The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-09-18

~
"A Its great reflector, that
M M6 from point hundred
| feet above the sea casts It's
guiding rays 10 cat-bOat and Cunarder
alike. was obscured by snow one fate
| ful night, and In the strange irony OF
! Natures ways storm struck that
! part OF the coast with the greatest
violence Of all. With deepening night
il ragged down the coast, snapped an
chor-chains ana hurled craft upon the
the shore OF bolted them outright and
later spat their bones upon the beach.
Like a mighty ghost the pilot-boat Col
umbia rushed in through the surf
and split a Gsherman's cottage in
twain. Next the storm lifted up n
schooner and dropped her npon Teddy
Rocks. ana made kndling wood Of her
and corpses OF lsr crew OF eight, and
then piled a coal barge upon those
selfsame Rocks" and In few min
utes there was no evidence that il had
struck az all Surfman Tobin. patrol
ling the beach was compelled 10 crawl
on hands and knees against the wind.
aud once was blown into pond 10 the
lea Of the strip Of beach on which he
was walking.
Through the terrifying night the
Point Allcrton crew patrolled the
beach, and when daylight broke, com
manded by Keeper James, they went
to the rescue OF a schooner that was
driven ashore one and One-half miles
to the north Of their station. For sew
cral hours they worked and brought
every man ashore. then hauled their
heavy apparatus home and just as
they reached il, almost exhausted,
were notified Of the Greek Of n coal
barge on the rocks q mile down the
shore. They set out al once for the
scene OF this new horror and reached
il just in time TO save the crew OF
five men, who were struggling in the
furious surf. With 10 thought Of
self the life-savers plunged in through
the breakers, and bore their burdens
through snow-drifts to higher shore.
Daylight was fading when the crew
reached their quarters again They
had worked in the water continuously
for twelve hours, but at the first sue-
geston Of dawn they were off again
to renew the fight. A ship was ashore
beyond Lighthouse Island. and might
go 10 pieces at any moment The
snow charged gale still roarcd, and
the spray that dashed into the air
was ice before il struck the earth.
tug that had attempted to tow the surf
boat to the island was compelled 10
cut loose q fourth Of n mile away.
But the crew seized their oars, deter
mined 90 do or die. With splendid
strokes they sent their boat into the
swirling surf. The breakers dashed ut
her and dashed her and enveloped her
with spray but she weathercd il all.
ON n small portion of the wreck they
found five OF the crew crouchinC in the
lea Of broken bulwark. and in the
centre OF the group dead man lay.
With a load of the living, half alive
and dead the lifesayers pulled for
shore. once in their snug quarters,
they cut the boots from the sailors
frozen feet. and ministcred to their
bruised and wounded bodies.
Before this work Of mercy was com
plete. word was received that three
men had been marooucd on Black Rock
by the storm. Now, Black Rock vas
six miles down the coast and third
Of n mile from shore. a iXmiles'
tramp through sand and snow with
heavy apparatus and another pcrilouS
dash through the surf, was not very
encouraging outlook. After mn incred-
IDLY fatiguinC journey the party halted
at a point mile to windward of the
shipwreCFCd men. The boat was skill
fully launched, and the surfmcn pulled
for Black Rock. There the sea was
running high and breaking dangerous
ly. For an hour they lay to. tossing
idly: then n break occurred. and in n
twinkliug the veteran commander
seized the chance the storm had given,
and rushed his boa: through the break
ers Quick rs wink the three shiv-
CrinC sailors were suatchcd aboard,
and the boat pushed back into safe
water. That night the veteran keeper
said of the work of thirty-siS hours,
I'VE succeeded in gettiES every man
that was alive at the time we started
for him '-Woman's Home Companion.