The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-03-25
THE STORY OF THEIR RESCUE.
How the Men Lost From the A. n.
Duncan Were Saved,

The PRESS yesterday morning announced
the arrival of the A. III. Duncan with the
loss of four men, and the subsequent arrival
of the lost men at Boston. The Boston
Globe says;
In the cabin of the schooner Blue Jacket
were found the rescued men. They are
young, natives of the Azores, and gave their
names as Alfred M. Brown and Ambrose
Gracia, their residence Gloucester. Brown
spoke the better English of the two, and
from him it was learned that they started
from their vessel at Ii o'clock Wednesday
morning to tend their travis. Soon thick
snow storm set in, and after finishing their
work they started to find their vessel, but
row which way they might nothing was
when darkness shut down 1t was blowing a
gale. To make matters worse their souwest-
ers and mlttens were aboard their schooner
and they suffered fearfully from the intense
cold.
About o'clock that night the sea was run
ming very heavy, and worn out by their Ia
6ors OF the day they concluded to drag the
d0ry by fastening two trawl tubs to the end
OF the "painte.," and throwing them over
board. This helped to keep her head to the
with great force, struck the frail craft and
broke the two inch rope. Again they made
q drag, this time with their trawl and buoy
line, and about IL o'clock comber broke
over the dory flling her completely, wash
ing Brown and their oars overheard. Gra-
cia pulled Brown in after a hard tussle,
more dead than alive, but they could not re-
gam their oars. Their drag line had parted
and another was rigged to keep the dory's
head to the sea. but 1t went as did the others.
Seating himself amidships Brown faced the
storm and told his companion how to steer
the boat as she scudded before the gale,
while he freed the dory Of water
so intently did he watch the course of the
heavy seas through the flying snow that his
sight gave out, and by 8 O'clock the next
morning he was totally blind, and only re-
cognized Capt. Mcdonald by his voice when
he reached the side of the vessel.
What the thoughts of his dory mate must
have been can be better imagined than de-
scribed. There they were, in a frail dory,
10 miles from Boston light with nothing but
tne seats OF the boat to guide her safely
through the heavy c0mbers, and his blind
companion laboring for the life of both with
a bucket freeing the dory of water after the
heavy seas broke over her. Gracia SAYS that
when he sighted the schooner he spoke to
Brown and encouraged him to use the paddle,
for he was fast stiffening in his wet clothes,
and thinks that neither could have lived
many hours. The men were more than
thankful to Capt Mcdonald and his crew
for their kindness, and Officer Gerry of L
wharf telephoned for the police ambulance,
which removed the ffost-bitten men to the
Marine Hospital
Murdoch Quinley and Michael Hafey of
the Duncan were rescued by the schooner
John +. Nickerson, Capt. VIM. Spooner, and
prought to Boston Saturday morning. They
being lost at the same time the two others
were. They were in pitiable condition
when taken from their dory and almost
frozen to death.