The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-01-14

the call to duty. The extensive ocean and
lake coasts of the United States make it
impossible TO patrol every stretch Of beach
or plant a crew of life savers within reach
of all exposed points. In order to remedy
this defect in the system, the telephone is
used to connect stations with each other
and with the settlements along shore. Sig
nal flags are also provided at places where
they may be seen from a long distance,
and since a stranded vessel usually enjoys
several hours lease of life, sometimes a
day or more, 1t Is hardly possible for ship
TO get into desperate straits without an
alarm of some sort making it's way through
the air or along shore, arousing coast and
river boatmen, farmers or villagers, and so
spreading to the nearest life saving station
in time to bring help.
a striking instance OF the play Of chance
in connection with Uncle Sans well de-
vised resources was afforded in the case Of
the Canadian schooner Ariadne, which
stranded during binding snowstorm in
Mexico bay, on the northern coast of New
York, Dec. 2, 1876. The vessel was en-
gagged in the grain trade, and at the time
of the disaster had on board a cargo for
Oswego; ~. Y. The season for lake navt-
cation was over, but the masters OF the
Ariadne needed the profits Of one more
trip to tide over the long winter Of idle
ness, and although buffeted back by high
winds on several attempts to get TO sea they
persisted and finally got under way on
Dec. 1 and reached the middle of the lake
with moderate breeze and fair weather
prevailing. Suddenly snowstorm set in,
and the wind increased to a gale, stirring
up a powerful sea. But the schooner out
rode the gale, and at @ o'clock sighted Os-
wego lights, about two miles distant. The
lake, however, was too rough for harbor
tugs to venture out and bring in the tow,
which, of course, could not work up unaid-
ed to the harbor entrance. Her masters
made the attempt on bare chance and got
near enough to sight the breakwater and
see danger signals sent up from the Oswe-
go life saving station. Unfortunately the
strain of the wind and seas sprung some
of the seams Of the schooner and tore open
her sails so that she became unmanagea-
BILE, and with dangerous land all about the
Oswego coast there was no alternative but
to make for HenGcrsOn's bay, over 80
miles distant, where there was prospect of
n good lee and shelter from the gale; but
the vessel was unequal to the voyage. She
wallowed badly, and her creaking timbers
and rising water in the hold showed that
she must speedily go to pieces or sink,
and her captain decided to turn her head
to land and beach her in Mexico bay. In
changing her course the main boom snap
ped and split the mainsail SO as to render
it useless. The pieces of the broken boom
also fell across the pumps, rendering them
useless, and to make-bad worse the schoon-
er shortly struck upon a reef over half q
mile from shore and over five miles from a
life saving station.
1t was o'clock in the morning, Dec. 2,
when the Ariadne struck. 1t was still
showing, and the thermometer stood at 1S
above zero. The sea broke over the decks
with such power as to drive all hands be
low, where they remained until the water
arose over the cabin floor. Then the crew
rushed for the main rigging, but the cap
tain, in spite of the remonstrances of his
men, climbed to the top of the cabin, from
which he was almost instantly swept away
by a wave which carried the cabin tor
overheard. The unfortunate man chung tC
plank for some moments and then dis
appeared forever. In the course of another
hour the schooner worked over the reei
and drifted shoreward until she reached
another bar, 200 rods from land. About
that time the mainmast broke loose at the