The Portland daily press., 1883-02-01
PERILs OF THE SEA.
Maine Sailors Rescued by Virginia SURF
men.

The surfmen at Smiths Island, on the North
Daily, of Augusta, Me-, stranded on the night
OF the 7th instant. On the following day Mr..
Cobb's wreckers went on board in spite of the
protestation of Keeper Kitchens of the Life
service. That night the storm was terrific.
The suvfmen succeeded 10 reaching a point op-
posite the wreck, on which were the sailors
and wreckers, at q. m 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 enable the surfmen to determine
more accurately the position of the vessel. 1t
was determined to make an attempt to rescue
them with the boat, but after proceeding 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 attempt was made by
those on board to get the the line, it was haul
cd in by the surfmen, and each time 1t parted
Two more efforts to shoot the line over the
wreck proved unsuccessful, owing to a strong
aiverse wind and the frozen condition of the
line, which caused it to part before it reached
the destined point. Had the the line been
thrown full across the vessel it would have
svailed naught, as Mr. Cobb stated that they
were too bepumbed with cold to have hauled
it on board, even if it had been placed in their
hands.
Seeing then that the only hope Of saving the
imperiled men lay in reaching them with
the surf boat Keeper Kitchens and his crew,
as soon as the e5bing tide allowed them to
to launch, set out through the storm and the
sea, which was running half-mast high, TO the
rescue OF the nine men Give of the schconer's
and four of the Cobb Wrecking Company who
had been left on the stranded 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 ter
rible storm without fire or food, drenched TO
the skin from their first effort to board the ves-
sci, and keeping their fee; 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 perious Jour-
nsy, 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 run
ming so 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 the wreck, and this time
they succeeded.
One of the men on the wreck, Edward Hun
ter of Maine, the steward of the schooner, who
refused to go up in the rigging had been
washed overheard and lost about dsybreak. The
remaining eight men were carried away four
at time-dreadfully benumbed by their long
exposure to the cold. Richard Gordon, men,
ber of the Cobb wrecking crew, died from the
effects of exposure just about the time he
reached the shore.-l Onancock Virginian.