Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1902-03-21
TWELVE MIN DROWNED
Seven Life Savers and Five Sea-
men Perish in Angry Sea.
MET DEATH At POST OF DUTY
Lifeboat capsized While Rescuino
seamen From Stranded Barge, and
Only One Man Was saved-captain
Went Down With His Men.

Only One Man Was saved-captain
Went Down With His Men.
Chatham, Mass, March 1S.-Seven
life savers, practically the entire crew
of the MenomOy station, on the south
end of Cape Cod, met death yesterday
at their post of duty. and with them
into the sea, which capsized the life
boat, went five men from the stranded
barge Wadena, whom they tried to
bring in safety to the shore. One man
Lemuel Ellis, through the heroic work
of Captain Elmer Mayo, of another
stranded barge, the John c. Fitzpat
rick, was rescued from the bottom of
the upturned lifeboat Among those
lost was William H. Mack, of Cleve
land, o., who was on the barge repre-
senting his company, the Bouteu
Towing and Transportation company.
OF that city, while Captain Marsha
N. Eldredge, one of the oldest life
savers on the coast, went down with
his men. All the life savers came
from Chatham and Harwich.
Last Thursday the barges Wadena
and John c. Fitzpatrick, on the wav
to Boston with cargOes of coal, strand
ed on the Shovelful Shoal about tn. ee.
quarters of a mile off Monomoy Point
Since then every effort has been made
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 Sun.
day night the tug Peter C. Smith ran
alongside the Wadena and told those
on board that a storm was coming on.
All the wreckers 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, refused to leave.
Yesterday forenoon Captain Ell
dredge, who had been watching the
barges very closely, sighted signals
of distress on the Wadena. The crew
had no difficulty in getting off, but it
took nearly an hour to reach the
barge. By that time the tide had
turned to the eastward and a fierce
cross sea had been kicked up. Captain
Eldredge steered the lifeboat under
the lee of the Wadena, and one after
another 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 in the rips
and Captain Eldredge was constantly
looking for smooth spots. When about
half way in he thought he discovered
one over what is called a hole and
the boat was steered off for it. AS
she did so a tremendous sea caught
her under the stern, and she went
over, throwing all the men into the
water. Being used to the sea, all
the life savers chung to the boat and
managed to pull the Wadena men
along with them.
An attempt was made to ri hit the
boat, but although lifeboats are sup
piled with cork gunwales, they are
very heavy, and being full of water,
the life-savers only managed to get
her partially cleared. They had some
hope, however, of reaching land, until
another wave again capsiZed the boat.
Mr.. Mack was the first to succumb,
and one by one the others dropped
away, until there were only four left,
and these climbed on the bottom of
the overturned boat All were fear
fully exhausted. The four men drift.
ed down in the direction of the Fitz.
patrick. where Captain Mayo, of that
craft, caught sight of them. Wi h
much daring, he dropped a dory over
board, and, jumping into it, started
after the exhausted men. Before he
reached the lifebOat three of them had
fallen into the sea. Ellis managed
to hold on and caught the rope which
Captain Mayo threw to him He was
dragged aboard, and then Captain
Mayo, being an expert surfman, pulled
around the point into the smooth wa.
ter and landed the only survivor of
the 10 who started from the barge.