Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-17
SHORT Or OIL.
Close Call of the Lighthouses on
the Florida Reefs.
A Brave Task Accomplished by
Uncle Sans Sailors.

Storms Prevent the Lighthouse steamer
from Making Her Regular TrIps-A
Fresh supply Delivered in the Midst o.
a Raging Sea by a Portion of the Crew
of the Revenue Cutter MCLane.
KEY WEST. Fla, Jan. 17.~-Several of
the great lights ON the Florida reefs
have recently had a narrow escape from
running out of oil, Owing to the severe
-"northers" of late in the gulf the gov
eminent lighthouse steamer Laurel has
been unable to visit Key West for over a
fortnight. During the past week news
reached Key West that several of the
Florida reef lights We're getting short of
oil
The very chance of such an event is
enough to frighten any sailor accustom-
ed to navigate the Florida reefs In all
some eight first order lights stand senti-
mel along the whole chain of reefs com
mencing at Foyer Rock and ending at
Dry Tortugas Should these lights fail
to be burning the reefs would be discov-
cred only when the vessel was high on
the rocks and dashing to pieces.
The news of the condition of the Flor
ida reef lights no sooner reached Key
West than Capt. Thomas S. Smyth,
commander of the revenue cutter Nc
Lane, volunteered to go through the
storm to the relief of the lighthouses.
With incredible alacrity oil was gotten
aboard p. IN, the McLane was off on q
run to reach Sombrero forty-five miles
away, before sunset
1t was blowing gale of wind in the
reefs, but the McLane was out on a mis-
sion of life and death. Away flew the
old Side-wheeler as perhaps she never
few before in her life time Her old hull
cTeaked and groaned, but she lived
through, and it was Just turning dusk
when her gallant commander made Som
breTO ahead
The first cutter was gotten in readiness,
forty gallons of oil placed in the bottom
of the boat and crew in charge of
Lieut. Uberoth, with life preservers on,
stood ready to pull away the moment
the vessels head was stopped, Between
the McLane and the lighthouse heavy
surf was running.
Nothing daunted, down went the first
cutter into the water and Uberroth was
dashing Squarely at the surf. With
cry Of horror all on board saw the boat
and her crew disappear, but only for an
instant, for there she was again outside
the surf, but full of water.
Her men We're overheard hanging on
to the gunwales and bailing out. In
few minutes UberToth was at it again,
steering with long oar over the stern.
A second time the cutter was thrown
back, but in the third attempt she was
carried over the shoal ON the top of
huge white comber amid the cheers of
the men ON the MeLane.
The cutter made directly for the light
house. The wind was howling and the
seas running so high that no one away
up in the iron structure heard the cries
of the men in the boat Waiting his
chance, UberrOth sprang for one of the
iron girders, climbed up to the first
staging, lowered a tackle, and inside of
five minutes had forty gallons of oil ont
of the boat.
To say that McLane's boat was God
send, puts it mildly. 1t perhaps saved
more than one ship from going to pieces
on Sombrero reef Uberroth succeeded in
reaching the McLane, meeting less trou-
bic in the surf on the way back.