Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1907-08-16
Saving the Lumber Boat.

No sooner were the occupants Of the
boats and the RATS and the half sub
merged lumber ship token on board
I then at once the CAPITALS and other Of
| ficers of the Elder turned their atten-
! ton to saving the prov split and leak
ing San Pedro Only a year before the
/ vessel had been sold for 100000 The
| builder of this ship was one of our
| fellow passengers, and he told me all
about it. Now, a cargo was worth
about $4,000 That was too much
money to turn adrift. so, after all the
human lives had been placed in safety,
, the sailors turned their attention to
saving the lumber ship. AS it rolled
backward and forward in the sea 1t
looked like a human creature in mortal
agony. First they attached between
the two boats a long steel rope, but
after the Elders engines had been
started a little while that steel rope
snapped as one would break a spider
thread in two. Then a couple of ma
Mia hawsers We're strung out, and they
went the same way. Then the San
Pedro seemed to be turning turtle"
and her own crew deserted her. But
still the captain of the slider would not
give her up. He sent his first officer
and a crew to board her. They broke
one Of the rudder chains and let the
anchor drop into the sea and strung
their chain between the two ships
Again and again some of the ropes
would snap, but always another rope
was flung over the chain, and at last
the chain was bound to the Elder by
steel rope.
All this tool, hours. The engines
would start and stop The vessel
would roll and pitch in the path of the
sea Many of the people were grum-
bling. I grumbled. as did the others.
Then it suddenly occurred to me:
"Those men are making a fearful fight
to save the ship because it means
SALVAGE for the crew that lows the San
PedTo as we'll as for the company.
They We're fighting for that money just
ms l am struggling to earn bread for
my wife and babies. That vessel in
tow means bread. II means clothing
1t means education, We may have to
go slower. but let us be patient for the
plucky fight these sailors are making
to provide for those who are dependent
upon them"
LASTLY, as I look upon the floating
boats and the pleading, upturned faces
Of that fatal day of July 20 I am i'm
pressed with the rapidity with which
death can strike down its victims. Like
Il bolt out of n clear sky the summons
may come. 1t may come to us at any
time. in any place. 1t can come to us
as quickly as it hurled into a watery
grave the 10j men, women and chill
dren when the san Pedro crashed into
the Columbia, sending them TO the bot /
tom of the cruel and unfathomable sea. /
The marine entombment which came to |
the Columbia might have come to us. /
In an instant. i'm the twinkling Of an /
eve, the summons may come Death .
comes suddenly to our neighbors, and .
death may come suddenly to us. Let /
us. then, heed the warning which .
Christ gave to the rich man of his /
time, Thou fool, this night thy soul
shall be required of thee.'
On the night of July 90 not one of all /
the passengers and crew aboard the
Elder had to be told how near death
was. We all felt his presence. We
were all saying to ourselves: How
would l have been prepared to meet
my God if my summons had come as it
did to the passengers Of the Columbia!
Am I living the right life and will my
dear ones beyond. by Jesus side, be
able to greet me if l should now hear
the call This night, this night thy soul
shall be required Of theeF"
An Impressive Service.
In the evening hours Of that day
some Of the survivors of the Column