The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1912-06-08

and the Dedcn lndt lay before 1t Well-n1Rn
impossible After twenty minutes Of grim effort
1t was finally gained only to find that the vessel
had passed 1t and was drifting on.
Perhaps the best Of the remainder OF
the terrible march its ultimate end Is given
in the report Of the service OF 1880. which says
Of 1t:
From first to last the difficulties Of the life
savers and the perils which beset them never
slackened a moment. The wheels OF the cart
In coast phrase, sanded down rapidly-that
is sank SO quickly in the infltrated soilthat the
conveyance had to be kept on the move lest IT
should be lost. Often the had to be partial
ly unloaded and portions OF the apparatus car
ried by the crews to tighten 1t sufficiently to make
progress possible, and at other times the men
would have to fling themselves upon the wheels
and hold them with all their strength to prevent
the cart from being capsized by the inequalities
OF the submerged ground or the overwhelming
inburst OF the rushing high over the axes
THE escapes were numerous 1t with
great difficulty that the men could keep their fee
In this constant onslaught and pelting Of drift
wood. But not fell away or finched from
the work before him.
Not the least difficult OF their tasks tina
of keeping the lines, and especially the guns ant
powder, dry In the universal drench around them
and it is difficult understand how they con
trived 1t; for, aside from the number of actua
frings. wherever momentary pause OF the yes
sci she grazed bottom. slowing OF he
motion, offered opportunity for action, at leas
Il
hurriedy unloaded the nearest eminence, tn
gun planted and the shot-line arranged for tn
effort. when the wreck would suddenly roll ava
upon her course, and the men would have to rt
load the cart and toll on again after her. In thi
way and with these Interruptions, they worke
down along the beach to station No ~ and
quarter Of mile beyond it, when chance OF
fered for another shot; but the line parted. Th
crew again moved stubborny 1t nov
noon, and suddenly the man long seen hang
tho in fba RI DIR fo1l into tbo md was
The still followed the vessel with unslack
ened activity. Half hour later they saw an
other man drop lifeless from the ratnes
"Laboring forward now for the rescue of the re
naming five, they suffered misfortune In stag
gering and foundertng through one OF the wors
sluceways with the cart the gun toppled off int
the flood and was lost. desperate search wa
made at once and finally it found in four O.
five feet of water. fshed up and wiped dry, ant
carried thenceforth by the stout keeper on hi
shoulder. A was dispatched back to No. i
for dry shot-line, while the crew. moved on t.
a point threequarters Of mile below the sta
ton, where they got another chance to fire
shot, which however, fell short. the tide havint
forced the firing party farther and farther bacl
on the hills as they advanced, and the line. too
being weighted with moisture.
THE cart again reloaded and the marcl
resumed. mile below the station the man over
took them with the dry shot-line and, chance of
fering. the last shot was fired This time it wal
u
and the jib-stay, and the cut sweeping the bigh
Of the line in the side of the vessel, the sailor!
got hold of it and fastened 1t to the fore anC
main rigging.
LAS the schooner still continued to drift ant
roll. nothing could yet be done. but while thu
greater part of the force loaded up the cart an!
trudged on with it. three four kept fast holt
of the shore end Of the shot-line and kept pace
with the wreck in leash. At the end Of another
quarter of mile the vessel suddenly struck thu
tide setting north. stopped swung head onshor|
and worked back to her anchors under the CONT
of the breakers The time had come at last; ane
the whip-line with its appurtenances, ben
to the shot-line hauled aboard, and made fas
by the tail of the block to the mainmast head.
The wreck slued around broadside to thu
and rolled frightfully. The hawser followed
the whip-lne board. and the breeches buoy
was rigged on, but the vessel rolled that II
was impossible to set the hawser up shore In
the usual manner, 1t through the
bullseye in the sand-anchor while several nter
held on to the end to give and take with each roll
of the vessel The work of hauling the sailors
from the wreck was now begun with electric en-
ergy After two men landed, the vesse
took the ground but the circumstances increased
rather than diminished her rolling, and some con
ceptiOn OF this powerful motion may be derived
from the fact that in one instance the breeches
buoy with man in It swung in the offshore roll
fully fifty feet in the air.
The strain and friction upon the hawser were
SO great that the ngnum-vitae buls-eye through
which 1t at the sand-anchor, despite the hard
Of the wood, was worn fully half an inch
deep during 80 minutes of use. Within those 81
minutes. however, the five men were safely land
ed. the last man getting out OF the buoy at half
past two A st
And so closes the story Of that which In the
department at Washington, Is spoken Of casually
as "A nights work on the Jersey coast" p.