The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1902-03-21
IN WATERY GRAVE
A CAPsIZED LlFEBOAT SENDS
TWELVE SOULS TO ETER-
SEVEN uFtSAvtRS PtRlSifD
WENT TO THE RESCUE OF FIVE
MEN ON A STRANDED
BARGE.
HEROIC WORK SAVES ONE LIFE
WILLIAM H. MACK OF CLEVELAND
WAS AMONG THOSE
LOST.
HEROIC WORK SAVES ONE Lift

Chatham, Mass, March 10. - Seven
hfesavers, practically the entire crew
of the Monomy station. on the south
end OF Cape Cod, met death yesterday
at their post Of duty. and with them
into the sea which capsiznd the lifebOat
went five men from the stranded barge
whom they tried to bring IN
safety to the shore. One man. Lemuel
Ellis. through the heroic work of Capt.
Elmer Mayo Of another stranded barge,
the John c. Fitzpatrick, was rescued
from the bottom Of the upturned Nfe-
boat. Among these lost was William
Fl. Mack of Cleveland. Ohio, who was
on the barge representing his company,
the Boutelle Towing n Transporter
ton company of that city, while Capt.
Marshall N. Eldredge. one of the oldest
l~ifesavers on the coast. went down
with his men. The scene of The acc1-
dent was In the well known tide rips
of Monomoy Point. which make down
from Chatham into Nantucket sound.
Last Thursday the barges Wadena and
John G. Fitzpatrick, on the way to
Boston with cargoes of coal, stranded
or the Shovelful shoal. about three
quarters Of a mile off Monomoy Point.
Since then every effort has been mace
to float the barges, and all day Satur-
day and Sunday men from Vineyard
Haven were at work
Throwing Coal Overheard
from both Of them. Sunday night the
tug Peter G. Smith, which has been ly-
ing beside the barges, ran alongside
the Wadena and told those on board
that a storm was coming on. All the
wrecl ers were taken on board the tug
with the exception of the five men who
met their fate yesterday. Mr.. Mack.
who had come on from Cleveland, re-
fused to leave. and ordered the captain
Of the Smith to anchor near by. About
3 o'clock. the weather growing very
thick, the captain of the tug decided
to run into Hyannis. Yesterday fore
noon Capt. Eldredge. who had been
watching the barges very closely,
sighted signals Of distress IN the Wa
6ena. He got out his crew and SURF
boat. The crew had no difficulty in
getting off, but after rounding the
point it took nearly an o. to reach
the barge. BY trat time the tide had
turned TO the eastward and a fierce
cross-sea had been kicked up. Capt.
Eldredge steered the Hfeboat under the
lee Of the Wadena. and one after an
other the five men dropped into the
boat. With the wind astern it seemed
comparatively easy to gain the smooth
waters behind the point. The seas were
tossing and turning ir the rips m
Capt. Eldredge was constantly looking
for smooth spots. When about half
way in he thought he discovered n
over what is called a hole, n h boat
was sheered off for it. AS she did so
A Tremendous Sea
caught her under the stern and h
went over, throwing all the men into
the water. Being used to h sea I'll
the l~ifesavevrs chung to the boat and
managed to pull the Wadena men
along with them. An attempt was
made to right the boat but the life
savers Only manat ed to get her partial
" cleared. They had some hope, how
ever, of reaching land until another
wave again capsized the boat. Mr..
one by one the others dropped away
until there were only eour left. and
these climbed on the bottom Of h
overturned boat. All were fearfutiy
exhausted. The four men drifted down
in the direction of the Fitzpatrick,
where Capt. Mayo of that craft caught
sight of them. With mucn daring he
dropped a dory overheard, then jumped
into 1t and started after the exhausted
men. Before he reached the lifeboat
three Of the men had fallen into the
sea. Ellis managed to hold on and
caught the rope which Capt. Mayo
threw him. He was dragged aboard,
and Their Capt. Mavo, being a. expert
surfrnan, pulled around the point into
the smooth water and landed the only
survivor Of the thirteen who started
from the barge.