Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1898-07-21
A RESCUE AT SEA.
An Old Fishing Schooner Puts Ont to
Sea I'm N Terrific Storm to Save
n Steamers Crew.

On the night OF December 81, 1896,
the British steamer Warwick, from
Glasgow to St. John, N. B., drove at
full speed against the Yellow Muir
ledge, Grand Manan. After futile at
tempts to save themselves in the howl
ing gale, the crew, numbering SO souls,
launched the two remaining boats
the next morning at daylight, crowd
ed into them, and left the wreck. Ever
drenched, ever bailing for dear life,
in momentary peril OF capsizing, be-
coming more nulnbed and discour-
aged, drifting further from land, fail
ing off into deeper troughs of the
heaving seas, the poor men finally
gave up hope, for survival was only a
question of minutes, or, at most, of
hours. At that crisis, when the tenn
pest was at its height, out of the scud,
the seas, and the foam, out of the
hurricane, there appeared savior.
The SO frozen men thought the ma
terialization a miracle.
A few days before when the gale was
rising, the George S. Boutwell,, fish
ing schooner from the port of Glouces-
tCl, III a llliC GU
spot called Seal cove. The Boutwell,
was launched in 1869, and had been
racked and tossed since the day of her
birth. She was old and feeble, and
her skipper, Zacha-ie Surette, was
easing her up the coast. She had been
creeping from shelter to shelter, es-
Gaping the winter storms. When this
furry arose, Capt. Surette congratu-
lated himself on his own safety, for
the vessel was light, and to risk her
in such storm was sheer suicide, and
he knew it. During a lull in the blow,
the keeper of the North Head light no.
ticed the steamer grinding on the
rocks. The Boutwell, was the only
vessel within 20 miles or more. The
keeper ran down to the cove, jumped
into a frail dinghy, and rowed out,
with great danger to himself, and told
the captain what he had seen. There
was not an instant's hesitation among
skipper and crew.
Don't wait to haul her up, boys!
Buoy that anchor! Sharp, now! Lash
the jumbo down! Three reefs in her
mainsail, and let her go!"
Not man on deck but knew it might
loaded-but light! A single cross sea
would open her ancient seams. An
unpropitious comber might sweep
her clean. A chance squall would
heave the light thing down. But Capt.
Surette-the same man who played
his grim joke on the life-boat crew
stood by his wheel, and, regardless of
the old vessels groans and protesta-
tions, whipped her on. He was as care
less of the furnishing elements as the
soldier who furiously, amid shrapnel,
spurs his jaded horse into the en-
emy's trenches.
Steadily blown to leeward, at sea
the two boat loads made preparations
to perish. Suddenly the Boutwell,,
like huge gull, bore down upon them.
Fearing she would 60 by, not know
ing that she came to save, the men
in the boats stood up, extending their
hands and shouting madly. 1t took
no little seamanship to shoot up near
the first boat, which, but for it's air
tanks, would have long since swamped.
Ropes with slip-nooses were thrown,
and the men, one after another, were
drawn to the Boutwell's deck, and i'm
mediately slowed below. Then came
another three-mile battle for the Sec
ond boat, and another rescue, that is
simple enough to mention, but hard
to accomplish and describe. Now the
Boutwell,, never before so laden, with
her 81 saved on board, made a des-
perate fight to get under the lea shore,
and for safety, IL miles away.-Her-
bert d. Ward, in Century.