Daily Republican., 1884-12-03


Il REHoBofH BEACH, DEL, !
VI November 30, 1884. I
"The wild wsves thunder on tn shtre
eI Tho curlow's restless cries,
IL Unto my Watching heart are more
Than all earth's I7elodies."
BALLAD" Lone Rock by the Sea
Il DEAR REPUBLICAN The, all-at
sorbing topic here. and hereabOuts,
the wonderful escape from death of th
young pilots, Bertrand, OF Cape Hen
lopen, and his sailor companion, Han
sen, and the tragical death and mutila
tior Of their other comrxde Swanzen Il
their lonely fight for existence on th
terrible tempestuous waves Of the uceal
from .. IN. Monday until rescued OF
Wednesday afternoon. Some condemn
and some excuse the resort TO canni
bslism to support their lives, their de
tenders being sea-faring men, many O
whom have had adventures Of grsa
peril and hardship, and know full vel
the terrible agony and delirium Of per
sons compelled to abstain for many
hours and even for days without food
or fresh water, and when 1t is held IN
mind that they had partaken OF no nour.
'shment since Sunday night, they can
scarcely be considered responsible fol
their actions, although poor Bertrand
seems to think ne resN2ned hisaeason.
Their sufferings have brought TO the
surface the recitals Of many dreadful
occurrences of shipwreck and suffering
common enough on the coast, and
exciting little surprise, but sounding
dreadful TO residents Of the peaceful
interior, where sea and sailors are little
known.
When the hospitable doors of cosy
hotel Henlopen inhospitably closed upon
us last Summer, We bade 1t adieu with
fond regrets, but, determining TO see
old ocean In his wrath during the
eQuinoctial storms Of Septemb ber, wa
sought out our present delightful 20.
journing place, amid the kindest OF
friends, within sight and easy access to
the beach and sea, and, although the
September gale failed to come, yet we
were amply rewarded for our stay by
the most beautiful nioonlit EVENING"
imaginable, with delightful rambles on
the shore from Henlopen Light to Re.
hObOth bay and beyond and now re-
turn for Thanksgiving festivities In old
Sussex County, where hospitality rules
| In truly said that the visitor no sooner
alights at the front door than the squeak
of poultry prepared for their entertain
ment is heard in the kitchen. The
sentiment is prettier than the language,
but it is characteristic of the people.
We missed the expected storm, but
that OF Sunday last was powerful in its
fury, with wind and waves terrific and
disastrous, wrecking vessels and other
wiHe destructive, beside driving the
pilots skiff a hundred miles seaward,
after putting the pilots on the inbound
s'eamer. In our visit to coast water ing
places @e have witnessed death and
d disaster, particularly inwinter trips, and
made the acquaintance Of pilots and
others who follow the dangerous, but
fasciDat ng life on the ocean. A few
years age we saw the Bremen barque
Hannah" wrecked here, One bitter
ing down the bay sixty miles an hour
which is just hurricane speed. Atday-
light the vessel tore cut The windlass,
killipg the carpenter Instantly and In
juring q sailor seriously, and drove from
her anchorage across the bays mouth,
grounding mile off Cape May Light
Houte, and by noon driving a few
miles seaward TO Somer' shoal, whence
she broke up and disappeared q week
afterwards, no one knowing what be-
came of her All day We watched the
doomed vessel with telescopes from the
upper windows of hetel, but too far
away to see persons ON board.
Several pilots, sea captains and life
saving station officer were present, but
to our inquiries If it was possible to
board the vessel and save the crew, they
said not, as no human arms could pull
an oar In such q gale, but the force OF
the wind had blown the Baa down until
1t was as level as river, yet when the
waves did strike the barQue's bow it
threw spray high in the rigging. The
foremast was gone, and the head. gear,
and all day q flag of distress was flying
from the spanker Raff, but no vessel
was in sight on the ocean except little
Lorillard steam propeller, caught out
on her way from New York to Phila
delphia, running for harbor here at
the Breakwater, and not daring to aid
the wreck, as she would have gone on
the shOal, and 1t was too stormy to use
boats. The gale abated before sundown,
and We saw the steamer Manhattan, o
the Clyde Line between New York and
Philadelphia, 20 out and rescue the
crew, who came in their own boats To-
the steamer, and were landed here ex-
cept the wounded sailor, who was taken
to the Marine Hospital at New York, 1t
being said his back was broken.
The youthful pilot of the tarque was
an acquaintance of ours, and told US
after ward OF their dreadful suspense all
day ,ex expecting every moment the barque
would 20 to pieces and drown them all,
and in the evening they left so hur-
ried " that vest coDtaininga valuable
gold watch and hundred dollars In
money was left hanging in the deck
cabin, and was found undisturbed by q
life. saving crew from Cape May that
made . brief visit next morning, but
hurried ashore on finding no one but
the dead man on board, carefully COW
cred up by his shipmates with tar
paulin, and horne away later for burial
leaving a family to mourn him in
distant Europe. This boats crew de-
parted precipitately, for the weather
was foreboding and they feared being
driven to sea. The Hannah was bound
from Philadelphia for Bremen. and
load ed with coal oil, most of which
was saved by wrecking schooners. but
the iron lower masts punched holes in
the vessel and many barrels went out
through the apertures. as she rolled and
tossed on the shoal and came ashore
here and elsew here. We saw some OF
them.
At another time we saw two sailors
bodies brought from the bottom of u
steamers small boat, where they per.
ished from exposure, their five com pan.
ions drowning alongside. A pilot
boats crew brought them ashore for
INQUEST and burial. They looked so
calm and peaceful, and their bodies not
boing at all rigid it was hard to believe
them dead, and we had the temerity to