Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-03-15
With the Bahama Wreckers-

At about we were aroused ry a
great noise of shouting and shrie6iRG
i'll the settlement. We rushed out in
airy apparel to discover the cause Of
the excitement, and found that Il LARGE
taree-masted schooner was ashore on
the MOSelle shOal. we'll in Sirat of the
settlement. Through glass y could
see that the waves were d.siIing over
the vessels decks, and dark masses,
groups of men, were to be seen in the
rigging. We could do nothing, and
had simply to be spectators of the
scene. The men of the settlement
were already getting their schooners
under way for the race to the wreck,
which was to decide who should be
wreckmaster. The women were shout
ing, dancing, embracing one another
and praying Qiterally) that it might
be Il general cargo" the most valua-
bic of all, Soon the boats rounded
the point of the island, and then be-
gan IN exciting race. Suddenly a
tremendous squall appeared on the
northern horizon, and rapidly adj
vanced. The schooners quickly took
in all sail, all but one, the May Queen.
Her crew, apparently maddened by
the wrcckiGg fever, kept her under
full sail, even the staysail being set.
The squall struck her, and over on her
side she went, her sails preventing her
from turning bottom upward. Her
crew, at first thrown into the sea,
clambered up on the side above water,
and stood there waving piteously for
help. But not one of the schooners,
which had resumed the race the mo-
ment the squall was past, stopped rae
ing to rescue them. 1t was not until
the race was over, and the admiral,
an old acquaintance of mine, had won
the coveted distinction, that the crew
of the May Queen were rescued from
their dangerous position-a matter of
no great difficulty. On shore the Joy
full cries of the women over the
wreck" were at this episode changed
to shrieks and bowls of grief, for OF
first no enc knew which of the boats
had capsizad. But during the whole
time not one word of pity for the crew
of the American schooner, though they
were in a position compared to which
that of the May Queens crew was
Cullu pldN EOI GuG Illuc all hluUll
feeling for people in distress which
the Bahama negroes are not ordinar-
lily deficient-had gone; greed and
covetousness filled its place.
During the day the crew of the Adj
miral, the wreckmaster's boat, showed
an example of pluck and daring which
may serve as a relief to the dark pict-
ure have drawn. For several hours
the little schooner stayed at the wreck,
attached to it by line from her stern.
and along this line the captain and
crew of the Florence Genovar, rs size
turned out to be named, were hauled
one by one with their sails and stores.
The sea was tremendous and the little
ship rolled as if each roll would be hcr
last, but the crew perseVered until all
that was possible had been done, and
then set sail and arrived in Alice Town
in the afternoon. None of the other
schooners made any attempt to assist
her in her difficult task.
When it was found that the Florence
Genovar was not loaded with ''gen-
eral cargo" but with coal, the least
valuable cargo to wreckers, the eX-
element subsidized wonderfully and
people had rather ali injured air in
talking of it, as if they had been cheat
ed out of their due.-Nea0 York ITi-
GN27e.