The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1895-10-19

LG S"lSiLlhS VI tIo
s ass.I schooner Jessie
~e-@SssasNess,qSA=s Martin while be-
~-massassas2s ing towed to
safety on Lake
Michigan and the
rescue OF six men from the speeding
hull, now leaping like q fish almost
clear Of the waves, now ~plunging out of
sight beneath them, The scene was at
Grand Haven harbor. On the morning
of Nov. 30, 1882, Keeper De Young of
the life saving crew stood at the end of
one of the piers with his boat and crew
near him watching the operations of a
tug sent out to pull the schooner off the
bar, where she had stranded in a gale.
All Of u sudden he saw the tow capsize
and shouted to his men to launch the
boat. With a rush they showed off and
tumbled in over the stern and the gun
wales as the stanch craft took the water.
A tug standing near gave the surfmen a
line and steamed rapidly for the lake
with the gallant life savers. The scream
ing whistles Of distress from the towing
tug were the only signals or orders need
ed to stir all hands to action. After
pulling the lifeboat half way down the
line of piers the tug cut loose and the
surfmen rowed swiftly out into the lake.
They met the tug hurrying to get the
schooner, trailing at the end Of q 700
foot hawser, into still water. In a few
seconds they came to the wreck. which
jumped about in the water like a live
monster Of the deep. She lay on her
sides, with her masts submerged and
her hull, rigging and spars armored in
ice, for the weather was intensely cold
and the wind blowing 80 miles an hour.
The spray cast up by the beating sea
froze as it fell, and the schooner. stand
ing out for days on the bar, had turned
into a huge Of ice.
The situation confronting the life
savers was but the elimination of the
disaster. The moment the hawser Of the
tug Strengthened out when she first
started the wreck from the bar the
schooner took a plunge that buried her
ont Of sight in the sea. Again she
mounted. with her bow pointing up
ward as though she was alb ut to leave
the ocean. In this way she moved for
ward, with the water closing over her
or streaming in broad sheets from her
sides as she arose and fell. At every
dive the hull struck the bottom with Il
force that shivered every timber in her
frame, and it seemed to the men on
board that the masts would be lifted
from their steps and hurled i'll the air.
Passing from the bar into deep water
brought no relief, for the ship labored
and wallowed in the trough Of the sea
like SO much water soaked wood. Her
seams had been started, and the fresh
packing put in while she lay on the bar
to stop the holes made when she strand
ed gave way, letting i'll the sea il
streams. Torrents of water pouring over
the decks found easy passage down the
hatchways, S % that i'll a few moments
she was simply moving tank, with heI
decks awash at every lurch. Meanwhile
the tug steamed ahead, rounding the
point of the piers to enter the harbOr
Far behind the schooner dragged on {
chrye, with the gale driving her on
into the lake and the tug pulling i'll
shore. This war of forces could not las
long without IA catastrophe. The straiI
of the tug came upon the bow while tn
wind struck %broadside upon all that re
manned above water. Moreover, TIN
hull stood broahside to the sea. which
fell away from the shore, leaving grea
troughs in which the helpless schoone
wallowed. and instead Of sweepin,
around with the strain of the towlin,
she rolled over to the starboard, Will
the line dragged the bow under waite
in the opposite direction. Her masts la,
under water, and the matches fell away
hence she 40 longer rode the sea, bu
plowed through it Oh her side.
On seeing the schooner tOpple the mel
aboard scrambled into the rigging 70
their lives. There were seven OF them
not ~eliiors, out men Of the salvage crew
,;ed to take the vessel from the b.l
Owing to tho intense cold weather an
the exposure OF tho ship on the bar the
wore buadted up with clothing 70 as t