The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1884-07-20
THE LATE GENERAL BA6cocK,
A Graphic Account Of the Accident Which
Caused His Death.
charleston News and Courier.

charleston News and Courier.1
Colonel Il. b. Smith, of the Lighthouse
Board, who was with General Babcock
when the latter was drowned in Mosquito
Inlet, Fla. told the story of the disaster to
a reporter. He said the Pharos kept off
Mosquito Inlet from Saturday evening un.
I'll Monday morning, as the Captain
thought an entrance impracticatle. "At
twelve O'Clock, however," said Colonel
Smith, "a large whaleboat, manned by six
sailors and a coXswain, came out aud
boarded the vessel. The General, think
ing that as the boat came out so easily she
could return with equal safety, changed
his mind, and decided to make the at
tempt. He, Luckey, Suter and myself got
in with the seven seam n, making four
landsmen and seven sailors in all who
started. OF the four landsmen l alone
lived to reach the shore. The boat made
headway enough until we passed the
bar buoy. Then roller struck us,
which we weathered all right. On the
crest Of the second roller the steering oar
snapped in two, and the coxswain was
WASHED overheard. The boat then filled.
The third roller brought the coxswain back
to the boat and he was saved By this
time the boat had turned over. We passed
line lengthwise her keel to hold on by,
and all of us grasped II and held on while
sea after sea washed over US. These seas
were about 100 feet apart, which allowed
us Ii tie breathing spell between them.
For a quarter of an hour this struggle with
the waves continued, and do not hesitate
to say that cooler and braver set of men
ali I
Not a man asked for help, though we fire.
quently assisted each other when we saw
help was needed and we could possibly do
so. There was none of that cowardly
showing aside, and fighting for the best
positions, which is too often witnessed
when life is the priz, contended for. We
were washed away from the boat time and
again, hut another wave would take us
back. At one time General Babcock was
swept off and the next wave failed to
bring him all the way back to the boat.
He foated near it, however, and by
clinging to the rope with my left hand
managed to reach him with the tips
of the fingers of my right hand. Finally
got his hand into mine and pulled him
up on the boat again. Soon after this
noticed that Mr. H. p. Luckey was eS-
hausted, and moment afterward he gave
up and was swept away. As he floated of
he appeared to me to be unconscious.
Very shortly after the drowning of
Luckey, the wind and tide, which had
been setting in shore all the time, took Us
into the surf. In the surf Suter and Gen.
eral Babcock both gave out and were
drowned, and soon after them one of the
men, also. All of us had been washed
from the boat. The last saw of General
Babcock before his body came ashore he
was floating away face downward. con-
cluled, as did the rest, that if remained
in the surf, | should be killel by the boat,
so | made for tho shore, followed by the
rest | could not see the shore, but knew
the breakers were going in and followed
them. But the trouble was when we would
touch bottom the undertow would whirl
us out to sea again. l made effort after
effort to gain foothold, and, ii had not
succeeded when | did, should have been
too much exhausted to make another ef-
fort"