The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-06-07

Wv fa|.h#'"" ." 70
- tho tine Followed reports Of tho
coast patrol that ore obtains a
- glmmcr N what this branch OF
government s~'r,la" expects Of
ns servants. and 9f the Unconditional hcroi7m
that go concealed Va lhai casual yAraEe-'a
nights work
From Washington. 70 you 50 down Into ,ho lfr
faviug stations along ,ho Jersey SHORE, you will
End The same casual Indifference io ~, story 4
ono UleNf which ls now a.Har -at Indifference
tha' mIEf, 'saa 20 .he heI.' 'tar The occasion
Was a rifle @ere e NOT for rae fact that ia 'ho
memoues or me old mon Of E.g service Sea dg-
tails arc s'It vivid
It Was ,bg third a' February. 1850 Two storms
were uah.as r.1rE 'as AHru.e .aDs' They met
Of 'h' Jersey shore. q ."v.uE. roaring CONFLICT
Of wind and weath'- suuH r'1' aaa slset rvsn.
As darkness settled The esaF.Hg crows In The
stations along the R5ud swept oaas' watched tho
sea With f0rebodiug IU their hearts A. midnight
the storm vas at ife height
In The next twelve hours during no continuance
the apgrcbenslous Of the Jersey patrol found
realization Within those twelve hours 'hcTe were
i've wrecks within the scope q four consecutive
stations, while another disaster engaged a station
a short distance beyond The men Of Tho stations
rcscued forty three persons, tolJcd hungry and
hal'froEcH ia darkness and tempest, established
a standard Of bravery aad fortitude that Is unique
and went through the ordeal With that ofhand
carelessnesa Of personal risk which charhc'erizea
those OF thoIr calling.
Al ono in the morning Keeper Charles II. val
entine OF Station No. I lay grayely III OF ~pleursy.
A. 1870 surfman Van Brunt, staggering into The
dHtt OF the gale on the west patrol, caught the
red CLEAN OF a light IN the breakers. so fierce
was the wind, dlled with driven sand and sieat,
that he could not look into lts teeth. but by
shielding his eyes and looking across IT he saw
the outline Of a large schooner. She was tho
II. c. nabcock OF Somers Point, and she was on
d bar close TO shore,
Van Brunt ran for the station and gave the
alarm. Despite hs Illness. Keeper Valentine rose
from his bed and In person led bic crew to tho
rescue, BaGled by the snow which lay thick
along the beach, by the gale that tore seams in
their faces. aud by the intense cold which 'rozS
shot line and beach apparatus. tho life savers
fought for two hours TO get a line aboard the
stranded vessel. At length they succeeded, and a
man came ashore IN the brooches buoy. He said
that the captain Of the Babcock had his wife
and two small children on board. The breeche5
buoy was sent out again and the captain came
ashore In It, his sixyearold daughter In HIS arms.
His wife followed, Then came the mate with the
other child. Last came the rest OF the crew.
The life savers went back to the station, and
in the early hours of the stormy dawn were hastily
rearranging the apparatus when ono Of the men
saw a large brig coming head on foE the shore.
Keeper Valentine had gone back TO bed, but once
more he arose and insisted on leading his men
again TO the scene OF danger,
Before the crew could get the half prepared
beach apparatus TO the surf, the brig, running
%furiously before the tremendous sea, her sails
split and tattored, struck with terrific impact
The tide was very high, and the brig, the Angus
tina tnom Havana, camo up close TO the station
and well inside the breakers. Just before she
struck the life savers could see q man at the
wheel, apparently steering cOmposedly, his face
emotionlcss. a pipe in his teeth.
When the shock came a torrent Of frothing
seas broke over the vessels stern, covering the
helmsan; but a moment later he could be seen
standing at the wheel, unmoyed. Then the brig
swung broadside to the iusillade Of laundering
Eurf, and her crew fed forward to the bits,
By this time the lie savers We're on the beach
with their gun, while a crowd OF Bome hundreds
Of persons watched from tho shelter OF the higher
dunes. The BRIG was 20 close to shore that Surf.
man Garrett White, following q recedlug sea
down the beach, succeeded IN throwing a heaying
stick and line on board her.
This the crew secured. and hauled the whip
line on board, but, getAng tho tRilblock. did not
know what to do next In vain the life savers
~siGnalcd and shouted TO them, They were Span.
ish, and the directions on the billet attached to
the lines were in Italian and English only.
At this moment the life savers were filed with
horror. The crew OF the grounded brig, unable
TO solve the mystery Of rigging the breeches buoy,
were preparing to take a terrible risk One Of
them seized the line and started the attempt Of
coming in on It hand over hand.
Meantime the wreck Of the Babcock, a quarter
OF q mile up the beach, had broken up. and the
fragments Of the vessel, together with her cargo
OF cordwood were being swept by The current
down about the Augustine. 6lllng the surf with
tumbliug debris which wclhuigh Insured the
death Of anyone who fell into 1t. In a moment
the whip line, over which the sailors were pre-
pairing to come in, fouled in the w~reckage. Dis.
regarding the shouts to wait, the hrs' sailor. clad
only In a pair Of trousers, seized the line and be-
gan working his way IN on It hand over hand.
Rushing waist deep Into the breakers, White
seized the man, and as the brig rolled Inshore
aud the line slackenod he slipped the blight from
the sailors neck.
The next second both were caught IN the IN.
rush OF wood and water and torn from the line
TO be hurled beneath the breakers, BY q ter.
rihc effort White succeeded IN regaining his foot.
Ing and, still c~lutchtng the sailor, dragged him
out Of the surf
While this struggle was taking place two more
sailors had started down the line from the brig
Surfman Van Brunt sprang into the water to aid
them, but was swept from his feet, his life hang.
ing on q straw in the deadly mass OF tumblinp
timbers. He was carried down shore a hundred
yards, where q friendly wave shouldered him I'M
on the beach. At the moment Van Brunt's peril