The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-08-17
Four Amateur Seamen Are
Stranded on Sand Bar for
So Hours Without Food or
Water in Sight of Saltair.
CRIES FOR HELP ARE
LOST IN DISTANCE
For Two Nights and a Day the
Little Party Suffers AgOniz-
ing Thirst and Awful Hunger
Until RtSCuer Arrives,
VISTA GOES TO THE RESCUE

THILE a thousand dancers pleas
y" antly fitted about the floor of
the Saltair dancing pavilion,
four amateur seamen chung despairingly
to a small launch stranded on a sand
bar only a few miles distant, within
sight of the shore. but out of sight Of
the jewellers at Saltair. There they were
destined to cling to their frail support
for thirty-six hours. assailed by the heavy
waves, famished with hunger and with
no drop Of fresh water with which to
quench their burning thirst.
In this party were George Bean Of ?
South Eighth East street, Harry A. Wag-
ner Of 800 West Second South street
a friend named Brown and another COM
paniOn. The four left Saltair early Sat
urday evening in the launch of W. II.
Parker of rs First avenue. Their des-
tination was Antelope island. On their
return trip their engine broke down and
the waves washed them onto a sand bar
near the south point of the island And
there they remained from 8 clock Sat
urday evening until $3.50 O'clock yesterday
forenoon. when they were rescued by
Dewey Davis. the skipper Of the Cam
bTia II
When they ran aground on the bar the
four young mon orked hard for couple
Of hours endeavOring to start the engine
end to shove the boat off the bar, but
their efforts were unavailng. Then they
became resigned to the long night on the
sand bar. For hours they watched the
lights at the pavilion, twinkling from the
shadows of the dancers. It wasn't very
far distant, but a sea fathOms deep sep
aTated them from the pleasure dome Of
the great pavilion 1t was nearer TO the
inky blackness Of the rocks on the shore
of Antelope island but it would have
been certain death to have attempted to
reach them.
Hunger Is Felt.
All night long they kept their watch.
A 81
of the silent sea, now rising higher and
higher, would wash them off their bar
OF sand and dash their fTail craft TO
pieces on the rocks Of the island. Later
they would have welcomed such an occur
renee as a pleasant ending OF their Su1-
fering. During the night their diversion
was nursing the nausea caused by the
constant rocking of the boat by the waves
not quite large enough to move the boat
off the bar, but annoying enough to
threaten the enforcement Of reluctant
tribute to Neptune without reference to
the time or place.
The Day Dawns.
Every member of the party saw slsaul-
taneously the first faint suggestion of the
gray in the east. and each watched it
throat They watched eagerly and i'm
patiently the streaks Of gray growing
broader, watched them color slowly into
the glorious aurora that betOkened the
first peep Of the sun over the peaks Of
the Wasatch.
Breakfast and lunch time passed and
as the afternoon waned the panss of
hunger became as relentless as their ter
rfble thirst. After hours had passed with
no sign of rescue the shipWreCked youths
saw the rainciOuds of the west become
illuminated with the setting sun. Then
thew knew they faced the certainty Of
another awful night on the sea of salt
that they were now firmly convinced
would be their tomb
The suffering of Sunday night was an
intensified repetition of the night before.
They weren't afraid now The suffeTings
they were enduring precluded any other
feeling Hope had gone and they were
now waiting for the end.
Once more they saw the rising of the
glorious mountain sun. But with this
sunrise there was scarcely a glimmer Of
hope in the breasts of the shipwreck vic
Continued on Page 2.