The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1912-08-02

grasp the gunwale several times, disappeared
in the maestrom OF water. That left Ellis ana
Rogers, big and very strong man.
In this desperate moment Rogers threw his
arms around the other surfman's neck In death-
grip. For moments, while the sea battered and
the foam stfangled them they fought the last
grim fight for life, Ellis 10 break the grip or MS
frenzed comrade, Rogers to retain 1t. Suddenly,
when it seemed that both must drown Rogers
strength left him. His arms relaxed; his eyes
glazed I'm going" he gasped and sank
moment later the boat drifted inshore or the
outer breakers and for brief space was In
smoother water. Ellis once more crawled out on
the bottom and succeeded in pulling the center
board out that he could hold on to 1t and bet
ter maintain his position.
Now, you will remember that at the time or
the stranding of the Wadena the John G. Fitz-
patrick, her sister barge had also gone aground.
She had gone the outer bar and was lying
between It and the inner breakers On board her
was Capt. Elmer F. Mayo. Of Chatham, who was
In charge of tightening her. The Fitzpatrick was
SO far away from the Wadena that Captain Mayo,
and two other men who were with him, did not
see the ife-saving boat go out, nor did they have
any knowledge Of the grim tragedy that was being
enacted until, glancng over the rail- Captain
Mayo overturned lfeboat with single
man cnging to 1t.
The capsized boat was some distance from the
barge but Mayo did not hesitate III get that
fellow" he announced cooy.
On the deck Of the Fitzpatrick lay small
tweve-foot dory the only boat aboard, a totally
unfit craft for the furious sea that was laundering
across the shoals Kicking off his boots, Mayo
and the other men, who begged him not to go, as
It would be certain death. ran the dory overside
How the captain of the wrecking crew kept his
fragile craft afoat those who watched him from
the Fitzpatrick could mover understand. But ne
did keep her ahoat and the set of the tide and
the gale carried him down toward the capsized
life-boat to which Ellis clung now with the last
OF his ebbing strength
The lifesaver said afterward that he saw
dory thrown the side OF the Fitzpatrick as
he drifted her. but that moment later the
scud and the spndrft were driven so thick and
ceaselessly before his eyes that he saw nothing.
until suddenly out OF the mist tiny, bobbing
boat loomed dozen feet away Then the occu-
pant of this boat shot her skilfully alongside the
swamped life-boat and the exhausted surfman top
pied into her
Mayo with the half-conscious ifesaver lying
limp In the bottom OF the dory, had kept his word
to his mates the Fitzpatrick.
Necessarily. the most thrilling stories OF the
coast-watchers are those In which loss OF life Is
entailed and therefore In a measure they are
accounts OF the failures of the men OF the serv-
ice. But they are stories of noble failures and
behind some OF them lie tragedies other than
those of death.
Perhaps one Of the greatest Of these is woven
about the career OF Captain David II. Atkins. un-
I'll November 80 1880 keeper of the Peaked Hill
Bar station, Cape Cod
This man had followed the from boy hood
whaling fishing and coasting. In 1872 he became
keeper Of the Peaked Hill Bar station
Then came a wild day in April 1879. and, as
Il appears in the chronicles Of the department
at Washington "a blot fell across the record Of
Keeper Atkins"
On this April day the Schooner Sarah J. Fort
stranded near Peaked Hill Bar. terrific sea-
coupled with an onshore hurricane and tempera-
ture very low for the time of the year. faced At
kins and his crew rs they discovered the schooner
and took their apparatus to the beach.
Without hesitation the keeper ordered the surf
boat launched but the sea was so heavy that Il
was thrown back on the beach Time and again
in the twenty hours OF watching and battling with
the storm that followed the keeper led his men
into the breakers with he boat. but each time
they were beaten back drenched with the winter