The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1877-01-05
FEARFun. .nalPwRECM
How Brave Men PerisEaed
Near the shore.

utres which has occurred on Long
Island coast, since the wreck OF
the John Milton" fifteen years
ago. She ran ashore in 8 blind
ing snow storm, and all on board,
thirty persons, were lost. The
crew of the Milton" acre frozen
stiff in the rigging, tGeir arms
standing straight out III front of
them. The men on board the
'CircAssian" had finished, on
Friday night, all the necessary
preliIninaries tor attaching the
hawser, with which she Was to
be drawn Off. During the early
hour of the night the
WIND FREsHENED
a little, and the sea began to run
very high, until, at about six
O'Clock. it began to break clear
over her. The men, apprehend-
ing danger, went into the riggin,
where they we've ordered for
greater safety. All On board, 80
souls in all, remained thus eA-
posed until early in the morning,
when it was deemed advisable to
shift quarters. as the falling of
the top banner, caused by the
rolling of the vessel, made it
difficult to hold on. The crew
was safely transferred to the miz-
zen rsggins, where signals of dis
tress were shown. All this time
the shore was plainly in sight,
the moon was shining brightly,
and the fires built by the crew
of life saving station showed
plainly the figures Of the crowd
on the beach hurrying to and fro,
in vain endeavors to aid the men
in the rigging. It was
AN AWFUL SUSPENSE
for the poor fellows dashed to the
masts and yards of the ship.
They saw attempt after attemp
made to establish communication
with them fail, and each failure
seemed to measure their purchase
upon life. Every effort to get q
boat off the shore proved futile.
AS often as it was attempted, the
sea drove it high and dry on the
beach. Capt. Henry Hauling,
OF Life Saving Station Nc. TO-,
now brought . mortar into service,
and several balls, with a rope at
tached, were thrown out to the
ship, but one of which reached
the ship. Its hold was not very
secure, and 1t presently fell of,
and the slender thread upon
which thirty-two human lives
depended, was snapped forever.
The Station men, all the while
these endeavors were being made,
could see the men in the rigging
quite plainly and hear their cries
fer help. Many of the weather.
beaten heroes on the shore, who
have been wrecking vessels anG
saving lives since they were boys,
were moved to tears by the piteous
opportunities of the wretched
men off shore, but when
the last charge was shot OFF, and
nothing else possible to human
effort or bravery, remained to be
done,
THEY BECAME UNNAMED,
and many of them wept, the nerv-
Gus excitement and sudden mac
tivity utterly incspacitating them
for any duty. They could not
leave the spot, and it only remain
ed for them to remain inactive,
and see their fellows perish be-
fore their eyes. To leave the
beach would only add to the
death that stared its victims in
the face and to remain inactive
would probably give cause for
unjust reproach from the helpless
walters on the wreck. Superin-
tendant, Hunting and his men re-
NAMED and tried to answer calls
from the shore which were not
heard on the ship on account of
the direction of the wind.
IN TERRo RAND SUSPENSION
the morning wore on, the wind
having veered around, in the
meantime, to west south west.
During the early part of the night,
before the men went into the
rigging, the cables were Stacked,
but the ship moved only a short
distance, and continued throuh
the night, to strike the bottom.
Every time she struck, the men
thought she would loose her
masts, to which they had dashed
themselves, while, conscious of
the great danger and the utter
inpossibility of saving them
selves, if the mast shonld go by
the board, it being of iron. they
were unable to slacken the lash
ing. Some of them, with more
self-pessession than others, had
taken this contingency into their
calculations, and had not cecureiy
dashed themselves, and among
those were the only four
saved from the wreck.
AT HALF-PAST FOUR
in the morning the long dreaded
crisis came, and the mizzen mast
went by the board with q crash.
carrying the mainmast with it.
A tremendous swell, had struck
the .Circassian" aft, and raised
her very high. When it receded,
she thumped heavily, and the ter
rife Jar threw the mast over the
side. The masts, being iron,
went to the bottom Immediately,
carrying % souls.
THE DETAILS.
The custom house officer detail
ed to superintend the landing of
the cargo, in his description of
the terrible scene, says the ship
was lying about 600 feet off the
shore. Amid the bowling of the
tempest and the roar of the waves,
there was borne to our ears the
Voices Of the poor fellows in the
rigging singing hymns and prylng
to God. There was hardly a dry
eye on shore among us as we
heard these thrilling and supreme
appeals made to God. Ameng|
those on the wreck were ten