Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1872-10-16

''On the 14,h of February lS4S,"
said Uncle Tommy Cook II was AVA
kened in the night by the shaking of my
house: | could feel my bed trembling
under me-. and as rose aud donned my
clothes in the darkness, told my wife
that an awful storm was ulon us. and |
feared it would make dreadful work. ]
was wreck master, and the appearance Of
the sky the day before had told me to
expect this, but when | opened the
door and passed ou, the wind nearly lift
ed me off my feet was strong and
tough. however, and buttouing my coat
close to my chin, l started down to the
beach.
When reached the meadows | found
them under the water, and the wind
blowing SO iearfully that | was compel
ed to turn about and back towards the
shore. The sleet struck my face like
needles, and | was forced to do this to
escape the shot that more than once
brought me to stand still But | kept
on, tho day ran beginning to -hr.ak-
and here and there | could catch sights
of figures moving toward the beach.
" hen | finally passed upon the bluff,
| saw through the driving snow and ,leet
and the almost binding spray of the
breakers schooner broadside on. with
all her sails gone, and pounding upon the
beach. The breakers went over her
deck at every sweep, and | could see
man in the front and one in the after rig
ging | hurried away to get rope, and
while | was gone one Of the men drop
ped into The water. When | came back
there were five fishermen on the ground,
aud we instantly formed line for the
purpose of bringing in the other.
Before starting paused moment and
looked sharply at him. thinking he was
frozen in the rigging. as the ropes were
covered with ice. and it was one of the
coldest nights ever knew. But while
looking saw him raise his right hand,
and fasten one button of his coat. We
then formed our line, AMI managed to
bring him in. AS they laid him out up
on the beach | raised his cap ana found
his forehead still warm, and believe if
we had POSSESSED facilities he might have
revived, but in the intense cold he lived
but Il few minutes longer.
l had scarcely raised my eyes from
his face when | saw, scarcely enc hun
dred yards from shore, the American
bark John Minturn going by like race
horse. Every sail was blown away, and
her deck was crowded with passengers.
many Of whom shouted to US as the cur
rent carried them swiftly by The yes
sci first spoken of was the Alabama that
Io-t her entire crew, numbering six. AS
they were now all gone. hurried OH
down the beach to gee what could be
done to help the Minrurn in her ex-
tremity.
She soon struck, by which time hun
dreds of the n-ighbors had gathered on
the shore, hoping that they might do |
something TO save the women and chill /
dren, who were huidled together in the |
bow, the stern having quickly gone to
pieces. Several attempts were made ,o
launch the life boat, and finally two sail
or- got OF in it, carrying a line with /
them, but the current swept them to the
south as swift as an arrow, and they |
were compelled to cut the rope to saw.
themselves being sFSamped. aud al hough /
they made repeated attempts taey we're
unable to get back.
At eleven o'clock a; night The Nin,urn
broke up. heard the cra~hi Of th.
iimbers and the shrieks Of the pa-sengers
as they sank into the waves bat We
could rec nothing by and by the bod
les began washing up the beach. Many
Of them bad been frozen stiil, As they sat
in cramped posture, and | saw quite
number sitting 20 naturally on the sand
hat it was not until had held the Ian
ern up to their faces that | knew they
were dead.
There were thirty bodies recovered
rom The John Miniurn, many of them
erribly margled. The wife of the cap
ain had her jaw knocked off, and he was
,aught by the timbers in such way that
,is head was wrenched entirely off On
he same night the Lotta came ashore
md lost two of her crew. One of these
vas the captain who attempted to swim
l~hore. but was swept under the bow of
he bark New Jersey. where he was
lrowned. The latter vessel managed to |
ret off without any loss
Shortly after this, and mainly through {
he efforts Of -Governor William A !
Newell, the life car was brought into t
lse along our coasts, and It's success has
'een so marked that we have had no sc
ious loss of life from shpwreck during .
he last twenty years W'lmington Eo- :
sy Ecening