Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-12-02


The sand cut their faces until they
were raw and bleeding. The cold was
intense, but these heroic life savers
fought for the lives they could not save
like brave men they are. These things
happened right in Provincetown har-
Dor.
Captain bennett got out boat and
took the reporter ashore, accompanying
him himself. The wharf where we
landed was a new one, but a schooner
had plowed her way right through the
middle of it and it was in ruins. This
was the only landing place in the city.
The others were wrecked
The Press reporter got team and
started for the back side of the cape,
three miles away across the sand. As
the carriage approached the back part
of the cape the thunder of the surf on
the beach could be heard, booming oul
its solemn dirge over the dead.
There's the station" said the driver.
Nothing could be seen but sand hills,
but on getting down and going towards
them the semblance of buildings could
be seen. They We're literally buried in
the sand which had been blown about
them.
Capt. Clark and his men had rescued
a part of crew of the Bucksport
schooner Addie E. Snow. which had
gone ashore at this point, Sunday fore
noon, about ? o'clock. He told the
Press reporter the story of the rescue.
The wind was blowing SO hard that
you couldn't stand up and face it, said
Captain Clark. We saw the schooner
coming long ways off, and knew that
she would go onto the bar. We had to
shovel sand for 10 or 20 minutes before
we could get the doors of our houses
open so as to get out any of our appa
ratus. We finally succeeded in getting
out a little practice gun and with this
we went down under the bluffs to a
point opposite to where the schooner
was coming ashore. She struck about
as soon as we got there. A man could
not stand UP and face this wind. The
sand cut the faces of the men so that
the blood rolled off their cheeks.
Two men were swept off the schoon
er's poop as soon as she struck and a
sea took them around under the bow
toward us. This wave landed them at
the top of the bluff 80 feet high, and
the men grabbed and scratched to hold
on to keep from being swept back into
the sea. We grabbed them and pulled
them in behind the bluff where they
sank down exhausted. Then we fired a
| shot over the schooner's miZZen cross
trees. There were four men on this
mast, but none of them touched this
rope which was within easy reach of
them ALL Finally one man did take
hold of the rope and started to pull in
the larger rope. He pulled away alone
| but no one offered to help him. At last
| he got the big rope with the breeches
buoy attached and made it fast. Then
we pulled him in. Another man tried
! to come ashore on the rope and was
snatched off by the sea. The two men
who We're lost then made an attempt
| together to come in over the line. They
were so frightened that they did not
understand how to work the breaches
buoy. They got on the line and it be-
gan to surge and sag. We held on for
dear life on the other end, but suddenly
the mast went by the board and the
two men We're swept out to sea.
The four men whom the reporter
understood Captain Clark had saved
were given as follows: Raymond
> pi = uc, Matthias, OiiptS, DoS
ton; Frank n. Woods, Glasgow; John
| Ellegard. Denmark.
Then Captain Clark proceeded to tell
about the wreck of the Portland.
"At 11.45," said he, "a surf man came
into the house and reported that wreck
age of various kinds was coming ashore
fast. We got out our crew and went down
along the beach. Not a thing could be
seen or heard excepting the roar of the
surf. We did not find any bodies here I'M
til the next forenoon, about or o'clock.
The first body that came ashore was up
near High Head station. This was the
body of a woman with a cut on her head
Soon after this we got two more bodies
along this station.
when morning dawned we could not
make out any signs of a steamers wreck
off this bar. Nothing was to be seen OF
her anywhere. l think she must have
foundered up north of the cape some
where, and this stuff came down here
with the current
The reporter walked down to the beach
There were bits of all kinds of articles
from the freight of the Portland. Among
other things We're thousands of pieces OF
red. green and pink tissue paper which
had evidently been part of the freight OF
the steamer.
+ The Press reporter saw one life pre-
server which told a pitiful story. Th.
bands which were used to fasten the life
preServer about the bouy were an knottet
in hard knots. 1t had undoubtedly beer
, carefully tied about the body of some per
son who was too small for the big lif,
: preserver and who had slipped out of i
when in the water There were other pre-
servers which were torn and ripped ant
, some of the bands used to fasten then
j broken. The number of life preserver:
I found which had evidently never beer
| touched was another thing which wa
pointed out to the Press man as bein.
n very singular.
g Along toward daylight a train cam
. into Provncetown. Mr.. Blair of Boston
. was passenger on this train He for
: merly came from Boothbay and is
: cousin of Mr.. George kenniston, Jr., TIL
n Bowdoin student who was lost on tn
Portland. Young Remission had been il
q Boston over Thanksgiving and had bee
visiting Mr.. Blair. With tears in his eyes
4 young Remission on Saturday night be
Il fore he left on the boat.
4 The citizens of Provncetown are doin
- all they can for those who come search
{ ing for news or the bodies of friends, bu
e TINS is very slight because they have littl
= to do with and have lost very heavil
u. themselves.
y Mr.. Williams, the Boston agent of tn
Portland line, said: God forgive me if
is gave out information in Boston whic
was not true told the pewSpaner mo