The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1912-08-02

.ea which froze in their clothing cut and bruised
from the buffeting they received
aAnd them says the Service Report Of the oc-
currence. .sthe last time the launch was attempted
. the boat was hurled high on the shore, her crew
were spilled out like matches from the box and
the boat was shattered And Captain Atkins and
his men, having eaten nothing since the even
ing before spent, faint, heartsick, had been baf-
fed and had to endure the modification of see
ing a rescue effected by an un-worn volunteer
crew in fresh boat brought from the town. The
Investigation revealed that the men upon the
wreck might have been properly landed by the
life-lines but for Keeper Atkins failure to employ
the Lyle gun which had recently been furnished
the station, through q singular inapprehension OF
its powers
1t was a bitter pill for the service the defeat
of its men by volunteer crew.
The night of November 80, 1880, was clear but
windy heavy gale was piling the surf over
the outer bar OF the Peaked Hill Bar station.
Surfmen Fisher and Kelley left the station at four
o'clock to make the eastward and westward
patrol Kelley started from the door first. As
he did so he heard the Stating of sails and the
banging of blocks above the wind At the west
ward he saw the lights of a vessel close inshore.
Shouting to Fisher to give, the alarm. he ran
down the beach, burning his Coston light Keep
er Atkins glanced at the surf and ordered out
the boat. The men dragged it eastward until
they were opposite the stranded vessel. which
proved to be the sloop c. E. Trumbull Of Rock
port. The crew manned the boat.
The story Of what took place out there under
the darkness on Keeper Atkins last errand OF
rescue is best told. perhaps in the personal ac
count of Isaiah Young, of the survivors. The
narrative of this man, in his own words Is taken
from the Life Saving Report Of 1881. 1t reads:
when we launched, the vesssl was still some
to the eastward. We went on in this manner to
take advantage of the tide that was running to
the eastward between the bar and the shore. It
was low tide The sea was smooth on the
Shore but on the BAR where the vessel lay, 1t
was rough enough to be dangerous.
I'VE hauled up from the boat until the bow
Tapped on to her quarter. Keeper Atkins called
to them to jump in.
I'VE landed four persons. This trip could not
have consumed more than fifteen minutes.
when we pulled up again, after being thrown
back, Taylor stood in the bow with the line ready
to heave. cautioned Keeper Atkins to have
care for the boom. He said, Be ready with the
boat-hook; will look out for the BOOM l was
Just taking up the hook when came around
the stern, threw the stern of the boat more
toward the boom as the vessel rolled to leeward
and the boom went into the water.
"As the vessel rolled to windward and the boom
rose 1t caught under the cork belt the
stroke rowIock and threw us over, bottom up
I'VE rolled the boat over right side up, and l
was the first to get into her Others got in: /
am not positive how many. She did not keep
right side up more than two minutes when sea
rolled us over again.. we got on AGAIN ana were
washed OF two or three times before struck out
for the shore. / asked Mayo to strike with me.
as knew him to be an excellent swimmer but
he said that we could not hold out to reach the
shore and he would stay by the boat. Keeper
Atkins was holding by the boat
Kelley had already struck out heard Taylor
groan near me as / started. but did not see him
II saw gap IN the beach which must have
been Clara Bell Hollow. two miles from Station
No. I. When about three seas from the shore
my sight began to fail and soon could see moth
ing: but kept swimming.
81 recollect Surfman Cole saying, For Gods
sake Isaiah. is this your and Of his taking me
up l knew nothing more until found myself
in the station, after being resuscitated. / should
think that remained by the boat half an hour
before struck out The cork belt was all that
enabled me to reach the shore. The cork belts
in the boat are a good thing and should be kept
on"
Thus Keeper Atkins died with his boots on. az
he said be would die II necessary. in the per
sormance Of his duty.