Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1912-08-02

sea which froze in their clothing, cut and bruised
from the buffeting they received
"And them says the Service Report of the
currence ''the 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 BAT
fed and had to endure the modification of see
ing rescue effected by an un-worn' volunteer
crew in fresh boat brought from the town The
investigation revealed that the upon the
wreck might have been properly landed by the
life-ines but for Keeper Atkins failure to employ
the Lyle gun which had recently been furnished
the station through 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 A heavy gale piling the surf over
the outer bar off 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 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, one 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 vessel was still some
to the eastward We went off in this manner to
take advantage of the tide that running to
the eastward between the bar and the shore It
I0rY lido T61 ,0Nko
shore, but on the bar, where the vessel lay, it
was rough enough to be dangerous.
1--WE hauled up from the boat until the bow
Tapped on to her quarter Keeper Atkins called
to them to jump in.
1--WE landed four persons This trip could not
have consumed than fifteen minutes.
when we pulled up again. after being thrown
back, Taylor stood in the bow with the line ready
to heave. l cautioned Keeper Atkins to have
for the boom He said, BE ready with the
boat-hook; will look out for the boom 1 was
just taking up the hook when sea came around
the stern, threw the stern Of the boat more
toward the boom the vessel rolled to leeward
and the boom went into the water
"As the vessel rolled to windward and the boom
rose it caught under the cork belt near the
stroke rowlock and threw us over, bottom up
I'VE rolled the boat over, right side up, and
the first to get into her. Others got in;
am not positive how many. She did not keep
right side up than two minutes when a sea
rolled us over again. We got on again and
washed off two or three times before l struck out.
for the shore. 1 asked Mayo to strike with me-
as I knew him to be excellent swimmer; but
he said that we could not hold out to reach the
shore and he would stay by the boat. Keeper
Atkins holding by the boat
Kelley had already struck out. / heard Taylor
groan me l started, but did not see him
Il saw a gap in the beach which must have
been Clara Bell Hollow, two miles from Station
No. Z. When about three seas from the shore
my sight began to fail and soon 1 could see moth
ing; but kept swimming
Il recOllect Surfman Cole saying For Gods
sake, Isaiah is this you? and of his taking me
up knew nothing until / found myself
in the station, after being resuscitated 1 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 good thing and should be kept
on"
Thus Keeper Atkins died with his boots on as
he said he would die If necessary in the per
Torrance of his duty