Mexico Missouri message., 1912-08-01

MM3MAS any stretch of seaboard within
k NNW{& the scope of beach patrol Long
ANS Island and New Jersey not
VA cepted. This is partly on &C
Nw% count OF the particularly heavy
N~u-.r sea-trafflc in the vicinity, but 1t
is chiefly due to Cape Cod. 1t
d. this crooked finger of land that has beckoned
a thousand ships to their doom and which In the
bolloys Of It's dunes holds many a tragic story
~ lives snufed out In desperate grspple with
wave and wind.
The night of Tuesday March IL, 1902, was
Wild and stormstrewn. Running up along the
coast the ocean-going tug Sweepstakes was max
ing bad weather with her tow OF the two big
barges Wadena and John c. Fitzpatrick. For
hours the tripleexpansion engines of the tug had
been churning her screw In the drift of the
heavy head sea and shortly before daylight her
captain discovered that she making no head
vsy He then decided to lie to and while feel
ing about for anchorabe in the gloom the
barses ran aground on the edge of Shovelful
shoal of the southern end Of Monomoy island.
Massachusetts,.
When daylight came the crew Of the Monomoy
lie saving station boarded the barges but finding
Il impossible to float them on the food tide took
their crews ashore.
It was six days later that the disaster oc-
cured. Wreckers sent from Boston at
work the barges. The tug Peter Smith was
on the ground having replaced the Sweepstakes.
On the night OF the 10th the weather thickened
and gale swept In from the sea-
The night passed without incident, but early
Oh the morning OF the 18th Keeper Eldridge Of
the Monomoy station received a telephone from
the captain OF the Smith asking him II every
thing all right on the Wadena. This alarmed
EtHdge as he did not know any one had been
left on the barge all night He started at once
for the point OF the island, three miles away, to
look over the situation. The Wadena lay half
mile of shore from the point. She seemed to
H.. 4h~ hoo bob 10. akra
flying from her rigging. This was signal Ed
ridge could not ignore.
1t was terrific pull through the breakers that
rolled In the shoals to the Wadena. but
the lfe-savers accomplished It and put their boat
under the lee of the barge at about noon. Keep
Eldridge then directed the men to get into the
surfboat and told thin that he would take them
ashore The rail of the big barge was a dozen
feet from the water and II here that the
trouble began.
The men on the barge lowered themselves over
side on a rope, but as Captain Olsen. very largo
man was halfway down, he lost his hold and fell
on the second thwart OF the lifeboat breaking
It, and making it impossible for the rowers to
use 1t. In addition, the boat was crowded and
the wind which had been momentarily increas-
ing was tumbling huge combers into the wind
ward Of the barge 1t into this maelstrom
OF breakers that II was necessary for the handi-
capped of the lifesavng station to pull
their overloaded boat, and they made swift
and able attempt to accomplish IT, At the instant
the starboard oarsmen were swinging the head OF
tue lle-boat to meet the sea, giant comber lifted
under the quarter and dashed barrel OF water
oversize That was the signal for a panic among
the rescued men that. before II subsidized. cost
twelve lives
The Portuguese wreckers, In a frenzy OF fear.
stood up in the boat. rocking Il TO and fro in
their endeavors to escape the momentary thrush
OF water and though the llfe-savers fought to
into H. h4NtN ~ h.
could not be done before the next shouldering
wave caught the bow of the boat. swung her
oroadside and turned her over.
Then ensued desperate struggle for life.
hundred yards to leeward the breakers were
smashing themselves into white foam on the bar.
ihere was just one chance In a million that the
BOAT could be righted before the sea carried her
INTO them. Once she reached them It would be
all over Hampered by the wreckers the life
savers fought desperately In those few minutes
leit before the combers should be reached. Three
tunes they righted the boat and strove heroically
W osll her but each time she again over
turned They were fighting the last tragic fight
"neh they were swept into the smothering foam
OF the bar.
Al that instant seven men, including all from
,ne Wadena went to face their maker. Five OF
We hardest of the life-savers still chung to the
oapszed boat. They Keeper Edridge and
'u'Iinen Ellis, Kendrick Foye and Rogers BY
uperhuman effort Kendrick crawled to the bot
.Om OF the overturned craft but the next sea
swept him to join the who had gone mo-
lent before. Foye was the next. "Good-by,
rs ne gasped as a smother of foam took him.
-ust ieit Ellis, Rogers and Eldridge the keeper.
anu E'dridge was fast losing strength.
~ brief lull in the wash of the sea. Ellis
..,a"ied to the bottom of the boat. Below him.
w. ,oo' away, was the keeper. friend since boy
, Loou, Al the risk Of his own ife Ellis dropped
ho., He water again, pushed Eldridge up on the
W.. on with his last strength and again crawed
w himself The next second a sea washed both
y" ana the keeper after losing and regaining his