Omaha daily bee., 1892-01-30
WILL NEVER Be DROWNED
-Four of the Eighteen Men Who We're Driven
Out to Sea on Garbage scows Saved,
UNCERTAINTY OF THE FATE OF THE REST
Thrilling Experience of the Rescued Men
While Being Tossed About ut the
Mercy of Sea and wind
Searching for the Others.

New York, Jan. 2S-Four of the eighteen
men who drifted out to sea on the tug
Edwin Webster and four Barney dumping
boats during the terrible gale on Tuesday
have been rescued. They are the men on
boats Nos. 3 aud l6 which drifted away from
tho anchorage at Rocksway shoals after the
tug Nichols put in there with them and
started 10 the rescue of tho disabled Webster
aud her drifting tow. Boats ami i6 were
picked up by the tug Edgar f.. Luckenba
about $50 miles off Fire island. After bring
ing these two In the Luckenbac started
back in search Of the others. 1t is the gcn-
eral opinion among the tugboaters In South
street that the Webster has foundered and
that her crew of ten men are lost, although
all admit there Is a bare possibility that the
Webster's mon have been picked up. IL is
thought certain, however, that the tug itself
has gone to tho bottom
According TO the captain OF the Webster
there were on board George Clark, captain ;
Thomas Walla, engineer; - Lasher,
pilot; four fremen, two deck hands and u
steward whose names cannot be ascertained
On board her tow, dumping boats and II,
were: Charles Crump, captain OF No. b;
FlavIus Canawa, mate of No. 8 Balaif Dahl.
captain of No. II; William Larreteson, mate
Of No. IL.
1t Was n Perilous Task.
The capture Of the drifting boats 3 and l6
was difficult and dangerous task, and the
rescued men and the crew of the Lucken bach
have thrilling tales to tell of their expo
riences.
When the dumping boats were towed into
tSe Atlantic basin and lines from them were
pade fast one of the men on board
cried out, THANK God, we've got q line on
deck again" They had been drifting in a
high sea in a terrible, freezing gale for nearly
haf hnu prht inht nf
their rescuers and bad almost given up hope
Of beng saved.
Captain Deanc OF the Luckeubach says it
was freezing cold and high sea runplng
when he started to the rescue. 1--WE cruised
off the Long Island coast all tho forenoon
Yesterday, keeping a sharp lookout with
glasses" said the captain. About 10 o'clock
in the forenoon, when about $50 miles Oft
Fire island, we sighted two scows drifting
together before tho wind. There was no
other boat in sight, Signals o
distress were flying from the
cabins on the scows and putting on
full speed we made for tho drifting Doats.
When we got near enough TO see the men on
the decks they were waving hats and coats
and shouting with all their might. They
were overjoyed at our approach. We ran up
within about twenty five feet of one of the
boats and heaved small line on board. 1t
was not all safe yet, though; the seas were
running very high and several times the big
waves breaking over our stern drove our
men on run forward TO save themselves.
Seas Running Mountain High.
"The men on the bumpers were in pretty
good condition and we finally got hawser
fast and started ahead. 1t would have been
impossible to take the men off the boats if
they had been willing to come. The seas
were running too high to make such an at
tempt, as we could not get any nearer than
to bo able to heave small line.
THE scows were covered with ice and
looked like small icebergs. The men on
board had been very much frightened and,
to tell the truth, If we had not sighted them
they might have starved and frozen to death
before being picked up.'' ~ - .,,.
The men and boats were all right, although
the men suffered very much from fright and
exposure.
Captain Deane said he thought boats 3
and II were probably about l50 miles farther
off than where Nos. and 10 were sighted.
The provisions on the scows consisted of
scent loaf of bread, two packages of oat.
meal and little coffee. These supplies be-
tween the men would not have lasted more
than two days. and if they had been carried
farther out to sea one greater danger besides
that of being upset was that of starvation.