The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-06-05
sHIPwREcKs AT THE MANAcLEs.

toillI w IsEChO Al LII ANACLES. l have been at some pains to collect information as to the number of cas-
 ualties that have taken place latterly within two or three miles of the Man acles. One fisherman, who is still ill middle life, recalls thirty-six, His list, however, is incomplete, for more than
 fifty have happened during the past
 thirty years. Of these, considerably
 more than half may be classed as total
 Wrecks. To turn to the life-boat rec
 ords, it seems that the Porthoustock
 boat, which, by the way, was sent to
 the hamlet in consequence of three
 quickly ensuing wrecks, has since the
 year 1872 been on active service sixteen
 times, and has effected the rescue of
 112 persons. The same records show
 that 119 lives were lost from the vessels
 to which the life-boat went out There were at least sixteen other wrecks during
 that period. resulting in the loss of for
 ty-four lves to which the life-boat could render no assistance. In some in-
 stances, the crews rowed ashore in their
 own boats. In others, a hurricane from the east made launch impossible.
 When one looks at this terrible array of facts, it may appropriately be asked if the means of averting disaster and of saving life are adequate in the neigh borhood. A bell-buoy certainly exists at the Manacles, but it Is of so little use that it hardly deserves to be men, toned. Next, there exists at Coverack, two and a half miles from the Mana ces, very good coastguard station. The men attached to this station have, by their untiring vigilance, saved many ships from destruction. Only a single coastguard is stationed at Porthoutsock, but previous to the wreck of the Mohe- gan it was decided to increase the num- Der to three, and to erect cottages for them in the cove. It may be pointed | out. however, that from Porthoustock ! only a limited view of the sea is to be | obtained. and none at all of the Mana cles. Persons thoroughly acquainted | with the situation are most strongly | convinced of the eminent desirability of f these men on Manacle Point. Had they been there last October they | would probably have been able to signal the Mohegan in time to prevent her from being stranded.
 Next, the fact that on the night of the wreck of the Mohegan the rocket ap- paratus at Coverack had to be labor iously pushed by men up great hill directs attention to the unfavorable po- stion in which the machine Is placed. Save in the actual cove itself there is no road along the shore from Coverack in either direction. In fully nine cases put of ten a steep ascent has to be made with the apparatus before it can be con- veyed to any point outside a half-mils 'adius. As horses are scarce commod- ty in Coverack human labor must be employed. Obviously the best place for the apparatus is St. Keverne, where horses are always to be had, whence y an easy descent any part of the coast may be reached. In he great blizzard of 1891, when four vessels were wrecked in two days, the lelay in getting the rocket apparatus to he scenes of the catastrophes Is locally leld to be responsible for much unnec- { 'ssary loss of life. Finally, it might be { to the life-boat institution { hat boat stationed at Coverack would ,e likely to prove useful. Occasionally Z rery serious wrecks, indeed accompa- llttl py great ltASS Ol He, occur IL soC. z Severne. Four Wrecks alone within the asst ninety years have resulted in the ' rowning of no fewer than 47G persons II such cases one life-boat is manifestly Boats coming from a dis [ ance, however, brave and skilful their [ rews may be, cannot render much [ ervice. It is not possible for men who 6 ave no intimate knowledge of the Man |, cles to take their craft safely at night ] trough all the intricaces of the treach- ' rous waters. At Coverack there are nough experienced fishermen, acquaint- q, by reason of their avocations, with very rock and cove and shoal and eadland in the neighborhood, to man
 boat These men in a lfe-boat might fl ave been able to save many of the un- ortunate passengers and crew of the who for time were kept float by life boats only to be dashed nally against the cliffs and boulders of , 1e inhospitabe coast.
 Perhaps, if the proposed coastguard tation were established on Manacle ont instead of in Porthoustock Cove.
 the rocket apparatus were removed , St. Keverne, and if a life-boat were mt to Coverack, the force of the plea ,r a lightship at the Manacles would greatly diminished d.--London Times.