The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-02-27
FIVE LOST IN The SURF.
Volunteers Drowned While Trying to
Rescue a Briggs Crew.
THE SCENE WAS OFF CUTTYHUNK
The Sad Accident Has Aroused Universal
sympathy and Fund for the Relief
of the Families of the Unfortunatos
VIII DO Raised.

New BEDFORD, Feb. 27.-Information
of terrible disaster of Cuttyhunk, one
OF Elizabeth islands separating Buzzards
bay from Vineyard sound, was received
sAre late Saturday afternoon.
Steamer Volunteer, which arrived from
the island, had on board Capt. Bosworth
of the government life-saving station,
who sale that about o'clock Friday
evening Willie Eisener. son OF the light
keeper at the west end OF Cuttyhunk,
came running into the house and told his
father he saw the lights OF vessel oil Sow
and Pigs reef.
The lads words were soon verified, and
il was ascertained that vessel hadstruck
The boat belonging to the Massachusetts,
Humane Society was gotten out, and vol,
unteer crew OF six men put off, despite the
heavy swell and the warnings OF the cap
tain of the life saving station.
The men were determined to
Rescue the Grow of the Vessel,
II IL were possible to do so.
They had a long, hard and perilous pull
amid the angry waves, which threatened
every moment to engulf them. At last,
however, they succeeded In getting under
the vessels lee.
A rope was thrown to the boat, but Just
rs a landing was about to effected great
wave capsized 1t, and in an instant the
men were struggling in the ice cold water.
caught q rope thrown and was drawn
aboard the vessel; the others, Capt. Tim
othey Aiken, Jr., Isaiah II. Tilton, Hiram
Jackson, William Brightman and Freder-
ick Aiken were all drowned.
A rope was thrown to Capt. Aiken,
Il xlZI II. smA - A
three times, but 1t slipped off, and he was
lost. All the mon but Brightman lived on
the island. Capt. Aiken leaves o widow
and seven children, Jackson q widow and
three children, and Tilton q widow and
two children.
seqnently established, and when 1t was
learned that the
Crew Were All Lost
but one a heartrending scene ensued.
The women and children searched the
shore agonizingly for the bodies of their
dead, and they were joined by nearly all
the populace of the village.
The disaster Is the worst known in the
history OF the island. The wrecked yes
sci was ascertained to be the brig Aquatic,
laden with sugar, and bound from Cuba
for Boston.
The tug Elsie came along Saturday
morning and took OF the crew, by rig
ging breeches buoy to the lighter.
Capt. Eisener's story.
Capt. Eisener informed an Associated
Press reporter that he tried to dissuade
the men from going out In the boat, say
ing: "Wait until the crowd gets here and
then decide on some plan. 1t Is too rough
out there for you 10 do anything, even
should you get out there.
"As it was my duty to encourage and
not TO dissuade, finally said nothing more
to the crew which soon put off with will.
The crowd that had assem- bled on the beach
was soon augmented by large number OF
the islanders, and they all assembled in
the lighthouse.
'Soon Capt. Timothy Aiken, Sr., came
over to the lighthouse and asked in
hard sort of tone: 'Who went out in
command OF that boat? "Tim,' replied,
and Capt. Aiken said: The boat will
never come back II was a miserable
night on the west end Of the island.
"Capt. Charles Allen was among the first
90 arrive after the Grew had put of and
he stood with others watching the signals
sent up from the vessel, every fifteen
minutes.
'.whep the boat had time to get out to
the wreck" said Capt. Allen, 81 noticed a
cessation of the signals on the brig for n
longer period than since they had been
started, and terrible thought came to all
OF us at the same time. That thought
was: "rhe boat has been capsized and all
the crew are lost
81 felt pretty sure the boat had reached
them
And Was Swamped,
for otherwise the torches would have
ceased altogether, or would have gone on
without interruption. As it was, after
half an hours cessation, the torches con-
tinued to burn, until we concluded that
the crew OF the vessel had taken to the
rigging.
awe slept very little the whole night.
At midnight we saw the torches of the
crew of the life saving boat, which had
gone out around the bay side of the ISL
and. They arrived at the wash pond at
about midnight, having had steady pull
OF four hours. They had their small boat
and after landing Capt. Bosworth sent my
brother Frederick Allen and myself across
after the big life boat which we took
around"