The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-11-02
VIVID STORY
Young Lad Tells Of His Shipwreck and
Fierce Battle for Lite
AMID RAGING WATERS

the Late Capt. r.. u. M1ler, OF the
Wrecked Schooner Converse, Tells
Of His Gallant Fathers Death and
His Own E,cape.
The Augusta Chronicle says the
body of Capt. E. G. Miller. of Heph-
zibah, Ga, commander of the three
masted schooner William w. Con-
verse, which was wrecked in the re-
cent hurricane, 80 miles below st.
Augustine, Fla, has never been re-
covered. Shortly after the vessel
went to pieces a body drifted ashore
that was thought to be that Of Capt.
Miller, but later the body was found
to be that Of another victim Of the
great storm.
The late Capt. Miller was a prom
inent citizen Of Hephzibah. His
shore-leaves were all spent at his
home in RICHMOND county. He was a
prominent Mason and his fellow
members OF the order were active
in the efforts to find his body after
the wreck. But all hope Is now aban-
doned that the sea will eve give
up the body Of this man who had
spent his life in it's service.
On his last trip Capt. Miller was
accompanied by his son, Fred Miller,
II years old. The boy had a terri
BILE experience in the storm IN which
his father, the mate and a seaman
lost their lives. Fred Miller w5s
brought to his home in Hephzibah
last Friday night a week ago. His
story of his experience is a thrilling
tale of the sea.
The vessel ran into the hurricane
off Savannah early Tuesday morn
Ing last week. The Converse was |
starnch schooner and Capt. Miller
held to his course, believing, 40
doubt. that this boat could weather
it as she had w%eathered many be-
fore. He had a cargo of coal aboard
dlu Noo UOuuu lOt SuOd. 1AS u
ricane increased in fury and when
about 80 miles below St. Augustine
the vessel was blown upon the rocks
about a mile and a half off the Flor
ida coast. The waves yer rolling
mountain-hi:h and the boat began
to break up almost Immediately.
C.pt. Miller ordered all hands to don
life-preservers and take to the water
as no boat could be launched in
such a sea.
Captain Miller himself prepared
his son for the terrible journey anu
after telling the boy to keep his eyes
on the shore and not lCok behind
him the captain saw that he WIS
safely started upon his trip and tn 81
stood back until every n of his men
had left. Then the captain abandon.
ed the doomed ship.
Fred Miller says he will remem-
Der that short but awful journey
until his dying day. The boy is an
excellent swimmer, but no mans
strength could buffet those waves
and live. 1t was every man for him.
self. The life-preserver kept the
boys head above water and then h
HAD all he could do to keep his
breath from being literally pounded
out Of him by the raging, roaring
seas.
Though his father had ordered
him not TO look behind him the boy
could not resist the impulse to loot
back just once. He saw his father
battling with the waves a short DIS
lance behind. Captain Miller waved
his. hand encouragingly to his sou
and that was the last the boy ever
saw Of his father, for just then a
monster wav came over and engult-
ed them all. .
Fred Miller felt himself goins
down, down, down. He no longer
heard the stream and roaring of the
storm, but in his ears was a deafen-
ing humming that no words can de-
scribe He felt as though he were
enheshed in some giant threshing
machine that was ripping and tear
ing him to pieces.
He tried to hold his breath but
he was under water so long, hours
II seemed TO him, that he was fore
err to swallow salt water until he
feared he would burst. He gave up
all hope of ever breathing again,
but he kept kicking and struggling
to escape the maelstrom that ha |
him In its deadly grip.
at last the wave passed over anu
his body shot to the surface. HIS
life-preserver, even his jacket, hau
been torn from him. But the greet
wave robbed him Of his father, and
which had almost torn all the cloth
Ing from his own body, had also, As
II shamed by the havoc it had
wrought, borne the boy much nearer
the shore.
Now his ability as a swimmer
served him well, and in spite of his
bruises he was able, by swimming
and clinging to bits of wreckage, 10
keep himself aioat until rescued by
the life-boat from a nearby station.
This life-boat rescued all the men
IN the water except the captain and