The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-05-14
BLOWS ON IRELAND'S EAST COAST.
A Former Coast Guard Man Tells of A. Flu
rious Storm and It's Wreck.

cJfarge OF coast guard station in ireland
Out Ii they want to know what real storm
IS IKE they should experience some of the
Dig blows on the east coast of ireland along
the irish Sea, north of st. Georges Channel
l nave never yet experienced anything like
IIefi IN THIS country, though I am told of
western cyclones that tear UP big trees by
the roots and carry houses and occupants
through the air.
But for good blow give me the east
coast OF ireland when there is a storm
nave sometimes found if impossible to keen
my rect along the Shore and the launching
OIL lie boat at coast guard station there
during storm is a big job The worst
storm ever remember occurred when was
cn,el oilcer or chief boatman, it was
caHed IN coast guard station at water
ing place called Newcastle which lies along
the base Of the Mourne Mountains in County
Down, Just opposite the Isle of Man The
village faces the sea in the center of a small
Day and is so near the sea wall that when
there IS big storm the spray leans over
the wall and comes down the chimneys of
the houses nearest the Sea, putting out the
fires.
at the north of the village is 2 long
stretch Of sandy beach called Cut Throat
which shelves off gradually When a vessel
is driven ashore at Cut Throat there is no
nope for her. She always sticks until she is
beaten to pieces by the waves The storn,
Ieler TO came Up from the southeast in the
aftel noon. Some hours before a big storm.
the Isle of Man. which is visible in good
weather, is seen distinctly; even the waves
can be distinguished breaking on its shores
The day before the storm the weather was
unusually fine and there was nothing to be
seen but sea and sky from the shore of the
bay. Toward evening the Isle of Man an
peared almost as suddenly. as if it had risen
from the water. [ never saw it so distinctly
from the shore before and it meant a big
Storm within twelve hours
When the storm arrived the next day the
ram came down r sheets, but was blown
q nn tel iii
you were out it was Impossible 10. see before
you. 1t was dangerous to be out as states
blown from the roofs Of houses were f1ving
IN all directions and every now and then a
chimney would be blown down. I watched
people from my window trying to go from
one place to another, but strong men were
blown about like feathers, and I saw men
who had to be out catching hands to steady
one another. The storm increased until
was going to bed, when knock came to the
deer. and coast guard clad in tarpaulins
staggered in and said that a vessel was
ashore at Cut Throat
L had just been reading a letter from my
prothFr, who was coming from Wales on a
schooner, and hoping that he was not at sea
in the tempest and the news that a vessel
was ashore scared rue. I put on my tarpau-
Inns IN a hurry and went out, but the wind
met me in the teeth when [ went oft and
blew me down. The coast guard pulled me
up, and hand in hand we went to Cut
which was about three-quarters of mile
away and had lifeboat station. The noise
of the storm was terrible 1t made a roarinr
and shrieking in my ears like the sound of a
thousand f1ends fighting. The rain struck IN
the street horizontally, and though the night
was not very dark, could only see a short
way ahead, owing to the binding spray The
wind was on our backs and blew us along
so that we seemed TO fly rather than walk
Now and then one or the other of lis was
blown down. We collided helplessly with
lampposts and everything else in our wav
fhroT u
who were trying to get home in the teeth of
the wind, knocking them down.
AT Cut Throat we had to reach the beach
by crossing a succession of low sand hills
covered with grass. There the wind got at US
in it's greatest fury, blowing us down everv
minute or two. AS fast as we would get to
the top of sand hill we would be blown
down to the bottom on the other side thus
getting ahead faster than we intended
When we reached the lifeboat station
large crowd Of people had already collected
and were covering in the lee of the boat
house To my surprise there was little surf
the wind having the effect of beating down
the waves near the shore The lifeboat was
manned with myself one of the crew and
several hundred people caught the ropes and
tried to launch it, l could see the stranded
vessel, schooner, dimly now and then
through the spray by the light of rockets
which the crew firing, and the thought
that my brother might be on board made
me wild to get out. Four times the lifeboat
was launched and as many times driven back
again. The people pulled the boat out until
they were up to their breasts in the water.
1t was impossible to hear any directions
given owing to the roaring or the wind
which filled our ears. The fifth time the
boat was launched We were able to keep it
from being thrown back and by degrees
reached the stranded vessel. The crew con-
sisted of eight men and my brother was on
board as a passenger. The schooner had
come from Cardiff il. Wales, and was bound