The San Francisco call., 1899-07-12
Food and Water Landed as
the Elements Battled
Against Efforts Of
ReSCuerS.
Despite the Fury Of Wind
and Wave Relief Was
Sent to the Suffering
UnfOrtnnates.

While the Ma Belle was in San Fran
cisco being repaired and made ready
for a third attempt at rescue, the light
keepers on the South Farallon got an
inkling that all was not right on the
most northerly rock. From a remark
dropped by Spear they came to the con-
clusion that some men We're weather.
bound on the rock, so on the first fine
day they launched boat, prOvisioned
it with water. bacon, potatoes. onions,
two rabbits, several loaves of bread and
Whatever else they could spare. When
they reached the rock Martin and Costa
were almost dead from thirst and eX-
pOsure.
The lighthouse men are experts al
rigging up trolley from the shore to
boat and it was not long before the
things they had brought with them
were passing over a heaving line to the
shore. Some charcoal brought from the
lighthouse was also sent ashore, and
with it Costa did not take long to make
fire. The weather was such that the
men would have risked their lives to
leave the rock. but on receiving this
welcome installment of aid, they waved
/ farewell to the lightkeepers and turned
/ to the first cooked meal they had seen
| in weeks.
! This was a fortnight ago and the sup
ply of provisions given them by the
lightkeepers lasted only little over
week Again they were reduced to an
egg diet, and until The Calls relief ex-
pedition arrived eggs had been meat
and drink to them. 1t was easy to ap-
4 pease their hunger but they were al
ways thirsty and toward the end the
I
maddening.
! When the tug Reliance approached
the rock they pointed to their parched
throats and motioned that water was
all they wanted. 1t was finally got
ashore to them in five-gallon milk
can and those poor fellows drank until
they could not hold the can to their
Iips any longer. They were offered a
passage back to the city, but refused,
saying they had suffered the tortures
of the damned in order to secure the
eggs they went out for and now they
were going to take them to the city or
stay on the rock forever.
Enough canned meats, hardtack and
bread to last them a week were put
ashore. This will be more than enough
to last them, as the sea was rapidly
going down yesterday and by to-day or
| tomorrow the Ma Belle will be able
| TO take them and their eggs off the
rock.
1t was o'clock Tuesday morning
! when the tug Reliance with two Cah
men aboard started for the North Far
allon rock Captain Gilbert Brokaw
had made all the necessary arrange
ments and was ready for any emerg-
ency. The skiff Vigilant was lashed on
deck and in it Captain Brokaw said his
mate ]. Olsson,. could make a landing
| anywhere.
No one on the Reliance knew on
l which of the three rocks forming the
North Farallones the men were. so a
systematic search had to be made.
They were discovered on the most
northerly one of the group rope fas-
tened to the pinnacle of the rock and
falling to a landing place near the base
revealed their whereabouts to Captain
Brokaw. On this spot were collected
thousands of eggs, some in sacks and
some in tin cans. but the majority lay
loose on the rock. The rope had been
used in scaling the rock to secure the
eggs.
Martin and Costa had been sheltered
from the wind in a fissure of the rock.
but d hail from the tug soon brought
them forth, when they made pauto-
mime appeal for water. The skif Vigil
liant was lanched from the deck of the
Reliance and a five gallon can of water
put in it, Mate OLSON and one of The
Call men got aboard and started for
the rock 1t was impossible to make
a landing owing to the swell. so Mar
tin threw rope to the boat and OLSON
made it fast to the milk can. To make
sure there would be no mishap. he fas-
tened a second line to the can and held
it in his hand, paying out as Martin
hauled in. 1t was lucky he did so, as
the line Martin was hauling on parted
and both can and water would have
been lost.
The precious can was hauled back
aboard the slxiff and again Martin
threw his line aboard and again 1t was
made fast to the can. This time Costa
got down on the rock and kept it from
chaing, so the water reached the rock
in safety 1t did not take long to get
the lid off and then each man took
long draught. AS long as their weak
ened arms could hold the can up they
kept it to their lips, only to sit down