The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1880-02-13

weeks after the accident the body OF 4
Smith was found and decently inferred |
by the citizens of Empire city, ssUncle |
Davy" making the coffin; but the body
of Elliott never wsss given up by the
treacherous sea, and the "curlew's rest
less cry is the only requiem chanted
above his watery resting place.
We safely returned to Empire City;
but the sudden and tragical taking off
of two noble, generous men in the full
bloom of health had an effect upon all
who witnessed it that couldlnot be shaken
off in a day. And even now, at times,
comes viyidly before me the scene of
those two struggling bravely for life
midst the breakers of Coos Bay bar
struggling against hope; endeavoring to
avert destiny that could not be averted.
Capt. Elliott! No truer, nobler man
have I met. A true son of the sea, a
careful and courageous captain, gentle
man of fine feeling, and-an honest man.
May he ever rest in peace meath the
breakers of that ''harbor bar" until
that day when the s'sea shall give up its
Dead" then may it be my lot to meet
him and to know him on the other shore,
as I knew him in the walks of life; Tor
he was truly friend.
About year after the above event l
was again visiting Coos Bay, and was in
yited by Capt Magee to take trip on
| the Escort over the bar. Not being well,
| declined; beside the image of the catas-
trophe I had before witnessed came too
painfully to memory. At this time some
thirty vessels were lying at anchor in the
lower bay, awaiting favorable depth OF
water to pass over the bar, and
this day it had been arranged for both
tugs, the Escort and Fearless the latter
having been put on this bar in place of
the G. j. Brennan, which had been as
signed to the Columbia bar work. to go
| out and sound. As was usual on such
occasions, the captains of the different
vessels were anxious to proceed to sea,
and several of them concluded to go
them one Capt. Nissen, of the schooner
| Twilight He was a fine young man,
and had just returned from s'the old
country" with young wife, and this was
| his first trip since his return. He stood
| high IN the estimation of his employers
and was beloved by his crew, and all who
knew him appreciated his worth as a
friend and gentleman.
He, like Capt. Elliott, was anxious to
sail for San Francisco, and went to take
look at the bar. Everything went we'll
and when the bar was reached it was not
what one used to the sea would call
trough" although it was breaking. The
Escort was in the lead, and unmindful
of danger, Captain Nissen and Captain
Lorenson, of the schooner Letitia, stood
side by side on the house, engaged in ar
animated conversation. Suddenly the
waters began to rise and in an instant the
Escort was completely buried under the
weight of a treacherous breaker, an6
Capt. Nissen was foundering in tht
wrathful waters of that cruel bar.
Captain Lorensen would have shared
, the same fate but for the presence O
mind of Captain McGee. AS the waite
, swept past him, he felt-for he could no
J see an object going past him which h
, instinctively grasped and held firm unit
the boat recovered from the shock, whel
) he found he had rescued human bein,
7 from certain destruction. Too mucl
: cannot be said in praise of the nerve dis
: played by Capt. McGee, and all WIN
know him will testify that for stamin
, and true courage in times of danger
Capt. MCGEE has but few equals and nj
l superiors. He is surely the right mai
in the right place.
7 After the Escort had been relieved o
/ the water, attention was turned to Capt
Nissen. To turn the tug upon the ba
| was an utter impossibility, but as h
l could be seen swimming, and the Fear
5 less was short distance astern, it ap
: peared reasonable that he would b
; saved, SO the Escort steamed over tn
bar, turned and started toward the strug
CLING man. Life preservers from bot
boats were thrown him, but it seemed a
= though the fates had combined agains
him, for some drifted almost within hi
, grasp and were washed past upon tn
angry billows. The current had takel
the man toward the North spit, and jus
as he became exhausted the Fearles
!, came up and threw him life buoy ant
line, both of which he missed, though
the buoy he missed by only an arm
length. During this trying ordeal Capt
Nissen never uttered word. Capt. Hill
saw that only one chance was left. Tt
lower small boat was impossible, an(
the only chance was to get as close as pos
sible and try the line once more.
Amos Herring, the mate, commonly
called 'Jersey'), had another idea, an6
when the tug neared the drowning man
he slipped bow line over his body an6
giving the end to a. bystander said
"When catch him pull us up along
side" He instantly jumped overheard
but too late! just as he reached the mar
he sank to rise no more, and Jersey
was hauled on board more dead thar
alive. His act was rewarded, as was also
Capt. Hills, by the Master Mariners AS
sociation with gold medal, but money
nor trinkets can ever repay such heroic
acts as were that day enacted upon Coos
Bay bar, in order to save human life.
The name of Amos Herring deserves to
be placed high up on the list of heroes,
and his brave deed of imperilling his
own life to save that of another should
stand forth in all its brilliancy for ages
to come, and should be so preserved that
his children and grandchildren may point
with pride to Amos Herring, their ances-
tor, as a hero of the Nineteenth Century.
Every effort was made to save Captain
Nissen, but all in vain, and after twenty
minutes of hard struggling for life he
was numbered among the dead of Coos
Bay bar, and the next steamer bore to
San Francisco the terrible news that his
young wife was widow, for all that was
mortal of Capt. Nissen lay low at the
bottom of the sea. His body never came
ashore, and the probabilities are that as
the tide turned ebb shortly after he sank
that it was carried out to sea-
/ Such is the history of two incidents
l~zA l. Il