Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1912-06-13


was recognized by those on shore, Surfman Pot
ter leaped to his assistance. only to be himself
unfooted and flung 60 d 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 was torn from
his hold on 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 hand-to-hand COM
bat with the storm, the crew Of the wrecked brig
were rescued. Hours later she was boarded In
the surfboat- In the cabin, lying In his bunk.
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 men Of Station No. were battling
at these two wrecks, those of Station No. were
rescuing seven men and the captains wife from
the threemasted schooner Stephen Harding
While five miles OF shore the Harding had been
In collision with the schooner Kate Newman
which had gone down with all hands, save one
man, who, as the vessels came together, leaped
over the bulwarks Of the Newman on 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 was off Navesink, running steadily in the
growing wind An hour found the snow shutting
thick over the rim of the sea, and the gale in
creased to hurricane. II was two in the morn
ing when the craft found herself In distress. At
that hour the deck load Of lumber, piled high,
broke loose. The terrific roll of the schooner
In the high sea sent huge timbers tumbling about
her decks, making 1t almost impossible for the
crew to stay above hatches Twenty minutes
later fire was discovered on 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 1t very slowly. At this time she was discov-
cred by the life savers of Station No. II.
This crew, leaving beach apparatus behind
and knowing that no lifeboat could live In the
breakers. followed the craft as she drifted along
the coast calculating that she would ground
Station No. IL and depending on that station for
apparatus. Shortly afterward the wreck was seen
by Keeper Chadwick of Station H. who ordered
out his crew with beach cart and gun.
At this time the vessel was about halfway be-
tween the two stations. On one side the crew OF
Station II following her along the beach;
ON the other the crew of No. IL 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 sluices between the hills
and had been left behind, the men dragging the
cart themselves The helpless Tauane was then
still holding of the bar by her dragging anchors.
and still drifting along shore. The two life-sav-
In nod foroa In nd
rible battle
The vessel was 400 yards off shore, her men
in her rigging, the seas breaking and tumbling
white all over her hull But she was 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 sluces to keep pace with the drift Of the
vessel to leeward. In order to do this they were
obliged to proceed at what was almost a run.
After twenty minutes Of breathless work they
were again opposite her. the gun once more
planted, and another shot fred
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 was made
was in an indentation in the shore, making it
farther from the vessel, and, the line being wet
and heavy, 1t 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 on 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 was 400 yards farther on,