Gilpin observer., 1912-05-09

than there were only four men left in the rigging
Two of the six last seen had gone to join those
who had perished before them
Hope of before morning gone
The lives of the four men who still remained
in the hands of God Could they live
throughout the frightful night? None might say
The watchers shore at intervals burned signal
lights to let the miserable wretches the Place
know they had not been abandoned.
At last day came Twentyfour hours had
elapsed since the schooner stranded and those
shore strained their eyes in the ragged light
to learn the toll the night had taken.
1t apparent. But two men remained
alive Two others had been claimed by the
storm.
The lifesavers themselves in sad plight
For more than thirty hours they had been on the
beach in clothes that were little more than
of ce without food pals Of coffee
that occasionally hurried from the station.
Often they tottered unsteady In their frozen oil
skins they went about their duties. But reel
ing, staggering they placed the surf gun and fired
a shot which fell within few feet Of the two
poor fellows in the rigging Of the schooner. But
the men made no effort to get the line.
Still hopeful, another shot fired. laying
its line across the hull of the ship And then the
men in the rigging appeared to give heed for the
first time to the efforts that were being made to
rescue them. Very feebly and slowly one man de-
scended the shrouds. The tide had fallen off. and
the section of the ship where the line lay was
above water. Working his ayto the line the
man pulled on 1t weakly. but his efforts were fu-
tile. In few moments he crawled back to the
shrouds
The breeches-b buoy was then abandoned The
short daylight died. Night came again and the
gale abated slightly There nothing left
but the surf boat. The feat was at least possible
now. for the sea was lower.
It was a splendid battle and fearful one But
grim trumphed Half swamped, the surf
boat lay alongside the shattered schooner the
two men In the rigging relied to~the rail OF the
stranded vesesl and toppled lifeessly into 1t. The
curtain fell OF the grimmest tragedies OF
the service.
The rescued men william Stevens and
Soren Nelson. They nearly dead. Nelson's
feet were frozen solid in his boots. During the
fortyeght hours they clung to the rigging OF the
Inflated craft while the lifesavers batted to
save them, they had fought death by beating
each others faces with their fists to shake of the
lethargy of the cold. Stevens recovered. but
poor Nelson died after having his legs amputated
and lingering miserably for six months.
The wreck of the schooner Place is typical
example of what the men in the United States
life-savng service are called upon to face.
The night OF February Fl. 1904 was memorable
because OF Its extreme cold and wildness Dur.
ing the height OF the storm. shortly before mid.
night the schooner Benjamin G. Cromwell OF Port.
lifesavng station. Great South Beach. Three
crews of lifesaving stations hurried to the scene
to take seven men from the rigging of the wreck
ed vessel. All efforts to accomplish this how
ever. failed and at noon OF the day following the
night of stranding, the vessels masts went by the
board, with the exception Of the foremast, In
which all the crew save one had taken refuge.
This single man who had not followed the ex
ample OF his comrades was washed overheard