Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1908-01-03
THE RESCUE OF ATwArER.

The HESCUE OF ATWAIEk.
The Corinthian was a ninety-four
ton gasolene schooner, carrying a
crew of twelve men, including her
captain, L. E. Atwater, and hailing
from Eureka. Cal. The disaster
which involved the loss of two mem
bers of the crew occurred on June
II, 1906, the schooner having strand
ed at about p. IN. OF that day on the
western side of the peninsula sepa-
rating Humboldt Bay from the
ocean, two or three hundred yards
off shore and three miles northward
of the Humboldt Bay life saving sta
ton.
Nine trips with the buoy brought
in eight men without mishap, the
buoy having been hauled up empty
once through misunderstanding of
signals. Only the captain now re-
manned on board. The darkness had
since the arrival of the station crew
become so great thas objects on the
ship could not be made out from
the shore, and rescuo operations had
to be carried on altogether by signals.
When the buoy came back empty
it was again quickly sent out. but
while the men on the beach stood
waiting for the word TO haul in the
hawser parted and the whipline also
came in, parted and without the tail
block. Four men were despatched
for another shotline. whipllne and
shots. While waiting for the extra
material those who had remained
abreast of the wreck cleared up the
tangle of hawser, tackle and whip
line under the keepers directio
and made everything ready for send
ing out another line The fourth
shot carried the line across the yes
sells springstay After several at
tempts Captain Atwater got the tall
block aboard and secured it, and the
breaches buoy was then hauled out
without the hawser and with the
traveller block detached. The cap
tain got into the buoy and gave the
signal to pull away. but in crossing
the rail he was swept out and thrown
headlong into the surf. Luckily be-
fore the seas could wash him away
from the vessel he swan around TO
the schooner's bow and got hold of
the bobstay, to which fortunate cir
cumstance he doubtless owed his life.
The keeper did not suspect tina.
anything had gone wrong with Cap
tain Atwater until the buoy had been
hauled in empty. AS he had distinct
1y heard the captains signal he
judged that he had placed himself in
the buoy all right but that accident
had befallen him after leaving ship.
This meant that he was somewhere
overheard. The buoy was sent out
again, however. and Mclean and
Surfmen Hunt and Nickerson fol-
wave. Mclean was first TO the
schooner, and located Atwater by the
sound of his voice. Mclean quickly
caught up a blight of the whipline
thai swept within reach and dexter
ously swung # to the man on the
bobstay. The latter fastened the line
around his arm and let go the bob
stay, and Mclean shouted to those on
the beach to haul in. BY this time
the two surfmen had reached the
spot where Mclean stood, and all
three OF the rescuers, knowing that
they could not retreat quick enough
to escape an incoming sea, laid hold
of the line. They were none too soon.
In another moment wall Of water
rushed upon them. bore them down,
buried them and with relentless
force flung them shoreward. In the
course of their journey they were
beaten against floating
timbers and other wreckage which
the sea had torn from the schooner,
but through it all they chung despe-
rately to the line, Mclean and the
surfmen in a bunch and Captain At
water a few feet further along hc-
hind. . When the call came to haul
in the men on the beach bent to the
work with will, and soon the four
men were pulled out of The water
hike so many fish hooked through
the gills. as Keeper Bennig ex-
presses in his report o, the wreck.
the reHe5t OF the Unitsa
States Life Savinr Scrui-~