The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-12-30
ON THE NEWFOUNDLAND COAST.
Wreck and "a Terrible situatfon---Hero-
Ism i'm Newfoundland.

a HJtle vessel, the Waterwitch, with
twenty-four people on board, four of
whom were women, struck rock while
endeavoring to double Cape st. Francis
at the entrance of Conception bay. The
water was deep and the vessel rebounded,
but was presently hurled second time
against the rocks few yards distant
from the place where she first struck.
Here nine of the men leaped for their
lives and managed to cling to the surface
OF sharply slanting rock, over which at
times the waves were breaking. The
Waterwitch reeled under the tremendous
blow, staggered back a few yards and
sank, carrying down with her eight men
and four women.
The situation of the poor fellows who
were now clinging to the rocks was terri
BILE in the extreme. They were holding
on to slippery sloping rock, only few
feet above the surface of the water, and
barely large enough to give them room
to crouch on its surface. The spray
dashed over them with every wave, and
at intervals a heavy sea broke over the
rock, as huddled together, they clutched
1T for dear life. They dared not move.
for the sea was all around the rock, and
few feet off they could see dark. per-
pendicular cliff shooting up six hundred
feet into the midnight sky. The huge
waves were thnndering at their feet, and
the snow storm roaring overhead. A few
feet from them they knew that some of
their nearest connections lay dead at the
bottom of the sea. The position of the
captain and his two companions was not
quite so perilous, as they found it posi-
BILE though at great risk to scramble up
from the shelf on which they first found
a footing. They heard the voices of
their companions on the other side of
the gulch, and cheercd them by telling
them that they were about to make an
attempt to scale the rocks and bring
them succor. The nearest house was at
the distance of mile, and the men had
no knowledge of the locality; but with
desperate efforts they clau bered ND the
steep rocks, forcing their way painfully
through dense brushwood where there
was no pash. At length, alml st ex.
hausted, they got to the summit. 1t
was pitchy dark, and they had no notion
of the proper direction, but hearing a
dog bark they followed the sound, and
at length reached q fishermans cottage
on the outskirts of Pouch Cove village
and awoke the inmates. . It was now
1:3O o'clock. They told their sad tale,
and described as well as they could the
place where their companions were
clinging to the rocks. Soon more than
half the village wa: astir ropes and
other appliances vete got ready, and a
rescue party mustered t. save if possible
the shipwrecked mep The Rev. r. M.
johnson, minister o! the Church of
England in Pouch Cove, accompanied
the party, bringing with him "hurri-
cane lantern" which he fortunately
possessed, and which was invaluable in
such circumstances, and also some
cordials to revive the sufferers.
The task that lay before the rescuers
was difficult and perilous one. They
had to force their way through path
less wood in pitchy darkness, and they
could not conjecture where the sufferers
were to be found. With wonderful in
stinct, however, they managed to reach
the top of the cliff at the bottom of |
which the shipwrecked men were des-
perately clinging to the rock. Their |
cries for help family reached the ears of |
their deliverers out of the dark and awful |
abyss, 600 feet in depth. "Helpl help /! |
for Gods sake rope we can't hold on |
much longer" What was to be done
The sufferers were not visible, the exact |
spot where they were could not be made |
out III the darkness. The wall of rock
was an almost perpendicular height of
6OO feet. There was but one way of
saving them. Some one must go down
into the dark chasm, at the peril of his
life, swinging at the end of a rope over
the edge of the precipice and thus try to
reach the perishing men, get rope
round each in turn, by which he NAV be
dragged up the fearful height. 1t was a
desperate expedient, put it was the
only one, as the wretched men must
soon perish by cold and exhaustion, or
be swept back into the sea. The res
,uers look for few minutes into one
mothers faces. Who will go A stout
hearted fisherman-a true hero-Alfred
Moores by name-volunteers for the
oerilous undertaking. Fastening a
stout rope round him, he is launched
nto the black abyss. Three times, how
ever, he had to be drawn up again, being
Unable to get near the sufferers; but on
descending the fourth time he finds a
slight fissure in the face of the cliff.
iown which he is lowered till he comes
within thirty feet of the rock to which
he men are clinging. He has O light
which, after several ineffec.
ual casts, is at length caught by one of
he men. By means of it stronger rope
s passed down; one of the men fastens
round hiAbody, and the word is given
o haul up.
Several men, supported and guided by
he. stout rope, at the end of which
doores is swinging, have now crept
lown the face of the cliff, and stationed
themselves at intervals, so as to trans
nit orders and aid in passing up the
escued men. 1t is a moment of awful
uspense when the first of the rescued
nen Is swung off the rock and dragged
pwards. At length he reaches the top
little brandy is poured into his lips.
nd his first words are "That was an
wful long haul, but, thank God, am
aved." One by one eight are thus
rawn up, and without accident reach
ne summit safely. But the ninth is not
ct rescued. He is mere youth, and
lithout shoes or hat, drenched and
hiyering, he is clinging to a shelving :
Dck at short distance from his com.
anions in distress. Doubts are enter {
lined as to whether it is possible to |
ave him. But the gallant Moores
lakes another cast with his rope, and
le youth has just enough strength left