The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1912-06-07

was recognized by those shore, Surfman Pot
ter leaped to his assistance, only to be himself
unfooted and flung a floating mass of drift
AS he lay there struggling to get to his feet, the
lie suddenly tautened in the current and falling
across his breast held him pinioned under water
For fully minute ne 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-tohand com
bat with the storm, the of the wrecked brig
were rescued Hours later she was 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 men 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, save one
man, who, the vessels came together leaped
over the bulwarks of the Newman to the deck
of the Harding.
At the 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 at the wreck Of the schooner
George Tauane. 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 1t was two in the morn
ing when the craft found herself in distress At
that hour the deck load Of lumber piled hfsh
broke loose The terrific roll of the schooner
in the high sent huge tmbers tumbling about
her decks, making it almost impossible for the
crew to stay above matches. Twenty minutes
later fire was discovered on board Flames shot
aft from the forecastle. 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 discov-
cred by the life 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 that station for
apparatus. Shortly afterward the wreck was seen
by Keeper Chadwick Of Station r. 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 IL 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 dragging the
cart themselves. The helpless Tauane was then
still holding off the bar by her dragging anchors
and still drifting along shore. The two nfesav-
ing crews now joined forces in strange and ter
rble battle
The vessel was 400 yards off Shore her men
In her rigging, the seas breaking and tumblng
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 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
ascngshore, laboring manfully in the sand and
Hooded sluices to keep pace with the drift Of the
vessel ts aeeward. 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 opposfss her, the gun was once more
planted, and another shot fired
At this portion Of the beach the sand dunes
were low, and the only pofns of vantage from
which the gun could be shot was the top of the
knobs. The knoll on which the efror. was made
was in an indentation in the shore. nsaking 1t
farther from the vessel. and, the line being wet
and heavy, it failed to reach the Taulane
Once more the crews Of Stations II and II
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
sluiees became more numerous, and the dry sand
dune tops further separated.
The next dry hill 400 yards farther on,