The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-12-31
TWO WRECKS ON THE BRITISH
COAST

TWO WRECKS. ON THE BRITISH
COAST.
My companion was barely three yards
from me. He was making a speaking
trumpet of his hands, and, by the move
ment Of his features, was shouting at
the top Of his voice, I heard nothing Of
began to run; and looking up saw the
coast-guard and fishermen hurrying
with the rocket apparatus. A few
hundred yards to the north a collier
brig had driven in out of the semi-darlS-
ness, and, after humping on the outer
sands, was lifted by the next sea and
flung heavily aground, The crew[there
were five Of them and woman)
We're huddled together in the bow. The
first rocket fire was successful. Then
one of the Grew, clinging desperately to
every supporter the vessel was roll
ing fearfully-craWled along, secured
the rope, and went back to his mates.
They hauled in about twenty fathoms
of the rope and then stopped We could
see them making the line fast to the
woman. Then for five minutes that
seemed like hours nothing happened.
The woman chung to the rigging with
the rope round her; the men hung on
to the rolling vessel.
Had they known what to do with the
rope, to haul 1t in until they got the
whip aboard and to make that fast, all
of them might have been safe ashore.
The coast-guards-men gesticulated
raved, shouted; but the people on the
boat remained still. A fisherman,
rather over the middle age, with quiet
decision fixed line round himself and
prepared to venture out to almost Ger
tain death to get to these people and
show them what to do. He walked
down to the water as calmly as if he
were going home to bed, and vanished
in the veil Of spray. Scarcely had he
done so when a sea rose behind the ves-
sci, and in minute it was over. The
woman had life-buoy on, and kept on
the top of the water; the others disap-
peared. She was hauled in as rapidly
as possible, dead. Next moment an arm
was seen waving In the wash Of the sea,
The old fisherman, who had been drawn
up when the boat turned over, went
down again, fought his way out, and
was hauled back safely with the res
cued man, unconscious but living.
This was hardly over when, the day
now growing brighter, another boat was
seen driving in a little further up the
coast. The rocket apparatus was ready
for her, when suddenly she struck the
sands, bow on and stumbled, like
tripped horse going down on it's knees,
kicking up at the stern. The next sea
swung her round broadslde to the shore.
Her crew were in the rigging, and a
line was fired over her. But even before
it could settle another sea had lifted
her again, smashed her down upon her
side, and capsized her. Not a hand was
seen. The intense horror of the
spectacle was heightened by the absence
of all human noises. She seemed to
break up by magic, to come and vanish,
with that agonized waving of hands
from her rigging seen for moment,
like a phantom ship. We watched the
sea for a head or a lifted arm. More
ropes were fired over the spot, on the
chance that some hand might seize
them. But nothing was seen of the
crews again. For few minutes there
was tumult and a churning of white
waters over where the vessels had BEEN
then tossing of odd timbers here and
there on the surface, and the sea, turbu-
lent in victory, gave to the eyes of the
watchers no sign of what had happened.
H., in London Saturday Review.