The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-02-28
STRUGGLING FOR LIFE
A sH.pWREcKED CREWS VAIN EF-
FORTS TO REACH LAND.

A SHlPWRECkEO CREWS VAIN eF-
FORTS TO REACH LAND.
Three 1Gan Drow1eA - the Eseky RhsAs
I.hra shore Within Tea Feet 81 Terra
RarmA A Vivid Dsseripsio. 81 m
Awfnl Stern.
William q. Burns, an eye witness OF
the wrechng Of tbs three nassed schoc-
ner A. a HurIhurs, Of Gloucester. tells
thrilling story Of the battle Of the vss-
sells crew for Life. She was trying 10
make Newport for . harbor. but, being
unable TO accomplish this, dropped an
Choir at noon about a quarter Of mile
OF shore. She dragged her anchors and
struck Black Point about O'Clock, and
| in twenty minutes was kidding wood
The crew consisted of ax men. Three
were drowned. including the Captain.
and three were cared. Every man of
them was On the rocks az one time. and
the captain and steward were swep;
away when but five feet from shore. X
was an awful struggle for life between
these SIX men and tho msrciless waters
Burns tells the story thus:
Black Point, where the vessel struck. IS
three miles south of the Casino. lie Is a
mass OF rock which juts boldly from the
snore, but descends into sharp pointed
reef with jagged protrading edges at its
farther point. Ii Is not one solid body.
for the action OF the waves has worn
wide and deep crevicss In IL, where the
water forms In pools. On the north sde
il forms sort CT cove. where the sea in
q gale has full sweep
| have charge Of she cottage of 8. s
Rogers, Of Buffalo, where | live with
my family, and which is aboat quarter
of mile from Black Point on the bluff
was informed about twenty minutes to
by Sam Kissouth, who lives near by.
that schooner was going on the poipL
He immedisseay rushed out, and was on
the bluff about fifty yards from the rocks
when the schooner, drifting broadside
on. struck. The wind was blowing
sixty miles an hour and the elect and
hail cut into the face like needles
WRECKED BY WAVES
was quickly on the shore. The YES
sci was scarcely 100 feet away, and wa;
right or top Of the sharp rocks. which
were exposed by each receding wave
The men were plainly visible huddlei
together, hanging on TO the house at the
stern of the schooner. At five minutes
10 4. fifteen minutes after she struck
the mizzenmast toppled over with q
crash that was heard above the Other
noises, and the mainmast and the fore
mast quickly followed. As the fore
mast went over the side the vessel spill
IN the middle, and the cakes of ice WITT
which she was loaded came pouring out
! As the vessel parted the men lumpet
for the rocks They all landed Young
Lawrence, a mere boy, only IS year.
old, was the last to jump. He never
reached the shore. The mate. JONI
Rooney, as quickly as he could. threw
of his boots and oyercoat. His fore
| thought saved his life. The captain, tn;
mate and the steward, Frank Ham
mond, kept together, While Bernard
Webers and another seaman nance
Kuna tried to work their way over 10
ward the south end of the reef. tn.
others went straight ahead and NOR.
toward the north side, where the sea ha<
full sweep.
| had run down to the shore Will
Eisouth had gone after another mai
named Rowley. When they got to tn
scene the vessel was in pieces and thu
men struggling for their lives l sta
toned myself toward the south side, anC
beckoned and gesticulated for the mer
70 come that way. / yelled also, but
could hardly hear my own voice Tn
group OF three and the young sailor
/ however, kept right on. The sea wa
I dashing over the rocks with terrif
/ force. every wave completely submsrg
I ing them The holes and crevices wer,
| filed with water, and through these tn
men wsded or swan, clinging 70 IN
rockweed or the slippery rocks as eac!
wave struck them.
WASHED AWAY.
Young Lawrence had scarcely coveres
( twenty-five feet of the distance when
wave struck him and he disappeared
He was the last 70 leave the vessel Az
the first to drown Kissouth and Row
lev had now arrived, and Webers an
Lund, who had crawled and swan In
were hauled ashore, while | ran over Z
the other side, toward which the cap
tain, nste and steward were struggling
The mate had caught bold Of cake Q
ice and was endasvoring to keep aaos
! On IL hut snap Let 20