Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1880-06-03
Misftllantous.
Wreck Of The DAVID II. Tolck.

FRoN TIE
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The ssdiest ship~rrck Of ihs wear ~as
that Of the David II. Tolok. involving = IL
did the los. Of i've lives. although sII were
saved, and riyetins the attention Of the
country for man, DAYS by the circumstance
Of the rescue Of little child on board whose
parents psrlshed.
The sessel vas q three -mAsted schooner
Of AS tons, bound from SAguA Ia GrAnde,
Cuba. for New York. with . cargo Of sugar.
She stranded on the bar Of Long Beach.
Nex Jersey. ., three O'Clock in the morning
Of February a6, 1879, having on board
eleven persons. These were crew Of eigh,
men the captain, Irving T. Sawyer; bis
wife, Ms. Ida Sawyer; and their little girl,
Gene,ra, eighteen months old
AT frat sight. as the yeAael struck within
10 wards Of the bearh, and only half mile
from the nearest life saving station, il ~otied
seem TO have been. despite the heavy surf
thru prevailing. a comparatively easy task
20 have saved every ono on board by the
ifr-lines, all the more that the weather was
not particularly stormy. There were. more
over. three life saving crews upon the beach
during the progress of operstions. compris-
ing in their number surfInen OF unQuestion.
able experience and ability, and among the
fifty spectators present there were experts
whose names upon the coast are certificates
Of professional skill in dealing with the sea,
and whose advice and suggestions were
available. There appears TO have been no
disposition TO spare effort, nor were con-
.taney and heroism wanting, yet the bitter
endeavor ai rescue lasted q whole day and
va. half bafhed, when upon similar ocos-
sions. and under apparently worse eondi-
tions. dsliverance has been the work of an
hour and five persons perished whom a,
dawn there ~as every apparent reason to
think would soon be safely drawn TO land.
At the time il wAs freely charged that the
s,randing of the vessel vas due to the cap
tAin's mis,aking a patrolman's lantern for
Barnegai Light and steering his course &C
cordingly. This. however. vas not the case.
as the evidence taken in the course Of the
official investigation which followed the
wreck clearl. established. The light r-
fered to was seen by the captain when be
must have been about four miles from shore,
and that he could have confouuded the lofty
brilliance Of Barnegat, which is aash-light
bursting out every ten seconds from the
summit Of q tower i65 feet high, with the
twinkle of lantern creeping along the low
beach in the hand Of watehnan, Is . pssen,
absurdity The evidence indicates that the
captain. when about four miles from land
supposing himself To be about seventeen,
mistook the Tucker's Beach Assh-light for
,ha, Of Barnegat, and, therefore, changed
his course too soon. Even then, however.
his error would not have proved fatal had
soundings been regularly taken As they
should have been vhen appsoaching % near
the land; but the evidence Of the surviving
officers shows that the lead had not been
hove since the previous forenoon. C0nse-
quently, the rapid shozling Of the water vas
not detected, and the first intimation Of peril
vas received when the vessel, running be-
fore the wind under all sail. at the rate Of
eight knots an bouy. styueH With = crash.
hard and FAST aground, and the rough sess
At once began to break over her from end to
end. .....+,f- ....s -.tsr
The misfortunes which give an air Of f.
taiity to this shipwreck seems to have begun
with the very beginning Of the movement
for rescue. The pstrolmsn Of Life-saving
Station No. 10, vss on the beach nearly
abreast Of the vessel IS she game on an OBJ
lique course tossld the land, and although
it vas very dark he sav her running hghis,
and, understanding her peril. swung his
lantern. the instructive danger -sigual prac-
ticed by beschmen. The startled haste With
which he did this put Out the light In an
instant he snatched C0ston signal from his
Asyersack, THRUST II into the holder, end
struck the pIuager. which. BY percussion.
ignitss the cartridge. But in the hurry, in
duced by his sense Of the immediate nscss-
atty Of warning the weasel to tack and stand
away from the shore, he had failed to se-
curely fasten the cartridge in the clamp Of
the holder, and - it blassd up il Aev from
the socket under the stroke Of the plunger.
and fell upon the beach, where i vas at
once quesched BY an ineoning wave. The
aecident vas of little Consequence. for the
noaensmy signal vas seen on board the
vvasa, TO hts, hovsyss, ics q Tie zane