The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1894-12-20

They reached the station at 8 O'Clock,
having broken three oars in the strug-
gle
The sennel to this itself shows that
herolsm in the coast guard is not excep.
tional. The Elizabeth, which had gone
into splinters within As minutes after
she struck, lay off Bonita point. The
crew Of the Fort Point station Joined
forces with that of Golden Gate and at
10 O'Clock set out through the storm to
lend whatever aid they could to the
wrecked people. The night was so bitter
that owners of horses refused to allow
them to go out at any price to haul the
beach apparatus. So the men themselves
were harnessed in traces like animals
and dragged the load for hours over
heavy rocks to the beach, where they
arrived at daylight After tedious
search a few survivors were found and
cared for. Eighteen had perished, vic
Tins OF their captain S misplaced conf
denoe, if no worse. To this useless sac
rifice must be added that of brave Keep
er Henry Of Fort Point life saving sta
tion. ."-
In 1891, on the 4th day of june
Keeper William Clark of the Erie life
saving station was drowned while at
tempting with his crew to rescue imper-
lied people on board the steamer Badger
State, stranded in northeastern off the
piers OF Erie harbor. There were SO peo-
pie, including nine passengers, on board
the Badger State. She struck at 2:l5 in
the morning and the 2 O'Clock beach
patrol saw her almost Immediately,
waved his lantern as q signal to her
master and hurried to the station house
with the alarm.
In few minutes after his arrival
there, or at 3:]5, the lifeboat Dobbins
was under way to the wreck manned by
Keeper Clark and six surfmen. In their
haste they failed to don life preserve1s,
although the belts lay on the thwarts Of
the boat ready for an emergency The
vesfkR lay on the outer bar $50 or 300
yards from shore. The lifeboat reached
her soon after clock, for the surfmcn
had pulled like heroes across the bay,
where the water was as yet compare
lively smooth. In the lake, however, the
water was rough, and the captain of the
Badger State, hearing the signals Of ap-
preaching tugs, preferred to wait for
them to pull his vessel off rather than
attempt to land his people with the life
boat. He asked Keeper Clark to lay by
and wait events, especially to help get
q line from the tugs to the wreck in
case the latter came to his assistance
In an hour or more the first tug hove in
sight, and line was passed from the
Badger State into Clark's hands, who
Immediately shouted, "Oars'' and the
crew pulled for the tug, then 900 feet
away, with a strong lateral current run
ming between. This current bore the line
to the leeward with such power that the
lifeboat could not get within 40 feet Of
the tug. By this time both tug and boat
had drifted on to dangerous shoals. In
the confusion Of orders the line was let
go and communication with the strand
ed vessel broken. Keeper Clark at once
turned his boat toward the Badger
State intending to pull back, pick up
the line and try again. His course lay
with the troughs of the sea, and in a
few moments a mighty wave arose along
side the boat, lifting her to it's lofty
crest, while another struck her, rolling
the frail thing completely over. AS she
went Clark called out, 1--WE are going
to catch it nowo All hands were held
beneath the boat and there clung to her
thwarts, expecting that, as usual, she
would right herself. In this she failed,
but sank deeper and deeper, only her
keel remaining unsubmerged
With great skill the surfmen dived
from out their prison, and all succeeded
in reaching the keel. "We'll have to
ride her in this way" exclaimed Clark,
who clung to the sternpost, and as each
wave would gather and sweep over the
narrow raft called to his struggling
companions, "Look out!" But warming
was useless for himself and the man
nearest him when another tremendous
wave rolled lengthwise over the boat,
striking those at the keel fairly in the
chest with awful power, and carried
C1ar1 al 1cr,ry with ec,on -o,J, Do:,<.