Connecticut western news., 1884-06-18
DEATH IN THE BREAKERS. THE TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE OF
 ELEVEN MEN. Particulars of the Drowning of Gen. BRb- cock and Mir. Levi F. LuclseY.

ELEVEN MEN.
 Particulars of the Drowning of Gen. BRb-
 cock and Mir. Levi F. LuckeY.
 Col. B. B. Smith, of the Lighthouse Department, gives the following story of the disaster in Florida:
 "The lighthouse tender Pharos sailed from Charleston May 2S bound for Mos- quito Inlet, Fla, having on board Gen. O. E. Babcock, Messrs. Suter, Luckey aud myself, besides tho crew. Of Tybee we were struck by northeastcr, 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. Johu's bar for a tug to tow us into Mos- quito Inlet. We did telegraph Tor the tug, and then set sail for Mosquito h. let, where we arrived on Saturday even- ing. We keptoff the inlet untl Monday morning. occasionally running near enough to sec if we could get in. That morning we anchored about half a mile off the outer buoy, in order to attempt the passage in boat. Capt. Anderson 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 a 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 reported to Gen. Blb- cock, who concluded not to make the attempt that day. At 12 o'clock, how ever, large whaleboat, manned by six sailors and 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 Ian dsmen and seven sailors in all who started. Of the four lands men alone lived to reach the shore. The boat made headway enough until we passed the bar buoy. Then a roller struck us, which we weathered ali 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 a little breathing spell between them. For a quarter of an hour this struggle with the waves con- tinued, and do not hesitate to say that a cooler and braver set of men under such circumstances I never saw. Not a man asked for help, though we fre- duently 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 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 of, and the next wave failed to bring him all the way back to the boat; he foated near it, however, and by elinging to the rope with my left hand, I managed to reach him with the tips of the fingers of my right hand. Finally I got his hand into mine and pulled him up on the boat again. Soon after this noticed that Mir. l.. F. Luckey was exhausted, and a moment afterward he gave up and was swept away. As he floated 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 saw of Gen. Babcock, before his body came ashore, he was floating away face down. ward. concluded, as did the rest, if l remained in the surf would be killed by the boat, so I made for the shore fol- lowed by the rest. could not see the the shore, but knew the breakers were going in and I followed them. But the trouble was when we would touch bot tom the undertow would whirl us out to sea again. made effort after effort to gain foothold, and if had net suc- ceeded when I did I would have been too exhausted to make another effort. "