Smyrna times., 1889-09-18
Visiting the Wrscking Scene.

Lewes was a centre of attraction last |
week to see the effects Of the storm |
and the twenty or thirty vessels that |
were streWn along its beach fronting |
the Breakwater. Between thirty-fve
and forty went from this town on
Thursday, embracing men of every
occupation. There was an indication
of a cessation of the rain at starting
time, but instead, shifting OF the wind
to the East brought larger and more
frequent drops, and the two or more
hours there was rather dismal as far as
the weather was concerned, but full of
interest otherwise. They mostly went
provided with gum coats and boots,
but the wind made the rain very
searching, and there was not one per-
haps who was not wet in some part of
the body. Some who had on old rub
Der coats found them of little prOtec-
ton against the force of the wind. One
man of the party had neither gum coat,
boots, Overcoat or umbrella, clad in
light summer suit, and he prOfessed to
be the dryest one of the company on
the return trip, and he kept up all the
time with the procession. A wag ac-
counted for this on the score that he
was so thin he could get between the
drops.
They were too late by a day to see
the work of the Life Saving Station.
The wind had lulled and the waves
and ocean had resumed its natural
condition. The ships that were
stranded along the beach, some of them
at the high water line were mostly
intact, the crews having been rescued
the day before. The woman whom
our correspondent spoke of last week
as being lashed to the vessel and in
the attitude of prayer when darkness
closed in on the fearful scene, was res
cued the next morning, and like the
most of those whose crafts were cast
on the shore, came up on the railroad
a day or two after. The Life Saving
Station crew claim that the sailors
wrecked near Lev es were saved with
out the loss of life, though some of
them were in the rigging all Tuesday
and part of Wednesday. While our
visitors were there the Life Saving
boat came in with n crew Of nine men
taken from a vessel eight or ten miles
up the bay, these men having been up
in the rigging exposed to all the fierce
ness of the storm for fOrty-eight hours.
! Our men present lent a helping hand
at the rope in pulling the boat up on
the beach. AS they stepped from the
boat they were surrounded by eager
listeners who wanted to know the
perils they had passed through, and
the captain answered them as was nat.
ural for one who had been for two
days suspended in pelting storm,
over rushing billOws without food or
warmth, briefly without going into
minuti9, what they had passed
through. When he had finished one of
the listeners ventured the question,
"Did you lose her, Captain?" Lose
her." roared the captain, "lOse her,
didn't just tell how she went to the
! bottom and we were only saved by
clinging to the topmasts," the ques-
! TONER i'll the meantime Withdrawing to
| the outer circle of the company with
lips sealed for the rest of the day, the
captain finishing up with that express
i've language which sailors are so prone
to use in the time of bright skies and
| gentle breeZes.
The company that started from here
with nearly a carload was augmented
by fifteen or twenty from Dover Tin
Guiding four or five ladies who were
brave enough to take the walk of a
mile or more to the beach) others
from Camden, Milford, &c, two cars
being about filled when Lewes was
reached. Friday, several others went
from here, but more from the towns
below, the train when it reached its
destination being about as well loaded
as it was the day before. They had
no rain to encounter while there, and
could thus get about better and see
more, but they came home minus the
individual experiences of the gum coat
company of the day before.
The thrilling scenes of wrecking
during the storm were given week
ago in the dailies and are thus in {
measure old the list of wrecked craft.
is given on our first page.