The San Francisco call., 1908-11-18
YOUTHS ARE SWEPT
BEYOND THE HEADS
Eight Boys Have Thrilling All
Night Experience in Open
Fishing Boat

Inclosed by dark gray fog, cold
and impenetrable. eight boys spent
Monday night adrift in an open boat
beyond the heads, reaching safety only
yesterday morning when the incoming
tide swept them ashore at Angel island.
In the darkness of the mist the youths
feared that they had drifted to some
far off land, but with the breaking of
the low lying clouds and the arrival of
assistance they learned how near they
We're to home. All through the night
anxious parents waited for news of
the missing lads, who had gone for
pleasure sail but had failed to take
warning from the descending vapor.
The boys who participated in the
eventful cruise were: George Land
ridge, years of age, of 1912 Green
street; Wilfred BaIk. Is years of age,
of 1853 Vallejo street; Thomas Costello,
% years old, of 1927 Webster street;
Lee cambridge, 10 years of age; George
Opperman, 19, who lives in Scott street
near Filbert; Frank Suffers, @15,- of 3047
Van Ness avenue; Joseph Cul1iane, I9,
of 1929 Larkin street, and Joseph Ri
ordan, % years of age.
The boys live in the vicinity of the
Dolphin boat club at the foot of Van
Ness avenue, and. own in partnership a
boat which they keep in the waters
there. Monday afternoon George Land
ridge. Wilfred Balk and Thomas Co.'S
tello took short sail in fiat bottomed
boat and, returning in the evening met
the five other lads and a night sail
was proposed.
OVERTAKEN BY FOG
At s o'clock in the evening the eight
boys set out in what they called the
rock cod boat. 1t is we'll ballasted and
has made trips on the open sea. The
youths sailed out to the center of, the
bay and were enjoying their cruise
without observing the lowering mist
Gradually the wind died down and they
found themselves becalmed. The fog
gathered quickly and in a few moments
their vision was obscured by the dark
gray curtains. They had lost their
sense of direction. They strained their
eyes for the flash of the lighthouse,
but stared only, into the grayness For
a long time they were silent, as the
realization came that they were help
less.
The occasional splash of the sea
against the side of the -boat told them
that they were drifting. They tried
to row, but their efforts only took
them further into the mist They then
sat silent in the boat and listened
After half an hour they heard in the
invisible distance the warning sound of
the fog bells. AS they drifted the bells
rang clearer and clearer and then they
knew they were being carried beyond
the bay through the heads and out into
the open sea. The tide was running
full through the gate and they were
swept toward the Farallones. They
took turns at the oars but the intense
cold made a mockery of their strokes.
Two of the boys were without coats
and the mist, which had become driz-
-zle, drenched their clothing.
OARS ARE USELESS
Then came seasickness. The swells
at the bar rocked the craft and all
save Costello were overtaken by ILL
ness. In. a desperate endeavor to re-
gain the bay the boys tugged at the
oars, but after an hours exertion could
see no evidence of land.
All through the night and the hours
of early morning they struggled wildly
at the oars, stopping occasionally in the
endeavor to get their bearings. But
the fog had only thickened. Suddenly
the boat crashed against a rock. split
and the boys were thrown upon the
shore.
They pulled shattered parts of their
boat on land and started fire. not
knowing whittier they had driftea.
After some hours two of the bows
started on a tour of exploration. They
encountered two soldiers and learned
that they had landed on Angel island
From there they were brought to the
city by the island tug, and quickly
communicated with their homes.
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