The morning call., 1891-01-31
FOR LIFE OR DEATH.
Through the Booming Breakers
in an Open Boat.

Lieutenant Uberr0th is the hero of thrill
ing adventure. undertaken 10 keep the light
burning at Sombrero Lighthouse. Several
stations have been short of oil, the recent
''northers" preventing the Govern ment
lighthouse steamer Laurel from reaching
them with supplies. On January 18th Com
mander VIM, in charge Of the Key West
Naval Station, received word by messen-
ger, who had pulled a distance of forty
miles in a small boat from the Sumbrero
Light, that unless oil could at once he sent,
SOmbrero could not burn during the night.
The same deplorable news came from
American Shoal and Sand Key lighthouses
All of these lights are built on sunken reefs
far out to sea. a telegram from Key West
to the Piltsburg Dispatch tells the story as
follows:
The Florida Reef lights not only mark
the position OF the reefs. but serve as de-
paIture marks for the passenger steamers
running to Havana. Galveston, Key West,
and all points south. Sea captains steam in
toward the reefs until able to distinguish
one OF the great reef lights. when they
shape their course accordingly.
Should these lights fail to be burning, the
reefs would be discovered only when the
vessel was high on the rocks and dashing TO
pieces.
The news Of the condition of the Florida
reef lights ho sooner reached Key West
than Captain Thomas S. Smyth, commander
OF the revenue cutter McLane. volunteered
to 90 through the storm to the relief of the
lighthouses.
With Incredible alacrity oil was gotten
aboard the McLane, and at 3 o'clock the
McLane was off on a run to reach Sombrero
torty-tive miles away, before sunset. 1t was
blowing half gale of wind in the reefs.
but the McLane was out on a mission of life
and death. There was no thought of danger;
none other than to reach that white struc-
ture with the precious oil. The engineer was
letting the McLane have her head.
Away the old sidewheeler flew rs she per-
haps never few before in her lifetime. Her
old hull creaked and groaned. a heavy sea
would occasionally roll up on the bows and
break over the fOrecastle.
1t was just turning dusk when the cutter
made S0mbrero ahead. The first cutter
was gotten in readiness, forty gallons of oil
placed in the bottom of the boat and a
crew in charge of Lieutenant UberrOih, with
life-preservers on. stood ready to pull away
the moment the vessels Roadway was
stopped. Between the McLane and the
lighthouse a heavy surf was running.
Nothing dannted, down went the first cutter
into the water and Uberroth was dashing
Squareiy at the surf.
With a cry of horror all on board saw the
boat with her crew disappear, but only for
an instant, for there again she was outside
the surf, but full of water. Her men were
overheard hanging onto the gunW aleS and
baiiing out. In a few minutes Uberroth
was at it again, steering with great, 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
a huge, white comber, among the cheers of
the men on the McLane.
The cutter made directly for the light
house. The wind was bowling 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 Uherroth
Sprang for one of the iron girders, climbed
up TO the first staging, lowered tackle
and inside Of minutes had forty gallons OF
oil out of the boat. Still no one was to be
seen, and nothing heard but the awful roar
Of the wind and sea. 1t was getting quite
dark, and already the McLane could hardly
be made out in the distance.
Pushing his way up the narrow iron
stairway the Lieutenant finally reached the
trap-doUr at the top This he pushed aside
and era wled along the light platform to the
light tower. Opening TIE little door he
stepped in, to the wonder and amazement
of a poor old white-haired Ban, the sole re-
naming occupant of the dreary post All
others had long ago pulled for the beach to
call for suecor. The light-keeper was
found sitting on a camp-st his form bent
over the oil-box, and his face tile picture OF
agonizing despair.
In the box were two and half gallons.
Two gallons of oil are necessary for the
wlcks to burn, and the poor old man, faith
ful to the last, was watching the last half
gallon slowly. slowly disappear. 70 say
that Mcl.ane's boat was a godsend puts it
mildly. 1t perhaps saved more than one
snip from going 10 pieces on the night Of
the 9TH on SOmbrero Reef.-Pittsburg Dis
patch.