The sun., 1903-12-25

for the tug were in clover compared with
the six unfortunates who were allowed
10 drift away by themselves in the small
boat; These six were Edward Wilson Of
l24 East l2Oth street. New York. Mrs. Caro-
line Shepard, Hattie Fisher, colored
woman. Rachel Cresco, Annie Shaffiro and
Joseph Taffa Of New Haven. The last three
Italians.
Wilson works on the subway In New York,
DE knows a little something about rowing
and wore blue flannel shirt on his tE.n
from New Haven.
He told the offlcerso of the steamboat that
ne could help in boat. On the strength
OF that statement and the blue shirt he was
put In command Of one of the lifeboats
ne only agreed to help In a boat and took
be with him. But there wasn't, and Wilson
found himself tossing about in the fog
with four women and a man, Joe Ta1a,
VINO was the most helpless and most trouble
some member of the party of six. Iafa
IL farmer. He was never in small boat
peiore and was almost insane from fright.
WOMAN WAS PRACTICALLY CAPTAIN
The Italian women were in their night
gowns, One of them, Annie, Shaffiro,
had already been overheard and her night
gown had frozen. The colored woman
was little better of, because she had man
aged to save wrapper from the wreck.
Mrs. Shepard, who kept her head from the
''ihV tIic wi IillB uIti
was all over, had escaped from the wreck
with all her clothes on, including an out side
wrep.
She was practica captain Of the forlorn
little crew of six, and it was her common
sense and grit more than anything else
admitted that the morning after the rescue
The little boat finally went aground on
a sand fiat two miles of Frost Point, eight
miles east of Cow and Calf rocks. That
was at o'clock this morning. The cast
aways were seen from the shore by William
Matthias, who notified William Mitchell,
the manager of Charles Sooysm tbs coun-
try estate at Green's Farms. There are
no Government life savers on the Con-
necticut shore Of the Sound.
MITCHELL who was formerly sailor, put
of in the small tender of Mr.. Sooy smiths
yacht. He found the occupants OF the
lifeboat in a serious plight from exposure,
but Mrs Shepard was still in command
and told him what to do.
Mitchell could take only two ashore at
time. so at Mrs. Shepard's request he took
the two Italian women on the first trip,
Mrs. Shepard and the colored girl went
next, and on the third trip Mitchell brought
Wilson and Tafra ashore.
CASTAwAYs CARED FOR.
Mr.. Mtchcll's son and daughter met
the castaways as they were landed and TOOK
them in a covered carriage to the house.
where food and clothing were provided
for all hands, 1t had been cold enough
during the night to make ice an inch thick.
I'VE owe our lives to Mrs. Shepard's
pluck" said Wilson.
And to Wilson'S muscle added Mrs.
Shepard, "for he did the rowing
There were two pairs Of oars in the lileboat, ,
but one pair was useless because Tara
couldn't row and was too scared to try to
learn. He did make one attempt. but quit
with shrek and stood bolt upright on the
thwart waving his arms ana cursing ana
praying by turns.
Mrs Shepard coaXed him into behaving
himself for while, but that operation had
to be repeated every half hour or 20 through
the night.
The Italian women moaned and prayed
but remained still, huddled together IN
the bottom of the boat Mrs. Shepard
took of her cloak and dress skirt to throw
over the women in their night gowns She
kept from freezing herself by bailing, by
helping Wilson from time to time with
parativs ras aS 9ea reason.bleness ny every time he
had his tantrums and threatened the lives
of all six by jumping around In the boat.
Wilson had no bearings. He simply kept
rowing and trusted TO luck and Mrs Shep-
ard. They were only three miles OIL shore
when they set out, but had no means OF
knowing that. And Wilson doesn't know
how many miles he rowed or in how many
different di rections he went to reach that
sand flat eight miles away. Wilson went
to New York tonight. His lifeboat com
panion returned to New Haven,
The Erastus Corning was built in 1857
at Brooklyn. She is $50 tons, III feet long,
"a feet beam and has a draught of feet.
She has been in two collisions with ferry
boats in the North River Seven years
ago tonight she went ashore in New Haven
harbor. She struck rock of Glen Island
and was sunk in 1880. and in 1891 there was
a fire on her hurricane deck when she was
off Norwalk on her way through the Sound.
No lives we're lost in these accidents.