The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1903-02-26
VOL. XLlI.
In Time of Storm
and Wreck " "

nNE of the government lfe-sav-
] ing stations on Long island is at
SS;npecock. 1t is S5 miles east from
Now York as the railroad runs, and
that is about as the crows fly.
The unpretentious one-story frame
station house, capped by little box.
like lookout, is surrounded by trio
of dwellings, doll house in proper
tions. in which live as many families
Of Ife-savers. The only other evil
dences of habitation on the sandy
stretch are two or three unpainted
storage sheds and a flag signal pole
towering over the squat buildings
within its shadow.
From Shinnecock bay, which sep
arates the beach from the mainland
to the north, the whole station Is
clearly visible on a fair day across
the four-mile stretch of water; but
let one take up his stand on the
oceans edge, so yards to the south
Of the station, and look northward
and he will see naught of human
handiwork except the top OF the
fagpole-that and an abruptly ris-
ing ridge of sand.
This ridge, which is pure golden
and silvery and iron red by turns,
continues almost centrally along the
beach as far as eye can see to east
and west, and it has the peculiar
property of keeping the noises of the
sea from out the ears of the SHINE
cock life-savers, except on the storm
lest of nights, when the gale is
blowing great guns from the south.
1t was on such winters night
that the two occupants of an an
cient catboat. baffied in their at
tempts to reach the mainland across
Shinnecock bay, ran the boat over
the fats until its bottom grated and
held fast on the stand. Then jump
ing into the knee-deep water they
tugged and pulled the boat after
them until it was beached.
After that they made the craft
safe from the storm, and little
while later set their faces toward the
gaIe-driven rain and breasted thelI
way to the station house.
They threw open the door just as
the life-savers were sitting down te
meal of salt pork, boiled cabbage
and hot coffee, served on table hid
den under piece of clean oil cloth
With the hospitality characteristic
Of the men who work along the sea
coast, the five beachers, making M
excuse for their frugal fare, invited
the visitors to eat.
AS the visitors sat down the hea
from the wood fire in the big cooking
stove back of them quickly drlet
their drenched clothing and skins, 81
that when the last of the mounds o
food had disappeared from the plat
ters and pipes had been lighted ant
chairs tilted comfortably bacl
against walls, they were in fittin!
mood to show interest in Capt. Alan
son Penny's "reminiscences.
bad night, but clear weathe
alongside the night when the schoon
er Louis V. Place went ashore OF
the Lone Hill station about fou
years ago." he began.
He took deep puff at his pipe.
"Maybe you'd care to hear abou
it?' All right; yes-yes."
Once more volume of smoke hi
the captains face, and, as it cleare
away, he continued:
'.The sea was awful that night
Generally l don't notice the awfu
H. 1~cf
used to it, but that night the CONT
ers were the highest I've ever see
and they threw spray over the to
OF the ridge yonder, which is 60 yard
from the waters edge at ebb an
about 80 feet above it. And the slee
fell in sheets.
1T was around about midnigh
when the Louis V. Place was blow
on the bar. Capt. Sam Baker and HI
crew were down at the shore in
jify with the beach apparatus, fo
they knew that quick work was neet
ed to save men grounded in such
3. sea.
They shot out the line, and
wouldn't hold. They shot out til
line again and it wouldn't hold; an
they shot it out time after time, b,
1t wouldn't hold, for the schoone
was rolling so frightfully that nor
OF the sailors dared come out of tt
rigging to make it fast.
And they couldn't go out to tt
schooner in the surf boat The wiz
had jammed the sea between sho1
and vessel, 500 yards away, with po
rldge-that's ice packed tight az
thick. No boat can live or q
through such ice, so there they we1
-Capt. Baker and his men-helple
as babies, and sobbing like babie
TOO. with the sailors freezing
eeath in the rigging before the
eyes.
There was nothing to do exec,
t. wait for the wind to die dow
hey waited two days and nights b
81 the beach fires, which lit up Il
aases Of the freezing sailors, and