Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1912-06-07


49, -
was recognized by those on shore, Surfman Pot
ter leaped to his assistance. only to be himself
unfooted and flung floating mass of drift.
AS he lay there struggling to get to his feet, the
line suddenly tautened in the current and falling
across his breast held him pinioned under water.
For fully minute he lay there helpless in sight
of his comrades and slowly drowning At last.
nearly dead, wave washed him free.
Meantime one of the two sailors torn from
his hold the rope and washed ashore uncon-
scious. Surfman Ferguson went for the other
and brought him in. Surfman Lockwood rescued
the fourth man.
And SO, one by one, in grim handto-hand COM
bat with the storm, the Of the wrecked brig
were rescued Hours later she boarded in
the surfboat In the cabin, lying in his bunk,
a pistol bullet through his head, they found the
captain. He had been part owner of the vessel,
and when he had seen that she was lost, he had
gone below, scrawled a note in Spanish saying
he was ruined, and shot himself
While the of Station No. were battling
at these two wrecks, those of Station No. were
rescuing seven men and the captains wife from
the three-masted schooner Stephen Harding.
While five miles off shore the Harding had been
in collision with the schooner Kate Newman,
which had gone down with all hands,
man, who, as the vessels came together, leaped
over the bulwarks of the Newman to the deck
of the Harding.
At the same time Stations Nos II and IL were
waging one Of the grimmest and gamest fights
against masterful odds in the history of the
service
This struggle was at the wreck Of the schooner
George Taulane. The night before the big storm
she off Navesink, running steadily in the
growing wind Al hour found the shutting
thick over the rim Of the sea, and the gale in
creased to hurricane. 1t two in the morn
ipo vyho fbo OIndh In cfr
that hour the deck load of lumber, piled high,
broke loose. The terrific roll of the schooner
in the high sea sent huge timbers tuInbling about
her decks, making it almost impossible for the
crew to stay above matches. Twenty minutes
later fire was discovered board Flames shot
aft from the forecaste, igniting the deck load.
With her progress somewhat arrested toward
shore by the dragging anchors, the Taulane be-
gan drifting parallel to the shore getting in close
to it very slowly At this time she was discov-
cred by the life savers Of Station No IL.
This crew, leaving beach apparatus behind
and knowing that lifeboat could live in the
breakers, followed the craft as she drifted along
the coast, calculating that she would ground near
Station No. IL and depending on that station for
apparatus Shortly afterward the wreck was seen
by Keeper Chadwick of Station -, who ordered
out his crew with beach cart and gun.
At this time the vessel was about halfway be-
tween the two stations. On side the crew OF
Station II were following her along the beach;
on the other the of No. II were coming in to
meet her.
1t was between nine and ten o'clock when the
two crews met The horses that had started
with the beach cart of the men from Station IL
had refused to ford the sluces between the hills
and had been left behind, the men dragging the
cart themselves. The helpless Taulane was then
still holding off the bar by her dragging anchors.
and still drifting along shore. The two life-sav-
ing crews joined forces in strange and ter
rible battle.
The vessel was 400 yards off shore, her
in her rigging the seas breaking and tumbling
white all over her hull. But she still moving,
steadily, surely alongshore, her keel free of the
sand.
The life savers at once placed the surf gun
and line which was fired fell across the Tau
lane out of reach of her shipwrecked crew. Be
fore another could be fired the vessel had drifted
southwark out of range.
Loading the gun and apparatus into the beach
cart, the two lfe-saving crews started after her
alongshore, laboring manfully in the sand and
flooded suces to keep pace with the drift of the
vessel to leeward. In order to do this they were
obliged to proceed at what almost
After twenty minutes of breathless work they
were again opposite her. the gun once more
planted and another shot fired.
At this portion of the beach the sand dunes
were low, and the only point Of vantage from
which the gun could be shot was the top Of the
knobs. The knoll which the effort made
was in an indentation in the shore. making it
farther from the vessel. and, the line being wet
and heavy it failed to reach the Taulane.
Once more the crews Of Stations IL and IL
loaded the heavy beach cart and staggered on
after the fast drifting schooner. AS the chase
led to the south, the conditions the beach
became worse The surf washed In higher, the
sluices became more numerous, and the dry sand
dune tops further separated;
The next dry hill 400 yards farther on.