Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-12-02
SAVED FROM THE DEEP.
Noble Work Done by the Life Saving
Station of Portage City at
Marquette.
They Make the Run of 10 Miles and
Save Two Crews.
A Thrilling Experience.

A 1nrllllnS experience.
WASHINGTON, Nov. pa magnificent
story of daring and skill has come to the
Office of the life saving station. The
story is in the neager scraps of the driest
kind, but in these routine statements
there is the basis for a thrilling novel.
1t is tale of shipwreck and saving of
peculiarly difficult circumstances of
the greatest feats ever performed by any
life-saving crew in the service of the gov
eminent. Several days ago two propsl-
Iers were wrecked of the port of Mar
quetts in Lake Superior during fearful
storm, and were driven on the rocks, over
which the breakers pounded furlously.
There were no passengers on board, but
they were manned by a crew of twelve
men each. The boats were making their
last trip for the season. The vessels
were wrecked early in the day. There is
no life-saving station at Marquette, the
nearest being Portage City, ITO miles
away.
THE STORM
was one of the bleakest and coolest,
euualing in lowness of temperature some
of the most bitter in midwinter. The
water of this lake is extremely cold, even
in midsummer. The people of Marquette
turned out in great excitement when they
saw these vessels driven upon the rocks
within three miles of the town. The
propellors did not break up at once after
they had become lodged, but from the
fury of the waves and the storm 1T was
evident that they could last but short
time. The citizens made frantic endeaV-
ors to go to the rescue of the two crews,
who appealed to them through signals of
distress, but there was no boat IN Mar
ouette which could live in the waves then
beating on the shore.
After number of efforts to commEn1-
cate with the wrecked vessel, the people
despaired of reaching them, and stood
watching, expecting every moment that
they would give way. The president of
the Marquette, Ontonagon and Portage
roilroad, which runs between Marquette
and Portage City,
CAME TO TINE RESCUE
at the last moment, dashed to the tele-
graph Office and notified Portage City to
clear the track of all trains. Then he
called for the superintendent of the
life-saving station at that point. He said
to him:
and a car for your life-boat, The track
is clear ahead of you. Come on as SOON
as you can get your men and boat ready.
Twenty five lives are hanging upon the
promptness of your action.
The superintendent was an energetic
and plucky man as is known to the SER
vice. The pair of horses belonging to
the station were quickly harnessed to the
wagon and the life-boat placed thereon.
The crew then entered the boat, and twas
driven to the railroad station. In the
briefest possible time box-car was run
down to the station and the life-boat and
crew were placed upon it. The engineer,
who had received another dispatch from
tho president of the road by this time to
hurry to the full top of his speed, pulled
the throttle of the engine wide open and
the special train dashed away on its
errand of mercy at a
FRIGHTFUL SPEED.
There is no record in the Office of the
time made by this fast-fying train be-
yond the fact that it was the swiftest ever
made by life-saving crew from any sta
ton to a distant point. 1t is also the
longest distance ever travelled by such
crew for such purpose.
Ihe story endS dDruPtly III prle1 cnaP
ter which tells that the crew arrived at
Marquette before the wrecked vessels had
given way, and that the captain and his
crew saved every one of the twenty-four
men, who had given up absolutely all
hope, and would have been drowned with
in the next hour if it had not been for
the action of the railroad president and
the skill and courage of the life-saving
crew.