New-York tribune., 1898-12-02
TRAGIC TALES FROM GAY HEAD.
HOW FIVE VESSELS AND SEVEN MEN PER-
IsHED on SATURDAY NIGHT
AND SUNDAY.

HOW FIVE VESSELS AND SEVEN MEN fEi'-
IsHED on SATURDAY NIGHT
AND SUNDAY
Vineyard Haven, Mass. Dec. 1.-Sylvanus
Calhoun, a member OF the crew or the Gay rieau
ufe-saving station. has reached here, prihs" :
news of the loss OF the schooners Amelia IT, ire
land. O. New-York, and the Clara LeaVlt' oi
Portland Me, and of the captain, mate anu io"'
seamen from the Leavit and one seaman iioi"
the Ireland The captain. mate ana iou' s'"
men Of the Ireland were saved and one man
came ashore from the Leavitt on "recndse.
The names of the lost and the survivors had
not been learned when Calhoun left the Gay
Head station. which is at the other end or Inc
leland from, here as those who were rescued
were too greatly exhausted to tell VINO 'hey
were or to name their companions. The WRECKS
occurred on Saturday night.
The usual patrol of the shore In the viclhit!
Of Gay Head was begun on Saturday evening"
BY s o'clock a northeast gale had SET ILL., III
creasing in force every moment. AT 9'oo c'ooA
through the storm the fash or torch III '"e
direction Of Dog Fish Bar was seen by 'he pa
trolman The life savers fastened to the s'a-
ton. and Captain Hayman quickly mus'ereu
his crev In a few minutes lifeboat. with all
the apparatus necessary. drawn by YOKE oi
oxen. was on its way TO the nearest place 10
the bar which was two and haif mics from
the station.
The wind was blowing at frightful rate ac-
COMMANDED by binding snow, and IT was ii
o'clock before the men reached the place lhey
sought. They were too late. When they got to
the beach wreckage from the vessel was coming
ashore. and it was soon apparent that she had
gone to pieces. fragment showed her to nave
been the Clara Leavitt Later, clinglng TO
broken plank one man was driven in and res
cued from the waves He carrec to the
station and made as comfortable as possible.
While the lifc-savers were peering INTO the
storm in an effort to discover another possloie
survivor, another signal torch was seen from
vessel which was at that moment almost upon
the bar The next instant she struck but went
on in a place a little less exposed to the fury OF
the waves than where the Leavltt was lost' aiiu
she did not go to pieces Quickly the illepoa'
was run down to the edge Of the foamihg sun
Then. with six stout men at the oars, arr an sent
temrt was made 10 launch her. She was sweep
back like a chip, and no sooner had she stuch
the beach than sne was picked up py the "ihu
and blown twenty rods away .,
Captain Hayman then decided TO Try shoo,ins
a line to the wreck, but this could not De dche
unti daylight. With the first appearance oi
dawn the gun carriage was drawn up TOT ser
vice Seven men could be seen clingins TO the
rigging of the vessel The line was shot toward
the schooner. 1t fell short. The enort was re-
heated with the same result Again the appal-
atus was put into operation, and again ana
again until twelve shots had been nred In Vaii'
Meanwhile the wind had shifted more 10 tne
north, and was colder and the sno" hao 'uiheu
to hail. a., .e.,..,x
Spurred by the sight Of the men in the rigging
and the increasing severity OF the storm, zap
tain Hayman called for another tlaI Oh tIe
surfhOat Seven times the boat was launched.
and the most persistent efforts OF the crew TO
breast the waves were Of no avail. On the eighth
trial however, success came, ana uiluei tHe
tremendous strokes Of the men the Doat was
driven from wave to wave till she reached the
vessel One seaman had perished, but the cap
tain, mate and four sailors. barely alive We're
rescued and taken to the station Inc 'essei
was the Amelia G. Ireland
Calhoun, who brought the story mere, is on MS
way to South Orleans for medical treatment.
He was injured internally by the nfehoat as
she was driven on the beach in one OF the at
tempts TO launch her. When Calhoun left the
shipwrecked men they were all IN serious
condition from exposure and their batte win
the sea. The life-savng crew wa" giving them
every possible attention.
The Clara Leavitt was three-1naster OF
397 50 net tons. 121 feet long, and was built al
Cape Elizabeth. Me, in 1871.
The Amelia c. Ireland also was a three
master She was owned by the Tidewater Oil
COMPANY of NeWYork. and was bound from
Bayonne ~ j. to Boston. with a cargo OF OIL
in tanks she was Of 270.3l net tons. IA feet
long and was built IN Somerset county No. III
1866 She will be a total loss
Buzzards Bay Mass. Dec. IA member Of
the lfe-saving crew at Gay Head who reached
here this morning reports that on Sunday morn
ing the schooners Queen Hester. Vivian and
Clara c. Baker went 10 pieces n the rocks
where the City of Columbus pershed some years
ago The life-saving crew. during forty-elGht
hours of unceasing effort, succeeded in launch
ing the surfboat for ten trips to vessels and
succeeded In rescuing nineteen OF the several
crews. Seven however. perished before as
sstance could reach them. The man from Cay
Head could not give the names Of the saved or
the lost.