The Osceola times., 1883-03-03
HEROES OF THE COAST.
Remarkable Rescue Of Men by surfrnen
the Lower Peninsula.
Onaneock yirvinian

Remarkable Rescue Of Men by Surfinen
the Lower Peninsula.
Onancock virginian.
The surfmen at Smiths Island, on the
Northampton shore, rescued the crew of
the Albert Daily, ofAugusta, Me-, on the
night of the 7th instant. On the follow
ing day Mr.. Cobb's wreckers went on
board in spite of the protestation of
Keeper Kitchens, ofthe Life Service.
That night the storm was terrific. The
surfmen succeeded in reaching a point
opposite the wreck, on which were the
sailors and wreckers, at IL A. NJ. of the
9th. Only the masts appeared in dim
outline, while the hull was completely
submerged.
Several Coston signals were burned to
cheer the men on the wreck and to en-
able the surfmen to determine more ac-
curately the position of the vessel. 1t
was determined to make an attempt to
rescue them with the boat, but after pro-
ceeding some distance the surfmen could
see nothing of the schooner and were
forced to return to the shore.
When it was light enough to see the
vessel the safety line, discharged from
the Lyle gun, was twice thrown across
the jibboom of the vessel, but as no at
tempt was made by those on board to get
the line it was hauled in by the surfmen,
and each time it parted. Two more cf-
forts to shoot the line over the wreck
proved unsuccessful, owing to a strong
adverse wind and the frozen condition
of the line, which caused it to part be-
fore it reached the destined point. Had
the line been thrown across the vessel, it
would have availed naught, as Mr.. Cobb
stated that they were too benumbed
with cold to have hauled it on board,
even if it had been placed in their hands.
Seeing then that the only hope of saw
ing the imperiled men lay in reaching
them with the surf boat, Keeper Hitch
ems and his crew, rs soon as the cbbing
tide allowed them TO launch, set out
through the storm and the sea, which
was running halfmast high, to the res
cue of the nine men five of the schoon-
er's and four of the Cobb Wrecking Com
pany), who had been left on the strand
cd vessel and who could now be seen
lashed to the rigging.
Keeper Kitchens and his men, though
they had been out on the beach all night
in the terrible storm without fire or food
drenched to the skin from their first cf-
fort to board the vessel, and keeping
their feet from freezing only by wading
in the salt water of the sea, yet rushed
with alacrity TO their duty. The boat was
launched and started on its perilous jour
ney, but the current was so strong that
the men were cut TO leeward and the
boat forced inshore. Launching the boat
again they got far enough out to reach
the line which was fast on board the
wreck, but the sea was running 80 high
that it was snatched from the hands of
the men who held it, and again they
were driven ashore. Another powerful
effort was made to reach tfe wreck, and
this time they succeeded.
One of the men of the wreck, Edward
Hunter, of Maine, the steward of the
schooner, who refused to 90 up in the
rigging, had been washed overheard and
lost about daybreak. The remaining
eight men were carried ashore--four at
a time-drcadfully benumbed by their
long exposure to the cold. Richard Cor
don member of the Cobb wrecking
crew, died from the effects of exposure
just about the time he reached the shore.