The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-03-02
LITTLE GENEVRA SAWYER.
JUST nov SHE WAS SAVED WHILE
HER PARENTS PERSISTED.

Ing Hymns While Inshed In the HiKaIn
In the cabin OF the bark d. II. Hopkins, at
Pier II. East River. yesterday afternoon, little
Genevra Sawyer nestled In the arms OF the wife
OF Capt. Frank NJ. Hopkins. n brothor-ln-law Of
Capt. Sawyer OF tho three masted schooner
David H. Tolcl wrecked of Barncgat on We'd
nesday last. The child is alttle. toddling thing.
with light hair and blue eyes. Looking up at
the face near hers. and putting UP her little
hands. she frequently called Mamma" tho
only word that she could speak distinctly. The
clothes that she wore when drawn ashore IN the
arms OF the second mate. in the buoy. had been
changed for dry garments and with the excep-
ton OF the wistful look that sometimes appeared
in her eyes there was nothing to distinguish
her from more fortunate children. In tho inner
Office at &C South street ut the same time sat
the man who saved her and tho other three
men who were rescued. They came In the
morning from the wreck. bringing the bodies Of
Capt. Irving i. Sawyer and Ida Sawyer, tire
Captains wife. Two wore the yellow oil cloth
ing in which they were dragged from the surf.
The other had on thick. dry clothing. To W. II.
Swan. the consiEnee of tho lost schooner. and
others. they told how the vessel was wrecked
and how they were saved.
Francis Peterson the FIRST mate. slim. wiry
man. was asleep when the vessel struck. He
quit tho dock at midnight on Tuesday. The
wind was fresh from the southwest and the
vessel was going about eight knots an hour.
At about 81 A. NJ. on Wednesday he awoke
and heard Barnegat light reported. and the
Captains orders to change tho course TO north
BY east. About twenty minutes later he heard
the grating Of the vessel on the bar All hands
were on deck Immediately afterward Only
Mrs. Sawyer. with her child stayed below. Tho
schooner was head on the bar and her bottom
was broken in A rod light on shore was seen
soon after she struck Tho after sails were
lowered in efforts TO back tho vessel of. and
after all attempts had failed three rockets were
sent up as signals OF distress. The sea began
TO break over tho stern and the port quarter
and Capt. Sawyer then told the men to try and
save themselves I'm stick to her to tho last"
he said Peterson. you save my wife and my
child" Tho Captain helped his wife out OF the
cabin. and Peterson took the child in his arms
and went with her to the top OF the cabin. The
crew went to the top Of the forward house.
g" That was at about o'clock in the morning"
Peterson said. There was then no necos-
slty for lashinR ourselves. At daybreak we saw
two men near two bouts on the beach about 1870
yards from us. Thoy seemed to DO getting
something ready. We sung out to them but
they did not hear us. l guess. 1t was a trne
hazy. hut nj about o'clock We saw six or eight
men coming along the beach. The number kept
increasing up to noon. We could not hear their
voices but they must have heard ours by that
time. Tho first line from tho shore fell short
Of us five or six fathoms The shot with the
line was fired against the wind. II was half an
hour before the next shot was fired. That line
came across the maintop. and wo got II and
made II fast to the miz2en rigging. BY that
time the deck was breaking up. and the hogs
heads were washing out line hold. Al except
two men in the mainiOp went TO the mizzen rig
ging. me Saptain,s vile was lashed about
things beside her, holding the child in my arms.
Capt Sawyer was on the other side putting his
easily. The waves were then breaking three
or, four feet above tho rail. Why
That had been smashed by the water casks
long before we went into the rigging After we
fau se h line rs4ed r. h. r sySS
hope when thai happened. The Captains wife
saw the men working hard to get In the line,
didn't cry much. After the line parted the men
on shore seemed To be stupeled. They stood
TSsn ali b bot %o went away twnTd neS
life-saving station. Ii was bright. and as clear
as q bell. but the gale kept increasing. and the
sea began to dash higher.
When the men returned. about an hour and
half afterward, they were dragging a cart with
after they returned fell short the same rs be-
fore. The next line fell Just inside the rail,
close by the mi2zen rigging. Capt. Sawyer tsied
several times to get down and pick it Up. but he
couldn't Then gave tho child TO the second
mate wont down. and got hold otthe HE. Then
the mizzen rigging. All this time. mind you.
we were singing out for n boat Send US q
we kept crying.
:" No. there was no tail block on the large line.
There ought to have been OF course. but there
wasn't. There WASH one sent nj any time. We
kept the small line aboard. too, YOU understand.
and the breeches buoy was hauled out by y. Alter
the buoy came aboard the second mate. who had
the child, got into II. holding the child in his
arms. The buoy slipped along the large rope
and dashed In the breakers. We thought that
the second mate and the child were lost. until
we heard cheer from the shore When tho
great for the small rope and it parted, and we
had. therefore, no means 81 drawing the buoy
back again. Alter | heard the cheer, erept
Genevra was safe. Thank God for that. she
said to me; now cut me loose and LET me end
clothes were wet through. and her strength was
giving out HE CAPTAIN was worse than 4 his IS
speak to me, and had 70 put my ear close to
his mouth to pnderstand what he was saying.
BTssS SreS 10 eo h fs G Tg had Give s1eS
up all hope OF being saved. but she was calm
and quiet Up 20 half an hour before she died
she was softly singing hymns. ! don't remom-
Der the words. She used TO sing them In the
cabin quito often. Soon after she died, at
O'Clock the Captain gave up. went down 70
him and put another flashing around him. de
tried to cast them of and jump into the sea, .ui
pulled the lashings tighter and pushed him
back. He Was In great misery. and believe
that before he died. half an hour after his wife
died, he became insane
buoy went ashore safely fell on the foretop. We
couldn't get it because we were in the mzzen
rigging The two men who went 10 the main
top had crossed from there 10 the mizzen rig
cling on the main boom. We had lost one man.
Henry Johnson. Dane who was with us in the
m2zen rigging, became exhausted At about i
O'Clock In the afternoon. and he fell into the
water. When the men on shore saw that we
could not get their small line. they launched
the surfboat. There WAS another small boat on
the beach. They tried twice to come 70 us, but
the surf Was very bad. aud after they had come
about half way TO us they turned around and
went back 10 the beach Then they tied another
small line to the large Inc. one end OF VIII ch
We had kept fast 10 tho rigging, and We hauled
the two lines on board. il was then about hall
or three quarters Of an hour after dark The
men on shore sent out the buoy again, and
Alfred Cochran and went ashore on il. When
We struck the surf VIC went under. and that ID
the l0St that remember until looked around
room in n hotel near the wreck"
After Peterson and Cochran went ashore
Louis Everett and Edward Portloek, the colored
cook. went ashore in the buoy. It having been
hauled ON board again. Everett was barefooted
His feet were badly frustbitteu. The buoy WAS
hauled bnck again by Frank June and Richard
Gordon, the last to quit the vessel. The buoy
was so small that each could get only one les
into il. and they had 10 waste their strength by
clinging TO the ropes that were attached to the
ring that slipped along the large rope. II was
after o'clock in the evening when June and
. .aal,tl oh