New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-09-04
HEROES OF THE STORM.
ELEVEN LIVES SAVED EE TWO SOUTH
CAROLINIANS
ONE WAS WHITE MAN, THE NEPHEW OF Elk.
CONGRESSMAN ELLIOTT; THE OTHER
NEGRO wORKMAN-A THRILLING EPI.
sODE OF THE HURRICANE.
ny TEL EGR p;I To TILE TRIRSxF L.
.BY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBcSE.1 \

Columbia, S. C., sept. l.-The great hurricane
Of last Sunday has bred many heroes, but possibly
none had more thrilling experience than did
George y. Elliott, a cousin of ex-COngressman
Elliott, of this State. Elliott is twenty-five years
old. At the risk OF his own life he saved the lives
of fourteen others reporter got the following
account of his adventure from Elliott: :" l at
tribute my preservation said he, " TO what others
thought ovcrcauiousncss On Sunday when
the breeze began to freshen into gale, prepared
everything on my boat for storm. All my tools
that oud be carried Off lashed securely in their
places. and wien the storm broke / was ready for
il. As a consequence, my boat the only one
of the mining feet that weathered the hurricane
without loss
But We had time of it, The wind and waves
swept me along in spite of my anchors, and I
SKINNED along thirty miles an hour over marshes
and woods, until finally my boat lodged in an oak
tree. | ordered the boat fastened to it, and there
II still is safe and sound. Before this, however,
while among the trees, discovered man in the
water clinging to tree, and threw line to
him. 1t turned out to be James Wilson, steward
of the Oglethoipc dredge, who had been washed
overheard when il went down. As he came along
SIDE reached down and grabbed him by the
wrist TO pull him on board. | was startled to
,cc long knife blade in the hand pulled up.
What in thunder you doing with that knife,
jim? | asked him. 4 had it TO kill de reptiles,
SIR CALCULATED the negro, he was dragged on
boars What reptiles he expected 10 encounter y
not known, but he had evidently prepared -
before being swept overheard.
1t was about daylight that | discovered the
Oglcthorpe wrecked nearly mile away, and I
thought could figures clinging topyof her
frame But moment later the tug Cecilia
acudding before the wind and waves, almost in
mailing distance of the Oglethorpe, and felt sure
they would rescue whoever there. They
did not pause, however, and as they passed near
ne, | called out to know why They declared
they had seen nobody on her. But did not thinl;
| could he mistaken, and | determined TO go o
the rescue 1t was nearly a mile, and the wind
still png up the waves in great blows
that dashed over my boat. I forced one of my
negro hands to join me, and we lowered the yawl
and life-lines and sprang in with the
" II about the hardest pull ever had, and
those aboard other dredgcs and washboats who
saw the start thought it was equivalent TO sui.
eide
" TO make short what at the time was to US .
pretty long story, We reached the Ogethorpe in
safety and found the son of Jacob Pausen, Of
Savannah young Hammond, superintendent Of
Beaufort Phosphate Works, and negro, George
Singleton, all lashcd to the top Of the A frame.
They had been clinging there for nine hours
through the terrific storm, and were almost dead
from exhaustion.
I'VE got them into our yawl and carried them
back to safety. On the same trip We picked up
seven negroes floating in the water and cIinging
to trees and other objects. was not at all
frightened excited when set ont for the Ogle-
thorpe, but TO show you how reckless il was re-
garded, when | returned, an old man, whom I
never regarded as emotional or eXctable, flung
his arms around my neck and cried like child"