Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-12-07
some genius,

driftwood gigantic sign, "L-i-f-e-b-o-a-t
coming" and placed it against the white
background of the cliff, thus encouraging
the six sailors in the rigging OF the wrecked
vessel to hang on as long as strength re-
manned to them.
The lifeboat was coming, but through
frightful obstacles. For two hours the
men and pair of horses struggled through
the sands and over the hills with the heavy
craft and finally reached the base of a hill
within half mile Of the wreck. Just as
the keeper was ordering his men to start
ON long detour a citizen dashed up and
said he would show them a short cut over
the hill The path led up the overhang-
ing hillside, through the brush, and the tug
with the loaded cart was tremendous. So
steep was the ascent that man and beast
had fairly to climb, and almost to hoist the
cart after them. Nothing could have been
done but for the aid of a crowd of sturdy
town folk who had assembled there and
anticipating the arrival of the life saving
party had cleared away with axes and hand
spikes a great deal of the underground and
fallen trees Even with these impediments
removed, 50 precipitous YVES the activity
that it took the united efforts of "a brawny
men and a span of horses to gain the sum-
init, only about 20 feet being made at a
time. BY these efforts the top of the hill
was reached, but the crowd was now all
brought up standing by belt of woods
! which bristled on the crest of theeminence
and in which lay fallen trees, half buried
in brush and dense underground. The OBJ
stacle seemed to inspire all present with re-
newed energy and gave occasion for a strik-
ing scene.
In an instant, and as by a simultaneous
! impulse, all hands-ctizens and crew
| flung themselves upon the woods with axes
and a work began which rcscmbled a COM
I - 1. L 4
| blows, the heavy thuds of fallen timber
lifted and flung aside and the shouts of
| the brigade of pioneers mingled with the
! bowling wind and the kissing of the de
scending rain and hail. The woods seemed
tumbling asundcr and were alive with
rude figures in every variety of action. In
| some places men were shOwering blows
| upon standing timber. In others they were
| prying and lifting aside great fallen trees
| encouraging each other to renewed efforts
Groups here and there with frantic activity
were uprooting and rending away masses
| of brush and underground. Sometimes 10
men would fling themselves upon n young
tree or sapling, pull it down and throw it
| out of the path. In an incredibly short
space OF time the wood was cleared, and the
mortar cart was dragged forward to the
! brow of the hill.
a Leap For Life.
The way having been cleared, the life
savers found themselves upon the summit
of bluff nearly 800 feet above the sea. Be
low was the nearly sunken wreck, its two
masts still standing, but the hull rapidly
breaking up Standing in the lower rig
| ging was the captain, and 10 feet above
him, on the swaying crosstrees, were hud-
| died the crew. A line was fired from the
mortar, and by this means the entire crew
was rescued after herculean labors ON the
part of the surfmcn and citizens.
| Another remarkable incident in the his
tory of the service occurred at Cleveland,
| where the schooner Sophia Minch was
wrecked in attempting to enter the harbOr.
| The life saving crew went to the rescue,
and the keeper advised that the vessel be
scuttled the only means of preventing
her pounding to pieces on the rocks. The
schooner in short time sank in shoal wa
ter, all on board except two men taking to
the forerigging for safety, these latter be-