Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-08-18


Five hours after the discovery of the
wreck the life savers were still waiting
another opportunity to get their boa'
through the surf. Meantime life pre-
server bearing the name Arlington
Boston, drifted ashore, evidently cas1
over by one of the sailors either tt
carry the name of the stranded Vesse
to the watchers on the beach, or tt
show the drift of the current. Soof
afterward one of the sailors Launched
a raft from the vessel, apparently witt
the intention of bringing line ashore
but the current carried him further
from the shore and away to the west.
ward, exposed to seas which constantly
swept the raft The vessel seemed t6
be resting solidly in the sand and in
no immediate danger of breaking up
After waiting on the beach Until
nearly 10 o'clock. the lifesavers made
another desperate and succeeded In
launching their life boat through the
surf After that the rescue of the crew
of the stranded schooner was easily &C.
complished. Rowing off through the
heavy rollers the life savers threw .
line to the crew clinging to the bow
spirit and one by one they dropped int
the surf boat and We're safely landed
on the beach. By this tine hundreds
of guests from the beach hotels wert
gathered there and cheered enthusiast
ticaily when the men were landed. Sew
eral of the crew were taken into the
Hotel Nassau and cared for while the
others were given shelter and clothing
-, I; Go cfo a.,
by their long exposure to the driving
wind and rain, the survivors were
hardly able to tell the story of the
wreck.
Madden Pierson, the Swedish sailo,
from the Arlington, who put off in e
life raft from the stranded vessel, wa;
washed ashore alive at Rockawa!
Beach during the morning, and is being
cared far there. Eight men in all
were rescued from the schooner by the
Long Beach life savers. One OF thu
sailors, James Brown, a cabin boy
is suffering from a fractured ankle
The Mexican cook Of the vessel mar
rowly escaped death. He was unable
to get into the life boat from his percl
on the hobstay and a line was made
fast to him and he was pushed over
board and then hauled into the life
boat.
Captain Ira Small of the Arlington
had AN interesting story to tell. The
Arlington, which left Portland, Me-, or
the 18th, put in here and took on q
cargo of coal for Mayport, Fla, sailing
Sunday for that port. She had wade
fair Roadway when the storm camr
up yesterday and she had to battle
against the heavy gale and must have
been beaten back along her course
After passing steamer in the early
hours Of the morning the captain sal.
he mistook the lights of the Long
Beach hotel for those of another steam
ef and thus got into difficulty.
when l realized that l was nea
Shore" said Capt. Small, put the helm
hard down but found it wouldn't respond
A moment later we struck. l think j
had not gone wrong with thu
stee ring gear we might have cleared. TIL
waves began rolling over us and the
heavy load of coal in the vessel sooi
caused her to settle deep in the sand. Il
a jify all our boats were swept away an,
we We're helpless.
I'VE all climbed out onto what appeared
the safest refuge, the bowsprit, and clunt
there for what seemed like hours befor
we saw signals flashing on the beach ant
knew that we had been seen. Nader
Pierson, one of the sailors, saw one of tn
patches that had been washed from thu
schooner floating a short distance away
a IN m
on it.
THE life savers got a line to us short
ly afterwards but it was impossible fol
it to be hauled taut enough to make
rescue by the breeches buoy possible
When we saw the life savers had givel
tfat up we just had to wait"
The spectacle of the rescue was thrill
inc as witnessed from the beach. Dash
ing through the breakers the life saver
roWed out slightly beyond the wrecl
end then drifted back toward her. A line
that the Arlington's crew dropped was
grasped by the boats crew and one by
one the six sailors on the bowsprit drop
Fed from their perlous position into tn.
resouing craft Two men were left. The
Mexican cook of the Arlington. known tt
tlc captain Tie crew DIS JOSn Dill
irgs," is an aged man and was too veal
from infirmities and exposure to clim
from his position on the bobstay and
drop into the lifeboat. Seeing his plight
Capt. Small tied line to him and pushed
him overheard. A cry of horror went up
from the spectators on the beach, who
thought he had fallen into the surf and
" Guild be lost. 1t was soon seen, though.
that all was well, as Capt Small passed
the other end of the line to the life saw
ers and the cook was hauled aboard
Then Capt Small dropped into the life
boat, the last to leave the vessel.
The aged cook was more dead thar.
alive and when the lifeboat finally reach
ed the beach in safety he had to be car
RED to the life saving station, where he
was resuscitated. James Brown, the cab
in boy. had broken his ankle and was
taken in by the life savers. The othe!
sailors went to the Long Beach hotel
where all. including the sympathetic sum-
n.er colonists. did everything possible to
ma Ike them comfortable. A purse of about
5000 was raised for them by the guests
of the hotel and others.
BLUE DEFENDERS OF