Morning journal and courier., 1882-03-25
Saved at the Masthead.

FounderIng of the SIoop Dispatch Off l
 Long Tsland-OnIy the Mate Survives !
 By CIinGing to the Top of the Mast
 Saved By Steam Tug From New Ha-
 
 In binding snow storm the sloop Dis patch, of Cold Spring Harbor, foundered { about mile to the westward of Rye Po1nt l { l.. l., on Wednesday night, the captain and cook both perishing and the mate being saved only after a thrilling experience on the masthead of the sunken vessel. The Dis l patch is owned by MT. Oliver Jones, of Cold ] Spring Harbor and was employed in the
 brick carrying trade. The sloop yes sel of about sixty tons, and is said to have been somewhere in the neighborhood of forty | years old She was commar ded by Captain !
 Thomas Spring, and the crew consisted of the mate, William H. Gardner, and the cook, 1 William Holmes. At noon on Wednesday the
 Dispatch sailed from Cold Spring Harbor | with cargo of 30, 900 bricks, consigned to l Prince Nickerson, of this city Ordinarily it l would only take five hours to make the trip, but the wind was so uncertain that the after
 noon wore away without much progress be- ing made and when darkness came on the
 sloop was still off the Long Island shore,
 tacking under jib and mainsail to the chang
 ing breeze. At half past o'clock the wind
 had almost died out and few flakes of snow danced down upon the deck. The captain l was at the wheel and looked anxiously at the.
 leeward of the cabin ready for any
 emergency of which the calm
 might be the precursor The vessel was heading southwest and very light breeze rippled the water directly from the q westward. An instant later terrific snow
 her over on her side She shivered for 8
 moment, but before she could recover sec-
 | ond blast turned her completely over and the \ sails went into the water The captain shout < 1 ed to the mate and ran along the deck toward J the rigging, but as the sloop capsized pile
 ! of bricks on which he stood slid into the wa ter, carrying him along. The mate gave the alarm to the cook and heard the latter jump
 l from his berth below and rush for the deck,
 ! but as his face appeared at the head of the u stairway huge volume of water poured into
 ! the cabin and washed him back. The un- u u ! fortunate man went down with the yes t.sel. In the meantime the mate began to
 ! creep on his hands and knees along the mast, . l which was lying flat on the surface of the water. He knew that when the wreck went \ down the topmast would be the only place of ; ! safety, as it might stick out of the water. AS he struggled out on the rigging he saw his
 \ captain in the waves trying to swim against
 the strong tide and regain the deck from o which he had been washed. The captains !, lips were moving and the mate could heal II the words of prayer to the Almighty fo, ..e help.
 ,ss Gardner was in distressing situation. He n Y. dare not leave his place of safety, and the e ! rope he threw to the sinking could moi u reach him. At last tired out by his struggle ,+ Captain Spring threw hls hands up aud sank N0 By this time the sloop was entirely under
 ! water and was sinking slowly to the bottom
 As the hull descended the mate climbed the ! mast. When he reached the masthead anC " even that was submerged the shipwreckeo I man began to think that masts and all were n E going under and prepared himself for death e Just at that moment he felt the vessel ground IF ing on the bottom and knew that he wal if safe. The night was bitterly cold and the O l snow was driven into his face with such force . that he lost all of feeling. Blu If still he clung to the mast and shouted at tht Q top of his voice. He could see the lights or f shore at Rye Point twinkling about mile f. l away, and now and then the lights of
 steamer would gleam near by but pass or e without coming within hailing distance The |, cold became so intense that Gardner could q scarcely hold on to his rocking perch. Bu
 every time he looked at the surging wavei } underneath him he grasped the ropes in des h peration and renewed his cries for help. Al n one time the unfortunate fellow took his coa Q off and tried to set it on fire as 8 signal tt attract attention on the shore But the winc q was so strong that he could not light tht IF matches, of which he had an abundant sup
 ply in his pocket. Finally at half-past J. o'clock Captain Brown, of the tow steamer il ! Thomas Welsh, which her way tc
 Jersey City from New Haven, heard th' " shouts of the half frozen man on the mas J. and stopped his engines. By steaming slowl!
 in the direction of the voice he found Gard ID l ner. The steamer was backed close to th' r. mast and the mate was assisted on board {. ' where he recognized the captain and crew a s old friends and related his terrible adventure
 He was then brought to this city and sen e back to Cold Spring Harbor yesterday.
 r. Captain Spring, who was lost, was abou d forty years of age He was a resident O at Gold Spring Harbor, and leaves a wife ane
 one daughter fifteen years old. The cool L. was an unmarried man, aged about twenty 10 seven years.-Neao York Herald, 23d.