Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1891-10-03
CARRIED OUT TO SEA.
Remarkable Experience OF Two Coney Is
land Bathers.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla, September
os.-Went in bathing with a pretty
girl at Coney Island August 9th;
washed out to sea, rescued by passing
schooner. taken toward South America,
exchanged on another vessel of Flor
ida coast. landed near the mouth OF the
St. Johns river, trampcd TO this city
and now in boarding house here. Such
in brief Is the story Of Samuel W,
Thornton and his pretty sister-in-law,
Eva Jewell, both OF 227 Cumberland
avenue, Brooklyn. 1t is tale TO
stretch the widest imagination, and
vet the story is true. The parties are
fully identified, and tell their story In
a straightforward manner. Thornton
lives in Brooklyn. where he and his
brother conduct a bakery and confec-
tionary business. His wife was in
the country rusticating and Sam
uel thought il q good time TO have q
little fun himself. On Thursday noon
he and Eva Jewell, his 23-year-old sis
ter-in-law, took Coney Island train
and at 2 D. m. were in bathing. Sud-
denly, as Thornton says, q big roller
came up, and in a moment they were
struggling out beyond their depth,
while heavy waves and a rapid tide
carried them out SO quickly as to pre-
vent their crying for assistance. Half
stunned bv the waves and choked by
tho salt water, Thornton, who is good
swimmer, had the presence OF mind to
catch hold OF Eva and hold her up. She
could not swim and was almost para
lived by fear. Minutes rolled on ana
still they were carried seward. Thorn
ton chung to the half inanimate form OF
his sister-in-law and tried to keep her
aAoat, a log that he caught helping
him greatly.
They became almost unconscious, and
Thornton says his first recollection Ii
when sailing vessel came near them.
He half rose out of the water and
shouted frantically for help. They
heard him, rounded to- lowered boat,
and in a few minutes approached. and
the half drowned pair were taken on
board. The sailors could not talk En-
glish, and could only express them
selves by signs. The captains wife
quickly had the insensible girl in the
cabin, her bathing dress removed and
began eating her to restore life, while
the captain and mate did the same
thing for Thornton. BY this time it
was dark, and when Thornton recov-
cred he could not see land, and knew
not where they were being carried.
Only the captain and mate could speak
little English, and that only sutfi-
GENTLY to express sympathy, but not to
say where they were going. BY morr-
ing the girl was delirious and ravitdFin
a wild manner over her esc&re. No,
land was In sight, and Thornton
could not induce the captain
to put them on shore. He finally ex-
planned BY signs that If the girl re-
covered he would put them on the first
vessel he met going to New York. The
girl still continued to rave at intervals,
and then fever set in, keeping her very
low for many days. Meanwhile Thorn
ton had been supplied with clothes BY
the kindly sailors, who thought none OF
them could speak word OF English,
did all possible to assuage his grief ana
distress OF mind at his fearful situation.
He finally fell to help them at their
tasks to keep his mind at rest, as he
feared he would go crazy If he kept
thinking of the distress OF his VIE
when she learned of his disappearance.
The name OF this vessel he can not
recollect but it began with *" and
she was bound for some South Amerl-
can port. After thirteen days Of this
life, after many failures, they managed
to hail q vessel that stopped and took
them off. This was Spanish Tessel,
SO Thornton says. The captain could
only speak English in very Limited
manner. This vessel was the katne,
grona, as near as he can remember, al9
was bound for Yukatan, going through
the Florida straits. He was made
comfortable and his sister-in law placed
in charge OF the cooks galley. After
ten days life on board they approached
land, much to Thornton's Joy, and on
Sunday last boat put them ashore
near the mouth OF the ST. Johns river.
AS near as could be judged
from Thornton's story, which
at times was very unintelli-
gible. the kind sailors made up purse
for them OF SIS, and gave them some
clothes. AS they landed, the casta-
ways tried to find houses, but could not.
Finding q rude road near the beach.
they started to walk into The INTERIOR
After going five miles they met q
farmer with mule and cart and hired
him TO drive them to this city. They
arrived here at nearly night, and after
wandering around for several hours,
found shelter In boarding house.
Late tonight Thornton was seen Dy o
Globe-DemOcrat reporter and inter
viewed. He is OF Short stout build, OF
200 pounds, open face, reddish hair,
light reddish mustaohe, light gray eyes,
the left one being defective slightly,
and when speaking he has .
habit Of closing one eye. He
told your reporter the above story,
with variations, in his own way, Of the
terror they experienced In find
ing themselves in the huge waves of
Coney Island. He said that on borda
H. lie L.. Al t...k