Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1907-01-10

their efforts 10 save life and propert,
Indeed the crews strcwn along OBJ
shores of the Great Lakes have a, siren
: uous a time of II as their fellows alonl
the Atlantic scaboard. even they VIII
keep watch along the wrcck-strcwi
B south beach Of Long Island and tn
| New Jersey coast
, ] he almost ,upcrhumau power, OF Gu
duraucc Of the lie guards IN time Of
peril is well illustrated by the work oil
the Ottawa Point Station, Lake Huron
on November 9Th and 18th, 1880.
Early ou tire afternoon Of the eth
| Captain J. T. Ocha heard signals Of dis
trcss and sent two surfmcn 90 investi-
! gate. After walking ten miles along
/ the beach. IN the face Of a binding
/ snow and ,lcct storm. they found two
| sch1oncrs driven ON q reef about three
hundred yards of shore. While one of
! the surfmen remained on the beach and
built a fire. to let the shipwrecked know
| that succor was coming. the other stag
ccrel back 90 the station and notified
the crew of the work ahead
Il was folly 20 think of rowing down
20 the wreck 4 team OF horses wa,
hastily procured from a farmer, the life
boat and beach apparatus loaded in
wagon. but before the horses had gone
FAR they PLAYED out Another team was
secured and. the crew walking. the trip
was renewed. The burden proved too
heavy for the four animals and the life
boat had 90 be left behind.
Finally. the scene Of the wreck was
reached. and while q part Of the crew
shot q line % the Schooncrs. the rest
went back for the boat This was
brought up after one man had been res
cued in the hreeches buoy, and then
the Schooners showing signs OF breaking
Mp. the crew decided % use the nfe
boat Twenty times the seas blificl
them in their attempt 20 launch it. ruth
lc,,'y hurting them back on the sand,
At last they got of-and rescued every
soul aboard just a few minutes before
The schooners went 20 pieces.
Il was well on toward morning of
the 18th The life savers set about
finding food for the sailors Some milk
and a little bread were obtained from
an isolated farm house Il was not suf-
fcient 20 60 around: the crew forced
every u0uthful OF Il on the rescued
4lfAA AAlE AUG -aH NAN NNlllkfNAAfAA kAiN SAL
ors 70 get in the wagon and the guards
Walking alongside. the journey through
the storm % the station was begun. II
was not till the r ht of the 18th that
the station was reached After making
the rescued comfortable, the crew went
back for the beach apparatus and the
boat; and II was only when these had
been brought in that food passed the
mouths OF these heroes OF Tire surf for
the first time since they had left their
station to 60 20 the rescue.
At the Lake View Beach Station, |
Lake Huron. Captain Plough and his
crew, in 1901, from two 90 six o'clock !
Of a morning, rescued thirty-eight per
sons from the wrecks II seven steamers |
and Schooners. and then spent al, that |
lay saving property. On a stormy pitch |
black night, Surfman Fred Hatch. OF the |
Cleveland station. leaped from the |
main boom OF submerged wreck 20 the !
nizzen shrouds and saved two lives
Captain Greisser, OF the Buffalo sta
ion, in 1901, swan with a line FIVE hun
lred feet in a gale 20 the rescue Of a
man clinging TO a piling This IS one |
IF the greatest swimming fcats OF mod |
I'm times. The surfmen Of several OF
he Lake Superior stations frequently |
)atrol on all tours, the water forming |
IN ice coating as it is driven on the |
each. thus making walking impossible
And to add 70 the usual dangers that
all TO the lot OF the life saver, the crews
long parts Of Lake Siperior's shore |
ave wolves, made desperate By hunger. !
= watch out for. More than one surf
nan. while on his lonely patrol, has
zen charged by a wolf, its inbOrn fear /
# the sea conquered by the gnawing at
Is stomach.
Ii is not exag~eration 10 say that
wherever Uncle Sans life guard IS
ound, there is a hero. When two vol
nteers were wanted to 60 to a wreck
\ the breeches buoy on the North Caro-
ina coast, all OF the twenty-one surf
len present volunteered, and each con-
ended with as much heat that he should
c one of the two chosen. Before day
reak. in a hurricane on the same coast,
,urfman Midget rescued ten persons,
ne by one, at great peril TO his own
lie And thus the tales Il The service
light be multiplied adj infnItum.
No one who knows aught OF the life
aving man will dispute the words Of
he poet:
les an angel dressed in oilskins, he's
a saint in a sou'wester,
He as plucky as they make, or ever
can,
les a hero born anC bred, but il hasn't
swelled his head,
And he's just the L. 6. Comments
hired man"