St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1895-07-26

NJ = - '--.7 and a long strong
E:s ----5,'@ pull to save some
luckless mari
nors. Spyglassos look seward, the men
behind them both fearing and hoping to
catch a glimpse through the clouds Of
fog Of some telltalo object far out in the
terrible breakers of tho terrible Sands.
Suddenly watcher cries, II see a ship
on Goodwin"
"Wharo: Whero?" shout half dozen
at once and raising their glasses they
can see nothing. 1t was only glimpse
the man had, and the others try to con
vince him that he is mistaken. 81 am
as sure Of it as | stand here" he says
positively.
"Well, If you saw her once, and are
certain Of it, once is as good as 90
times. So speaks the coxswain Of the
surf crew and calls out along tho piers
"a vessel on the Goodwin Lifeboat,
lifeboat"
As the men throw down their work
after them and says that there have
been no signals nor alarm guns and the
outlook must bo mistaken. But the life
boat has been launched, the tug has
passed her a cable, and before the mas
ter can interfere the Jealous boatmen
are off. Reaching the line of the light
ships outside the harbor, they find
high wind blowing offshore, with heavy
squalls Of snow; also that the men on
the lightships all along the dangerous
Sands have been firing guns since day
light and sending up signals for wreck
on the southeast spit of tho Sands. The
tug and lifeboat push on through the
terrible seas running over the Sands
and soon discover the wreck settled up
on them, her miZzenmast gone and the
surf breaking over her from stem to
stern as high as her foreyard. There are
no sailors to be seen dashed to the rig
ging, and so great is the rush of water
over the cabins and decks that the life
boat men think it doubtful if any Of
the crew remain on board Nevertheless
they resolve to make a search. The tug
lows the lifchoat off to a distance so
that she can run in on the lee quarter
Of the wreck, and with everything
ready, the anchor poised to let 90 the
moment the craft gets near the sunken
ship, the brave fellows plunge through
the sea, driven by foresail and the
powerful current. What awful chances
they are taking on the bare possibility
Of saving life The boat sails with
speed that means destruction if she
strikes the solid wreck. Watching their
distance, the boatmen heave the anchor
and lower sail, but onward their frail
bark flies Suddenly the man in the
bow cries; up with your helml Up
with it hard! Sheer off Sheer off!'
Swiftly, but only just in time, the boat
answers and bears away from the wreck.
1t Is a close call, for the broken mizzen-
mast is projecting at right angles with
the sunken hull and, covered with wa
ter, lies in the pathway Of the lifeboat.
Fortunate it is that it is daylight, for
III the night the outlook could not see
1t, and the boat would surely be lost.
AS 1t is she gets into bad tangle in
the wreckage, but finally swings clear
OF 1t by the aid of the current and
fetches up astern of the ship.
On looking up, the life savers can see
three men and boy crouching under
the shelter Of the deckhouse, exhausted
with wet and cold so as to be complete
ly helpless. For hours they have waited,
listening to the sullen boom of the alarm
guns from the light vessels, but have
given up all hope that those sounds
mean salvation for them, when sudden
~ the liteboat, with its CHEEKY, wide
awake crew, glides up almost within
reach. 1t is their reprieye from a horri-
Bile fate, and the blood once more courses
warm through their veins. A line with
lie buoy attached is tossed from the
wreck to the boat and the life savers
haul their craft by the taut line toward
the vessel. But the tide must still be
feckoned with, and even strong null
and long pull and pull altogether
barely moves the boat foot Then with
out an lnstant's waning q tremendous
sea rushes over the ship and over the
boat, tearing out the very timber head
to which the hauling line is attached,
knocking down several of the crew and
burylng the boat for moment under a
hood Of water Far out from the wreck
she lifts again, held by the stout anchor
cable, and the men spring to their feet.
Are all thereE shouts the coxswain.
"All right, all rightw cry the men in
achorus. Thank God Now at it again,
my men. ="
The anchor cable is the only salvation
Tor boat or crew or the shipwreckod
men. Back and forth the stanch craft
fldes within sight, within reach it may
be. But it is useless to attempt to haul
her nearer TO the wreck, and the cap
tain, to make an example for the two
mates and the cabin boy who are his
comrades in peril, boldly springs out
from the lee of the deckhouse, strips off
his oilskin coat and slides down the
hawsor that held the boat into the boil.
ing sea In an instant he is torn from
the rope, but he tries to swim to the
boat. It's useless; heis only a plaything
Tor the waves. He can scarcely keep his
head out of water, and the life savers
cannot sheer nor guide their boat in the
least, to save him. OF what use, indeed,