The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-02-11
JUST A SPARK OF LIFE
Hardships Endured by Two
ShipwTecked Sailors
EXPOSED IN A BLIZZARD
Story of the Loss of the Steam
Schooner Place
One by One the Members Of the Crew Were
Frozen and Fell Into the Sea--Heroic
Work of Life Savers.

Fire Island, Feb. l0.--Two men who
bad chung for forty hours to the rigging
of their vessel off Fire Island Beach were
rescued at midnight by the crew of the
Lone Hill Life-Saving Station. The yes
sci was the steam schooner Louis V.
Place, Captain Squires, coal laden from
Baltimore to New York. She was
wrecked during the gale. Nine men took
to the rigging when the vessel went
down, about an eighth of a mile off
shore, and they chung in the rigging dur
ing the blizzard, until, one by one, seven
of them slipped into the sea or hung
lifeless, bound to the rigging. Two only
were able to endure the terrible exposure.
They are j. 5. Nelson and William
Stevens. They are badly frozen.
The story of their rescue is tribute to
the brave life-savers who have, for the
past two days been making almost super
human efforts to reach the wrecked
schooner 1t was on Tuesday last that
the Place was wrecked. The life-savers
sent out the life lines, but not before the
seamen were almost frozen to death and
SO weak as to be unable to get to them.
They tried many times to launch boat,
but each time the breakers drove them
back to the shore. The same attempts
were repeated for two days, while, one
by one, the men in the rigging gave way
to the exposure When at midnight last
night the life-savers under command OF
Captain Baker, pushed their boat into the
surf and pulled like mad TO the wreck,
there were but two lives remaining of the
nine.
. The men in the ropes had not
tased food or drink. Just spark OF life
seemed to remain and although the two
were able to drop from the rigging into
the life boat they were almost insensi-
BILE. Nelson presented terrible appear
anee. His face, hands and feet were
frozen and he was unable to speak for
several hours. Stevens had been more
fortunate and the other survivor had
been kept alive for hours through his eff
forts. Each time Nelson's head sank on
his breast during the binding storm,
Stevens would reach over and pound him
into sensibility again. The latter was
soon able to tell the story of the wreck
and the terrible experience of the two men.
The deceased are: Capt. Charles
Squires, so years of age, married, New
York City; Engineer Charles Allen, %
years of age, Providence, r. l.; Mate
Jaibie, "A years of age, Norway; Fritz
Ward, seaman, 20 years of age, single,
Norway; Charles Morrison, cook; Gus
Olesar, % years of age, Sweden; August
Fullerton, seaman.
The bodies of the mate and the Swede
were still dashed to the rigging. The
others dropped into the sea.
Galveston, Texas, Feb. 10.-The tug
Seminole just arrived at Sabine Pass and
reports having seen the sloop Scandi-
nayia bottom up, twenty-six miles east
of here. The sloop was undoubtedly
wrecked during the gale. There were on
board Captain Bowick and crew of two
men, as well as two caulkers who had
taken passage for Orange. Today a mes
sage was received from Bolivar Point
from Captain Bowick for medical assist
ance. The other men are supposed to be
drowned.
Halifax, n. S., Feb. 10.-One of the late
arrivals at this port today announced the
loss on Friday of the fishing schooner
Clara V. Friend, with all on board. The
Friend left Gloucester two weeks ago
bound for the banks on fishing trip, and
carried crew of fourteen men. On Fri
day the terrific storm caught her while off
Western Head, near Liverpool, Nova Sco-
tia, and she was driven on the rocks going
to pieces soon afterwards. Not one of the
crew was saved. Several bodies from the
wreck are reported washed ashore at Liv-
prDOOl