which would live in such . sea. He
tuun MIR Moran, chief bcatman at
this coastguard station, and his men
on the alrr. In the exercise, how
ever, of what | consider to be wise
discretion, Mr.. Moran would not risk
tie lives OF lis men by sending eth
G: OF the boats he had in aid of the
poor boy The broken water, with
the occasional very heavy rollers, ex-
tended for more than two hundred
yards from the shore, III which few
boats but our coast life-boats could
have lived five minutes. They had
tnken The bearings OF the boat since
she ancho ed AID thought that she
would hold on until the tide came in
when he sea would subside.
81 he poor little fellow, however.
thought differently, and seeing that
utter destruction awaited him if driv-
el' from the spot where he then was.
ne got up hi mast and sail with mar
ve'lous rapidity, weighed his anchor
and stood to the westward, almost
touching as he went, the foam that
was dashing from The BREAKERS. The
boat flew to the westward almost on
her beam-ends, and selecting with
lightning precision and decision the
only spot whers he could have land
ed, he boldly bore up and dashed his
tiny boat into the foaming waters.
My friend AID Mr.. Moran proceeded
TO the spot with beach-lines, &c, and
the former describes the scene as q
NEST touching one. The boat flew
over the first roller like seagulI
when she was suddenly becalmed
and they momertarily expected that
she would breach to, be rolled over
and knocked to pieces. Tie little
fellow, howover, seemed quite calm
and collected, with his tiller in one
hand and the sheet in the other. when
the gale again caught his sail and he
skinned over the second roller r;obt
up to the beach. Meanwhile | had
telegraphed to Teignmouth for the
aid of the life-boat of the National
Institution, and she accordingly start
ed with the greatest rapidly. She
was, in fact, on her way to Dawlish
within ten minutes Of the receipt Of
my telegram. She was, however, re-
called by a second telegram I des-
patched indicating the safety of the
boy.
MY naval friend ian officer of con-
aidera bic exnerienceA. anrena mil