The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-04-02
LOST IN SEA OFF CAPE God
Seven life-Savers and Five They
Sought to Rescue Drowned.
HIGH WAVE UPSET THE LlFEB0AT

| Heroic Efforts 70 Save Crow OF o Stranded
Barge-Boat Capslzed While Return
ing to shorc-One by Ono the Helpless
Victims Fell or Into tho Raging Sea
Only One Man Saved.
Chatham. Mass.-Seven brave life
savers. practically the entire crew of
the Monomoy station on the south end
OF Cape Cod. met death ut their posts
Of duty. and with them into the treach.
erous sea which capsized the lifeboat
went five men from the stranded
barge Wadena. whom they vainly
tried to bring In safely to the shore.
One man. Lemuel Ellis. through the
heroic work of Captain Elmer Mayo.
CT another stranded barge. the John
C. Fitzpatrick. was rescued from the
bottom Of the upturned lifeboat.
All the life-savers came from Cab.
tahn and Harwich. There Is no Gov
ernment pension for those whose hus.
bands and fathers are lost In the
iife-saving service. so that the lot
Of the families who are left Is a hard
one.
The names Of those W., were lost
are:
I.Ife-savers-Marsha n. Eldredge.
keeper. South Chatham: Edgar Small.
| Harwich: Elijah kendrick. Harwich;
| Osborn Chase. Harwich; Arthur Rog-
ers, North Harwlch; Isaac Thomas
Foye. South Chatham. and Valentine
Nickerson, Harwich.
From the Barge-Wllliam II. Mack,
Cleveland: Captain Christian Olsen.
Boston: Robert Molanux. Boston.
steward Of tug Peter Smith; Walter A.
Zev ed. Cottage City. and Manuel Enos.
Cottage Cit:..
Captain Lldredgp was 4 widower.
but leaves q sou and daughter. Surf
man Small leaves wife and two
children. Surfmen kendrlck. Rogers
and Foye were married. but had 10
children. Surfman Chase leaves 4
wife and two children. Surfman Nick
e-son leaves q wife and three chill
dren.
Captain Eldredge sighted signals Of
distress on the Wadena. He got out
his crew and surf boat. but II took
nearly an hour to reach the barge.
BY that time the tide had turned to
the eastward. and fierce cross sea
had been kicked up. Captain Eldredge
steered the lifeboat under the lee nf
the Wadena. and one after another
the FIVE men dropped into the boat.
yX,hao oho,,t holS NOV In N froyuon.
dous sea caught the lifeboat under
the stern and she went over. throwing
ail the men into the water. Being
used to the sea all the life-savers
clung to the boat and managed to pull
the Wadena men right along with
them. An attempt was made to right
the boat. but being full Of water the
llfe-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 they dropped away
until there were only four left. and
these climbed on the bottom Of the
overturned boat. All We're fearfully
exhausted. The four men drifted down
in the direction OF the Fitzpatrick.
where Captain Mayo. OF that craft
caught sight Of them. With great
daring he dropped a dory overheard
and jumping into II. 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. be-
ing an expert surfman. pulled around
the point into the smooth water and
landed the only survivor Of the thir-
teen who started from the barge.
The disaster Is one Of the worst that
ever happened to life-saving crew
on Cape Cod.