News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-07-10
DEATH IN THE BREAKERS.
THE TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE OF
ELEVEN MEN.
Particulars of the Drowning of Gen. Bah
cock and Mr.. Levi z. LucISey.

| L
Col. B. B. Smith, of the Lighthouse
Department, gives the following story ol
the disaster in Florida:
"The lighthouse tender Pharos sailed
from Charleston May % bound for Mos
quito Inlet, Fla, having on board Gen.
O. e. Babcock, Mes9rs. Suter, Luckey
and myself, besides the crew. OFF
Tybee We were struck by a northeaster,
which blew very hard until we anchored
| off st. Johns bar. Before leaving
Charlestown we had written to the tug
agent at Jacksonville, notifying him
that we would telegraph him from St.
Johns bar for tug to tow us into Mos
quito Inlet. We did telegraph for the
ting, and then set sail for Mosquito In
let, where we arrived on Saturday even
ing. We kept off the inlet until Monday
morning. occasionally running near
enough to see if we could get in. That
morning we anchored about half a mile
off the outer buoy, in order to attempt
did not think it would besafe to attempt
to go inside, but in order to ascertain
how matters stood, Capt. Anderson and
myself got into boat with six seamen
and proceeded to the outer bar buoy.
Capt. Anderson decided that an entrance
was impracticable, and we returned to
the vessel and so report ed to Gen. Bab-
cock, who concluded not to make the
attempt that day. At II o'clock, how
ever, large whaleboat, manned by six
sailors and a coxswain, came out and
boarded the vessel. The General, think
ing that as the boat came out SO easily
she could return with as much safety,
changed his mind and decided to make
the attempt. He, Luckey, Suter and
myself got in with the seven seamen,
making four landsmen and seven sailors
in all who started. o. the four lands
men I alone lived to reach the shore.
The boat made neadway 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 cox
swain 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 length
wise her keel to hold on by, and all OF
us grasped it and held on while sea after
sea washed over us. These seas were
about one hundred and fifty feet apart.
which allowed us little breathing spell
between them. For q quarter of an
| hour this struggle with the waves con-
tinued, and I do not hesitate to say that
q cooler and braver set of men under
| such circumstances I never saw. Not 6
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 bes
positions, which is too often witnessed
when life is the prize contended for. We
were washed away from the boat time
and again, but another wave would take
us back. At one time Gen. Babcock
was swept off, and the next wave failed
to bring him all the way back to the
boat: he foated near it, however, ard 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
I noticed that Mr.. L. P. Luckey was
exhausted, and moment afterward he
gave up and was swept away. AS he
foated off he appeared to me to be un-
conscious. 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. 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 I saw
of Gen. Babcock, before his body came
| ashore, he was floating away face down
ward. Iconcluded, as did the rest, if ]
remained in the surf I would be killed
by the boat, so I made for the shore fol-
lowed by the rest. could not see the
the shore, but I knew the breakers were
going in and 1 followed them. But the
trouble was when we would touch bot.
tom the undertow would whirl us out to
sea again. I made effort after effort to
gain foothold, and if had net sue
ceeded when I did I would have been
too exhausted to make another effort. "