The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-07-30
SAVING SCORES OF LIVES.
A Partial Record OF tho Brave Deeds OF
Patrick Coyne Of Boston.

Patrick Coyne OF Boston.
A Boston reporter, while strolling on
the sands at South Boston Point, dis
covered little boy in the water, and,
while fastening to his relief, saw the
figure of man shoot from the stone
wharf and hold the almost inanimate
body partly out of water until assistance
arrived. The man was Mr.. Patrick
Coyne, who lives at o and Eighth
streets, and in the struggle with the boy
he came near losing his life by having
his foot caught in crevice in the rocks.
After he had reached the shore the re-
porter, in a conversation with him,
learned that Mr.. Ccyne had saved scores
Of lives, often at the risk OF his own.
He is forty.two years old, and was born
in the County of Sligo, Ireland. The re-
cord of his services, as given from his
recollection only, is as follows:
In 1862 he was awakened from his
sleep on board the schooner n. Ward
by cries for help. He sprang into the
water, sculled away in the direction of
the sound, and rescued six men, the crew
of the yacht Tornado, with Captain
Edmund Tarbell, whose boat had sunk
under them while attempting to come
ashore. Three months afterward Mr..
Coyne saved the lives of three boys,
whose sailboat had capsized. The next
fall the dory of two clam diggers was
run down by a yacht and capsized, and
Mr.. Coyne was on hand in time to res
cue them. The following spring, at
Long Island wharf, he saved three men
whose boat had been jibed too suddenly,
and the next August two little boys got
beyond their. depth at the Point, and
would have drowned but for him.
Shortly after, while four soldiers were
on their way from Fort Indepen-
dence, their boat was overturned, and
Mr.. Coyne, who was out cunning in his
dory, saved them from watery grave.
A year after this two young men, named
Med and Lovace, entangled their
rowboat in chain. were overturned
into the water and were rescued by
Coyne. Next he rescued two children
who had waded out beyond their. depth.
A few months later he saved four men
whose boat had been swamped off the
Point in a heavy sea. In July, 1871, ne
left the race in which he was a com.
petitor with his yacht Water Lily, and
saved the crew of four of the yacht
Hebe, for which he received a handsome
testimonial from the Dorchester Yacht
Club. Six months afterward Mr.. Coyne
and Capt. Andrew Thurfein put off in
rowboat and rescued man whose
boat had upset off Fort Independence.
In 1872 Capt. NJ. J. Kiley's yacht was
capsized in a squall near Fort Indepen-
dence. Mr.. Coyne was one of the crew.
and, after being in the water over an
hour, swan to a boat manned by Green
hands, clambered on board, and saved
his companions. who were nearly ex-
hausted. Last year he saved six persons,
whose boat had been swamped of the
Point. He also rescued a boy who was
nearly strangled by having his head
caught in the broken panel of a door
and last year, as he was passing the yard
of the Fourth street primary school, he
discovered little boy with his neck be-
tween two iron rails of the yard fence,
and took him from his position by the
aid of a jackscrew.
On one occasion, as MIR. Coyne was
standing on the wharf in the moonlight
q somnambulistic soldier marched down
past him, looking neither to the right MOI
left. The soldier reached the end of the
wharf, and step or two more would
have carried him into the water: Mr.
Coyne called. "Halt! Right about face
Forward, march! The soldier obeyed
and marched back up the wharf as
solemnly as he came. MIR. Coyne has
also stopped number Of runaway
horses. either by riding or running along
side ofthem, or planting himself directly
in front ofthem, and watching his chance
to seize them by the hit or rein, and thus
preventing the death or injury ofthe oc-
cupants Of the carriages. He has kept
no record of his feats, and has never
asked or received any reward. except the
testimonial of the Dorchester Yacht
Club. His only desire is the establish
ment of lifeboat at City Point, with
which he may more safely and surely
continue the work in which fortune has
so favored him.-MeD York Sun.