The Portland daily press., 1898-12-01


over the first bluff near the town the car
riage plunged into the sandy desert
again. The sea had intruded here ana as
for as the eye could reach nothing could
BIS seen bu5 big ponds of water now rapid
ly freezsrg nvsr. The sand dunes were
piled high on every hand and in and out
amor these the driver ur- ed his tired
beasts. Is the carriage approached the
back par5 of the cape ths thunder of the
surf on tho beach could be heard, BOOM
ing out its solemn dirge oyer the dead.
In and out, around and over these sand
hills the carriage slowly dragged along.
1t was becoming dark and the moon was
family peeping cut among tbs clouds
when after climbing series Of sand hills
the carriage came to a stop.
There's the station" said the driver
Nothing could be seen but sand hills, but
on getting down and going towards them
the seinblance of buildings could be seen.
They were literally buried in tho SAND
which had teen blown about them.
Finding door the reporter plunged into
the living room of the station. Here
were founu the bronzed and weary men
of the life saving crew of Captain W. w.
Clark of the Peaked Hill Rar station.
Capt. Clark was seen in his own part of
the building, tall fine looking manly
fellow in blue flannel shirt. Beside him
sat his wife. She had come out to help
him with his report and they were work
ing away together at the papers. Mrs
Clark had been in Provi ncstown during
the gale She knew her husband was
battling out Oh this stormy cape for the
lives of men. The PRESS reporter asked
her if she WAS frightened.
eyes, 1 was frightened but I knew
that Captain Clark was doing his duty
and trying hari to save whoever might
be along the coast on this terrible night"
That was all, but it tells better than
anything else the stuff these Cape Cod
women are made of.
THEY ARE HEROES,
these mothers and wives Of the Cape.
Captain Clark and his men had rescued
o part of crew of the Bucksport schoon.
er Adeie II. Snow, which had gone ashore
at this point Sunday forenoon about MIN
O clock. He told the PRESS reporter tn,
story of the rescue.
The wind was blowing SO hard that you
couldn't stand up and face it," said
CAPTAIN Clark. ssWlth this wind came
sand and snow and you can see how 10
drifted up about our houses, almost
hiding them from sight. We saw the
schooner coming a long ways of and
knew that she would so onto the bar. We
had to shovel sand Tor fifteen or twenty
minutes before we could get the door of
our houses open SO as to get out any OF
our apparatus. We finally succeeded in
getting out 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 sehooner's
poop as soon as she struck and sea took
them around under her bow toward Us.
This wave landed them at the top of the
bluff thirty feet high and the men
grabbed and scratched to hold on to keep
from being swept back into the sea. We
grabbed him and pulled him in behind
the bluff where he sank down exhausted.
Then we fired a shot over the schooner s
mizzen crosstrees. 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 hut no
one offered to help him. AT last he got
the big rope with the breeches buoy at
tached 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 were lost
then made an att empt together to come
in over the line. They were SO frightened
that they did not understand how to work
the breechts buoy. They got on the line
and it began to surge and sag. We held
on for dear life on the other end, but sud-
denly the
MAST WENT BY THE BOARD
and the two men were swept out to sea.
These four men which the reporter I'M
derstood Captain Clark had saved were
given as follows: Raymond Sprague,
Machias; r. f. Jones, Boston; Frank N.
Woods, Glasgow; John Ellegard, Den
mark.
Then Captain Clark proceeded to tell
| about the wreck of the Portland.
CAT eleven forty live O'clock" said he,
.a surf man came in to the house and re-
ported that wrecEage OF various kinds
was coming ashore fast. This wreokage
consisted of pieces of paddle boxes, state
| room toilet stands, blinds, windows,
| firkins of lard, Kegs of varnish. casks
marked Squirrels pork, strips of boards
splintered and broken into small pieces
and strips, parts of saloon furniture with
mahogany finish and at last We began to
gather In some life preseryers marked