American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-10-17
A Fearful Hurricane How II Family
Was Saved.


which damage 10 the amount of ovei
S2JO,oOO was done to shipping in Tho
harbor and wharvcs and buildings on the
shore An entire family came ncal
being swept away, with their home, IL
the heavy seas caused by the storm
The particulars of their narrow escape i:
thus described in the Charleston Nelrs agC
Courier.
At nine o'clock messenger arrived al
the main guard-house with the news that
the frail bridge leading to the bathing
house had been swept away, and that tho
bathing house itself, with its owner and
his family, who were in il, were in immi
ncnt peril The news spread like wild
fire, and in Il short time hundreds of eN-
cited spectators had assembled on the
battery to satisfy themselves as to the
truth of the report. The gale nj this
time (ten o'clock was absolutely furious;
a terrible hurricane hurting huge masses
of water over the high battery and roll
ing breakers breast-high along the south
walk. The garden WAS fully four feet
under water, presenting a clear sheet
from East to South Battery. But all eyes
were turned from the scene of devaSta-
ton Immediately around them to point
of more thrilling interest. The bathing
house, cut OF as it was from all commu-
nications with the land, was rocking on
that every effort must be made. without
delay, to rescue the unfortunate inmates.
These were Mr.. McManmon, his wife and
two children, and a young man who occu-
pied one of the rooms
The first attempt was made by Il num-
Der of colored fishermen and policemen,
headed by Mr. III. Mott Parker, the stroke
oar of the Palmetto boat crew \ yawl
boat was procured from the numbers
usually moored around Moreland's wharf,
and with twenty-five or thirty volunteers
the leaders dragged the long and anX-
iously looked for boat through water
which was quite sufficient to hoat her
across the garden to the spot Immediate
ly opposite the bathing house on the
south walk. The bridge in its fall had
torn away considerable portion of the
masonry, and the sea soon increased the
rent to wide gap. This was deemed a
favorable point from which TO launch the
craft, and so, with the hundreds of hands
which were now ready and willing to as
sist the daring spirits in their perilous
venture, the boat was launched at an OPP
perfume moment, and five men. two po-
Iicemen, two fishermen and Mr. III. N
Parker threw themselves into her,
seized the oars and made strenuous eff
forts to head for the clearinghouse. y
line bad been attached to the stern of
the yawl to draw her in to shore in case
of swapping. This piece of precaution
was the cause of the first failure, for the
men intrusted with the rope, when it was
seen by every one that the boat could
not be managed with the strain of the
line on her stern, refused to let go until
the boat had been borne too far to lee
ward, and nothing was left for the crew
but to keep her bow to the breakers, and
let her drift on with the surf and cur
rent They effected a landing under the
lee of the battery wall without serious
difficulty. The situation now began to
look desperate. The bathing house trem-
bled at every fresh gust of wind, and the
mountain-like pillows were hurled rs so
many battering-rams with merciless ra-
pidity against the crumbling foundation
Previous to this the little tug Relief had
hove in sight, and her Captain made
heroic efforts to rescue the in
mates of the rapidly falling house.
The little vessel breasted the
storm gallantly, pitching and rolling in
the heavy sea to an alarming extent, and
every time she made an attempt to round
to the gale she was mercilcssly beaten
back, and in a short time she faded from
sight like phantom ship in the mist and
rain, driven at frightful speed. The
failure of the tide to relieve the inmates
the yawl boat crew, tended to increase
to a fearful pitch the excitement of the
crowd An unusually heavy blast of
wind together with an enormous wave
at this time stove in the rear portion of
the doomed house; the shattered timbers
swayed hesitatingly for moment, and
then came down with Il crash, strewing
the waters far and wide with the debris
The inmates, who had remained re-
hi Il
now showed unmistakable signs of alarm.
Mrs. McManmon with her two little
children presented a heartrending sight
as they stood at the open window with
arms Outstretched, supplicating that re-
lief which it seemed the crowd was
powerless to render. The next effort
that was made was to heave n line across
by means of which the family might be
dragged ashore; but this too proved I'M
availing, and the lead, hurled by an arm
Injured to the task, was blown aside like
a feather by the angry wind. The house
now rose and sank with every swell, and
every one looked with straining eyes,
momentarily expecting to see it swept
away into the boiling waters. The crowd
had by this time increased nearly to
600 persons, and it will give an idea of
the terrible interest that prevailed when
it is recollected that the waves were
rolling knee deep over the battery walks.
The rain, driven by a perfect hurricane,
came down in torrents, bruising the
hands and face like hailstones, and it
was with the greatest difficulty that the
strongest could stand up against the
gale. Yet, in spite of all this, the
crowd constantly grew larger, and men
avowed themselves willing and ready to
swim the seething chasm, but this risk
was not thought expedicnt as yet.
Another boat launch was proposed, and
IA boat belonging to Mr.. Vanderhorst,
Just refitted and in thorough repair, was
soon, by the aid of large crowd of vol
unteers, fioated across the garden to the
point opposite the bathing house from
which the previous attempt had been
made The men who offered themselves
for the risky voyage were Messrs. III.
Mott Parker, John Roper, ID. Todd, a col
ored policeman, and Il fisherman-name
unknown. The boat was launched and
the brave men threw themselves into the
seething waves to watch for IL favorable
moment to board. Two had succeeded
in getting in, when a tremendous swell
striking the boat on the broadside imme-
diately filled her with water and the |
next moment she was seen bottom up
ward and half crushed, being borne |
swiftly to leeward on the crest of a wave. |
AT first not sign could be seen of the |
crew, but in a moment more IL head ap- |
Dearcd, then another and as the next |
wave, foaming angrily, came rushing |
along. it bore the two colored men and |
MIR. Todd within reach of the hundreds |
Of hands, umbrellas and sticks which |
were eagerly held forth for their rescue
In another moment these three were |
drawn dripping and half suffocated from |
n -. ID