The Opelousas courier., 1894-10-20
A PERllouS RESCUE.
~Life-Savert Bring II Wrecked Crew Through
Storm and ShOal.

Tue ICSCut VI d up" CShOu
from the shoals of Nantucket by the
men from a l~ite-saving station was
made during a bitter January storm,
and the l~ife-savers, in an open surf
boat, had to anchor for hours by the
wreck before they could get the crew
off. Finally fey succeeded, and the
captain tells this story of their des'
perate struggle to reach land:
We were in an open boat out of sight
Of land, likely to be carried on to the
shoal Or off to sea, when we took up
anchor. We hove up the anchor,
though, for the pull in. and now the
men strained at the oar S % as to clear
the vessel and the shoal. Both wind
and tide were setting us on the awful
breakers. 1t was only by the most
desperate efforts that we succeeded in
keeping off and clearing the northeast
end of the shoal. For two and a half
hours we strained every nerve, but
were only a mile away from the wreck,
yet not a bit farther toward shore.
While nearest the breakers.and when
the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. mast and
sail, khich. lying on thwarts, bothered
the oarslnen. We're by my orders thrown
overheard, and we rode a little lighter.
Still we were all the time in great
sanger of being swamped by some big
wave rolling i'll upon us. unless we
could head the boat to it just right. /
stood in the stern all through the
twenty-three hours before we got
ashore. holding the steering oar, fear
ing to drop it lest some sudden yawl of
the boat would end us for eve AS the
men were getting exhausted, and we
had gained nothing, we threw the
anchor over, and. with the shoal a lit
tie way to the southeast. lay there from
two o'clock till sunset, at five. Only
a few strands of hemp and the 1uke of
a small anchor, my friend, kept us from
going into the open sea and watery
graves.
Atdark the southern tide commenced
to run. and l ordered the anchor up
and started again. with the hope that
the tide would set US a little in to-
wards shore, provided we could by
hard rowing hold the bow up to the
wind and prevent the boat from going
astern. We worked hard and gained a
little, but by nine o'clock the tide was
done, and in half an hour or an hour
afterwards, we again anchored and lay
through the northern tide, or till three
o'clock the next morning. Oh, that
night! Those five hours seemed like
weeks. 1t was pitch dark. the wind
increasing in force, and the air bitter
cold. Most of the rescued rev., after
being got or board. had lain in the
bottom of the boat like so many logs.
They were numb with cold. soaked
through with salt spray, faint from
hunger and lack of sleep, and so ex-
hausted and Indifferent that they would
not eat the little bread we had thrown
aboard our boat at starting.
Their black cook, who was asleep in
his bunk when the vessel struck, had
or merely a calico shirt and his trou-
sers. Before we reached land. the back
of that shirt was covered four inches
thick with ice from the water which
dashed upon him while rowing; for he
a brave fellow, and worked at the
oars for many hours during the tough
pulls for shore. During those times, l
had made all l could persuade man the
oars by telling them that, though they
had got clear of the vessel, they were
by no means saved, and, unless they
helped, we would never get in, but all
die in the boat. Some l could do moth
ing with, as they seemed to have lost
all hope of life. One nan sat on the
midship thwart like a stone image. In
vain I pleaded and threatened. He
would not stir. i told him he would
freeze to death; that though he had no
strength to help us on, the exercise of
pulling would sta TT his blood and keep
him alive. His only reply was a shake
of the head and "Ican't be any colder"
Poor fellow. The next day. when we
got him ashore, his feet were found
frozen, and they swelled to twice their
natural size. The captain, since sun
set, lay near me, crouched under the
steering-oar. 1t was all l could do to
hold the boat head on. and the oar
thrashed SO that / couldn't prevent it's
striking the captain as he rolled around.
The boat was 81 heavily loaded that it
was deep in the water, and when we
settled in the hollow of the seas, the
water gushed up through the center
board box, and our lives depended on
constant bailing. / kept the poor fell
lows hard at it with buckets, yet it
took my utmost efforts to keep them
to work. / told them that we should
soon sink if they did not bail, but that
had little effect, SO / fairly forced them.
They were now inclined to go to
sleep, and we had to arouse them ccn-
to keep them awake. But,
badly off as they were, it was lucky
they were with us and not on the YES
sci, because, half an hour after we left
her, the masts fell and the sea around
was strewn with wreckage.
About midnight the thing l most
feared happened. One of my surfmen,
little, light fellow named Jenkins,
began to give out. While alongside
the wreck, two great seas, coming
from different directions, had met. and
shooting into the air, had dashed upon
him, soaking him through and through.
He was. crying every now and then.
ooh, / never was SO cold in my life
He soon lay down, and, in spite of our
efforts to the contrary, went to sleep.
A fatal sleep; for the exposure of that
trip in the boat caused his death last
June.
Jenkins was the sole support of an
old and widowed mother, but, as he
not lose his life at the time of the
she will get nothing from the
government as the law reads.-St.
Nicholas.
SHRINKING A GUN JACKET.