The Savannah morning news., 1904-06-14
HIGH ON MARSH
WIND BLEW BOATS
ExcURSIoNIsTs STRANDED.
SPENT ENTIRE NIGHT HIGH AND
DRY, AND UNPREPARED.

Strong NOrtheaster Blew Steamer
Wilmington and About 30 Excur-
siOnists Into Marsh - Schooner
George Tauline, SIOOp Hawk ana
Naphtha Launch Ida $. Shared the
Same Fate-Rescurers Went to
Vessels Yesterday and Took the
Passengers to ThunderbOIt.
During the strong northeaster that
blew Sunday night and early yesterday
morning the steamer Wilmington, with
about thirty-five passengers, the naph-
tina launch Ida S.. with a party of
twenty, the schooner George Tauline,
with oyster shells for Brunswick, and
the sloop Hawk, with oyster shells, ware
blown into the marsh in the vicinity of
Warsaw.
Not until yesterday morning was any
Of this known. and not until yester-
day did those on the boats receive sue
cor
The people at Thunderbolt, with naph-
tina launches and sail boats, had no
idea that their services were required
until during the forenoon.
Then they were eager to lend a help
ing hand. and by o'clock a dozen
launches and sail boats were headed for
the marshland, where more than two
score of people were stranded.
Friends Became Anxious,
Few noticed that the steamer Will
mington, which makes four trips a
week between Thunderbolt and War
saw, was not at her dock late Sunday
night when she should have been.
1t was not until the Thunderboltites
awoke and saw the vessel missing that
they recalled the strong northeaster
and suspected that something had gone
wrong.
The few who had missed the steam
err the night before, and had figured
that she had remained at Warsaw to
avoid the blow, realized for the first
time that something serious must have
happened. Then, too, relatives and
friends of those on the boat began
showing up and telephoning for infor-
nation.
First News of Trouble.
When the naphtha and steam
| launches fought their way across the
| lISdCHSIOuS dllQ ShOPPJ
| Sound they discovered the vessels high
| and dry. The Wilmington was at Nc
| Henry's Bend, high and dry, with its
! thoroughly fatigued passengers still
| aboard. They had spent restless and
| disagreeable night in the marsh.
Almost in front of Mr.. George Par
sons residence on Warsaw the launch
Ida S. was high up into the marsh.
| The George Tauline was high and dry
l Of porcOn'S Ont a nd
| the Hawk was in a clump of marsh
near the Pool Table" The excursion
| lists on the Wilmington received the
attention of the rescuers Immediately.
Men, women and children had been
| housed on the boat all night and were
hungry and sleepy
Transferring the Passengers.
By means of small boats the passen-
gers on the Wilmington were trans
| ferred to the launches. Not all We're
taken off at ons time, and it. was well
into the afternoon before the last of the
excursionists reached Thunderbolt.
They were weary and sleepy and hun
CRY, but they were loud in their praise
of the treatment accorded them by the
officers of the Wilmington.
Their night had been anything but
a pleasant one for they had not gone
prepared for the chilling lortheaster
that swept over the decks OF the steam
err. But every attention possible, I'M
der the circumstances, was given them.
and the women and children, at least.
were made comfortable.
The steamer had simply been swept
upon the marsh. With a tide so high
that there was no marsh in sight, it
was impossible for any skipper 20 keep
his bearings, and even though he could
locate the channel, no power could have
prevented the gale from s~e~LIiig his
vessel off the water.
Launches Were in Trouble.
The Ida S., the launch that carried Mr..
Iippmans party, will probably have
to be dug out of the marsh. 1t was
far out of the water when the Cracker,
Mr.. Harry Owens launch, passed,
fighting it's way towards Warsaw to
get out of the gale. The Cracker
stopped and Mr.. Lippman's party was
taken aboard and carried to Warsaw,
where the night was spent. The Crack
er gave out on it's way back and had
to be towed to Thunderbolt yesterday
afternoon.
No one on Wilmington river, or at
Warsaw, remembers having seen "a
higher tide. There was no marsh Wis
ible, and the wonder is that boats were
not swamped and lives were not lost.
AS it is, it is believed that great diff
fculty will be experienced in getting
the Wilmington out of the marsh.