The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1910-11-01
pT1RT,JSHTD THREE A s
VIVID STORY
yeuns Lad Tells Of His Shipwreek and
Eierte Battle for Lie -.....

'6a-.'
.--.:--..s - -. s.fs
AMID RAGING WATERS :
Fred, the Twelve, Year Old 9 Son !. Of Of
the Late Capt. E. 6. Miller, of the
s.. Wrecked Schooner Converse, Tells
OF His Gallant Fathers Death and
Hip osn III !!E-saple. ~.
The Augusta Chronicle says the
body Of Capt. E. G: Miller, of Heph-
zibah, GsY1commander Of the three
.:,nasted; schooner william W.. Con.
.ySerse, which was. wrecked in5 the re-
cent hurricane. 80, miles below st:
Augustine, Fla. has never been re-
covered Shortly after the vessel
3wsent to pieces a body, drifted ashore
that was thought to be that. of Capt.
Miller, but later the body was found
10 be that Of another victim OF the
great storm. So. ~, ~. -, ,>>,,i
{ The late Capt. Miller was prom
7nent citizen of Hephzibah. HIS
.shore-leayes were all spent at his
home in RICHMOND county. He was
prominent Mason and his fellow
members iof the order were active
In the efforts to hnd his body a.'sr
the wreck. But all hope sis now aban-
sfoned that Eke.tses. VIII ever give
up the body Of this man who hao
spent his life in ;its service.
On his last trip; Capt. Miller was
accompanied by his son, Fred Miller,
~ years old The boy had a terri
ole experience in. the storm IN which
his father, the mate and a,sseaman
lost their lives. Fred Miller was
brought@to his home in Hephzibah
last Friday night a week, ago. His
story of his experience is thTllillns
tale of the sea-. q.
The, vessel ran into the hurricane
off SAVANNAH early Tuesday !, morn n Slri
ing last week: The. Converse was ! !
.staunch schooner and Capt. Miller
held. to his course. believing, 40
,do;pbt that this boat could weather
1t as she had weathered many be-
fore He had cargo OF coal ABOARD
and was bound for Cuba. . The hur-
ricane incre eased ! In fury and when
about SO miles below st. Augustine
the vessel vas, blown upon the rocHs
shout mile and a half, of: :shs Flor
Ida coast. ] The waves were rolling
unountain-hi gh and. the. boat began
to break up almost Immediately.
capt. miller ordered all. hands to don
life-preseryers and take to the watel'
as NO boat could be launched in
such q sea.
Cautain Miller himself prepared
his son for the terrible. journey and
after telling the boy to keep his eyes
ON on the shore, and not look: behind
him the captain saw. that he vas
81. rt8sl / "a .
safely started upon his trip and than
stood back until every one Of his men
had left. Then the captain abandon
ed the doomed ship.
Fred Miller says he will remem-
her that short but awful Journey
until his dying day. The boy IS an
excellent swimmer, but no man S
strength could buffet those waves
and live. 1t. was every man for him
SELF. The life-preseryer' kept the
boys head above water and then n
had all he could do to keep Lls
breath from being literally pounded
out Of him by the raging, roaring
seas.
Though his father had ordereu
him not to look behind him the hoy
could not resist the impulse to iooi
back Just once He saw his father
battling with the waves short DIS
tance behind. Captain Miller waved
his hand encouragingly to his son
and that was the last the boy ever
saw OF his father, for just then a
monster wave came. over and engult-
ed them all.
Fred Miller felt himself going
down, down, down. He no longer
heard the sirean and roaring of the
storm, but in his ears was deafen-
Ing humming that NO words can de-
scribe He felt as though he were
enmeshed In some giant threshing
machine that was ripping and teai-
Ing him to pieces.
He tried to hold his breath but
he was under water so long, hours
1t seemed to him, that he was fore
sr 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 lha, hal
him in Its deadly grip.
At last the wave passed over ana
his body shot to the surface. Ills
life-preserver, even his jacket. had
been torn from him. But the great
wave robbed him Of his father, and
which had almost torn ull the CLOTH
ing from his own body. had also, Is
If shamed by the havoc It had
wrought. borne the boy much nearer
the shore.
llow his ability as Il swimmer