The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-01-29

need not look far for cases TO strengthen
the claims Of this heroic body OF men.
Scarcely q great wreck takes place that
does NOT leave one or moro resouers worse
OF than the rescued. Often whole crews
Of lifeboatmen arc sacrificed, and still
more frequently some one individual 10
the victim Of q sad calamity brought
about by exposure in trying to ward on
calamity from fellow men. In writing
these stories Of heroism &C sea have pre-
fsrrod 70 dwell upon the particulars OF
life saving In tho strict sense. But the
loss Of life among savers II, alas, too often
q necessary part Of the story. Usually IL
comes about by . hopeless attempt to save
that which Is beyond salvation.
When the Elizabeth from Belfast, Me-,
went down In the entrance to San Francis
co harbor Feb. 81, 1891, with17 OF her crew,
the chances of giving help were OF tho
faintest, yet Keeper Charles Henry OF Fort
Point station lost his own life and tmper-
He'd his crew because the traditions OF the
service arc, Never say fall" The Eliza
beth crossed the outer bar In the arter-
noon with a fresh leading wind Her cap
tain declined the proffered aid Of tugs, de-
clarinE that his ship could sail In alone
The tugs attempted to follow the ship,
but couldn't keep up. As the seas grew
heavier the captain hailed the tug Alert
and offered $25 for q tow. The skipper OF
the Alert asked $50, and as the Elizabeth
was driving rapidly on shore her captain
offered to split the difference and make 1t
SS7. so At last, when the ship was almost
on the rocks, he offered $50, but the tug
captain declared he couldn't save her then.
Seeing the ship becoming unmanageable,
however, he passed q hawser on board. 1t
broke Just as he got the Elizabeth headed
offshore Half an hour was passed in
getting another line aboard. Meanwhile
Had ~ Point
Bonita. The tide was ebb, and the tug
could not make Roadway with the ship
until her sails had been furled and her
yards braced back. Unfortunately the
hawser again broke, but the tug Reliance
was within hail and came to the assist
ance Of the Alert. Before the Reliance
could get hold the Elizabeth struck on
Four Eathom bank and for the first time
!, hoisted signals OF distress The decks
ware swepb by heavy seas, one OF which
struck the captain and disabled him n
cutter was lowered, and it Immediately
swamped, but the people, three In num-
Der, were taken ON board the Reliance
The dingy was then holsted out, and the
eaptain's wife, with two children, was
transfarred to the Reliance. Meanwhile
the Elizabeth had pounded over the shoal,
Losing her keel She hoated, but was
leaking badly.
The distress signals when hoisted quick
IL alarmed Keeper Henry at Fort Point
station, who launched the lifeboat with
out delay. It was blowing q gale, with q
cboppy sea. 90 that the surfmen could
make little headway with the oars. For
tunatsly the tug Relief came along out
ward bound and took the humane craft
In tow. Night had set IN intensely dark.
Both boats shipped heavy seas, but ploWed
ahead until they reached Point Bonita,
when the tug captain advised Keeper
Henry to turn about, but the brave fellow
declared that he must sail ON until he
reached the vessel whose signals OF dis
tress had been sighted from the lookout.
Just at that moment q heavy sea picked
ND the lifaboae and hurled her under and
athwart the bow Of the tug. To save her
being stove Keeper Henry out the towline,
tho crew bent to thejf oars and only with
the severest efforts saved the boat from be-
ing driven on the rocks toward which the
fierce wind, q strong eddy and the heaVing
sea carried her. Finally she met with the
tug Alert going In from the bar and ask
ing for q tow passed q hawser on board.
In the excitement and haste the short
pIece which had bean cut loose from the
Belief was used. AS soon al the line was
fast the tug steamed ahead slowly, but In
getting under Roadway the hfeboat took q
broad sheer, filed with water, and when