Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1895-05-04

They give the prize to valor displayed
in chance encounter when few stand
MP to be shot at with no "eyes of the
world" looking ON to applaud OF sneer.
So it is with the storm warriors, risk
ing their lives to savo fellow men. With
their nerves keyed up by the bowling
blast, tho mere thought OF wreck even
il they do not see it stirs tho blood.
They sce the ship, no longer IN ark of
safety riding the fathomlcss ocean, but
a helpless thing heaving and piunging
at the mercy of the terrible gale and the
pitilcss sea, her people clinging by
strand, it may be with 10 hope but what
centcrs upon the snrfmon and the bare
chance that these may hear their cries
or see their signals of distress. 1t must
be cold blood that does not warm to the
occasion in an hour like that. Here is
the story OF forlorn attempt to rescue
two castaways by the life saving crew
of Cleveland during n spring frcshet,
when there was nothing to inspire the
heroic decd but devotion to duty and
esprit du corps. Four surfmen, in
crew of seven, were drowned in the vain
struggle.
The Cuyahoga river. which empties
into Lake Erie at Cleveland, swollen by
four days steady rain, on the 18th of
May, 1898, had become roaring flood.
The water burst over the banks, bury
ing the streets and blockading the lower
floors of buildings in the lowlands.
Traffic which WAS necessary was carried
ON by means of boats, and this method
was extremely dangerous on account of
the wreckage whirling with terrible
speed OH the angry tide, driven by a gale
blowing so miles an hour. Immense
piles of lumber on the banks were up
lifted and carried along intact or torn
| apart and scattered in broad sheets over
the surface of the water. The vessels
| usually plying about the harbor had
been securely moored in places Of safety.
Nothing but waste of waters, moving
| with tho speed of q current of Niagara
and lashed into waves like the broad s0a
by the furious wind, met the eye on
river and lake. About the middle of the
afternoon a small river skiff or rOwboat
containing two young men who were
distributing household supplies to the
flood bound people in the streets nearest
the piers drifted into the center cur
rent At first the boatmen paid no at
tention, not realizing the increased speed
until warned by watchers OH the piers
that danger was before them. When they
saw their peril, panic came over
them. Rowing frantically across the
current, they quickly snapped All oar.
This accident only increased their con-
fusion-in fact, paralyZed them-and
free from all control the light skiff
skinned along OH the racing current to-
ward tho mouth of the river and the
broad lake. Tho Ninth district life saw
ing station is OH the point, and the surf
men were alert watching One of them
saw the skiff driving along, and seiZing
Il life buoy hurled it with all his power
in front OF it. But the frightened men
in the boat made no effort to secure it.
Keeper Distel of the life saving crew
stood OIL the platform of the station and
shouted to his men to run out the boat.
In nn instant she WAS sliding down tho
ways, and the moment she struck the
wafer the heavy current swung her al
most square to its course and carried
her down stream with terrible speed.
Coming into contact with tho breaking
seas, she would almost stand on end.
When the boat took to the water, she
was not moro than 800 or 400 feet from
the skill, hut by the time she was un.
der tho hclmsman' $ control and Keeper
Distel had time to take n look around
tho skiif had disappeared completely.
While tho lifoboat floundered in her
first daring plunge the luckless little
craft had capsized and gone down, men
and all But the surfmeu didn't know
this, and no voice from OH shore could
bc heard above the turmoil of that
angry flood. But some people OH one OF
the piers nearest the point where the
slSiif had last been seen We're gesturinl
out into tho lake between the piers and
tho broakwatcr, wlero tho river poured
its tides and all that tluated upon them.
Thinking tho gestures to mean that the
, skiif had been swept out into the lake
Keeper Distel stoered with the current
and tho surfmen pulled heartily, fas
, outrunning the tide. Reaching an open
: ing where he could look past tho break
: water and taking in at Il lance the bart
surface of the lake, the keeper fearet
that he had mistaken the gestures oI
tho pier and that the skiff, bottom up
must be hidden from his view by til,
waves or revolving in an eddy neare
shore. He was about to order tho surf
men to pull up under tho lee of TIN
breakwater where he could better tax
, the bearings when he saw an immens
, wave coming down on the boat ant
! threatening to ride over the bows. II
, order to meet it before it should come
> he directed the men to pull for thei
: lives. Every man of the crew knew tn
: awful peril if tho avalanche of waite
should gather above their little ark ant
!, fall upon it. A pull for dear life iBdee'
! all hands gave, and just Mt the critica
moment the stroke oar OH the right sid
snapped in two. The accident threw tn
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