The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1912-08-09

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u--.SNS..-.-,,-. tontratlc In tho vicinity but II
II chiefly due 10 Cape cod. II
~ this crooked finger OF land that has bochonod
a thousand ships 10 their doom aud which In tho
hollovs Of It's dunes holds many q tragic story
Of u,cp anunod out In desperate grapplo with
wave and wind.
The night " Tuesday March H.. 1909. was
wild and storm.strown Running up along tho
coast. the occan.going tux Sweepstakes was max
INK had weather With her tow Of the two big
bargos Wudcna and John G. Fitzpatrick For
hours the triple expansion engines Of the TUG had
been ohurnng her screw In the dnt Of tho
heavy head sea and shortly before daylight her
captain discovered that she was making no head
way tie then decided 10 Ito to ani. while feel
ug about for an anchOfnho IN the gloom. the
bafgpa ran aground ON the edge Of Shoyciul
Shoal IN tho southern end Of Monomoy island.
MlFstchuscttA
when daylight came the c.r- OF Tho Monomoy
lite saving station boarded Tho tntgcs. but finding
II imroFsiblc to float them on the food tide. took
their crews ashore
II was ak days later that tho disaster oc
cured Wreckera sent from iioston were at
vork on the barRcs The TUG Peter Smith was
on the ground. having replaced tho Sweepstakes
On tho night Of tho 10th tho weather thlckcned
aud gale swept In from the sea
The night passed without incident. but carly
on tho morning Of tho 18th Keeper Eldrldge OF
tho Monomoy station received telephone from
Thing all right on the wndcun This alarmed
Eldrdgc as be did not know any one had been
loft on tho barge all night. lie started nj once
Tor the point OF the Island, three miles away. TO
look over the situation. The wadena lay half
a mile on shore from the point She seemed to
be riding easily on the bar. but the distress was
dying from hor rigging. This was signal Ed
ridge could not ignore
II was a terrific pull throuEh the ereaheru that
u soned IN across the shoals to tho Wadcna but
Nh a. al. IL A..N
under tho leo Of the barge at about noon Keep
or Eldridgo then directed tho men To get into tho
aurfhont and told thin that he would take them
Ashore The rail OF the big barge was dozen
feet from tho water aud II was here that tho
trouble began
The men on the barge lowered themselves over
side on rope. but "a Captain Olsen, very large
man was halfway down. he lost his hold and fell
on the second thwart o. the lifoboat breaking
H. and making II impossible for tho rowcrs to
use II In addition. the boat was crowded and
the wind. which had been momontary increas.
ing. was tumbling huge combcrs into the wind.
ward Of the barge II was into this maclstrom
Of breakers that II was necessary Tor tho handl.
capped crew Of the life.saylng station to pull
their overloaded boat, and they made a swift
and able attempt TO accomplish a. Al the instant
tho stnrhonrd onrsmcn were swinging the head NJ
the life boat TO meet the sea, giant comher llfcd
under tho quarter and dashed barrel OF water
oversize. That was the signal for panic among
the rescued men that before It subsidized. cost
twelve lives
The Portuguese wrcckcrs, In frenzy Of fear.
stood up iu the boat rocking II to and FRO In
their cndoayors 10 escape the momeutary thrush
oi water. and though the lie sayors fought 10
force them into the bottom Of the craft this
could not he done before the next shouldering
Waye caught the how Of the boat. swdng her
brondsde and urned her over
Then ensucd desperate struggle Tor lifc A
hundred yards to Toward ttr breakers were
smashing themselves into white foam ON the bar
There was just one chance In million that tho
boat could be rlghted before the sea carried her
into them. once she reached them Il would be
all over Hampercd by tho wreckers. the life
savers fought desperately In those few minutes
left before the combcrs should be reached Three
times they rightcd the boat and stroye horocally
TO bail her but each time she was again over
turned They were hghtlng tho last tragic hgh
when they were swept into tho smothoring foam
~ the bar.
Al that instant seven men. including all from
the Wadena, went TO face thcr maker Five Of
tho hardest Of tho life savers stll chung 20 tn,
capsiEod boat They were Keeper Eldridge ant
suTfmen Ellis, KendricE. Foye and Rogers 10y
superhuman etort Kendrck crawled TO tho bot
tom Of tho overturned craft but the next SET
swept him to Join the seven who had gone a mo
ment before Foye was the next "Good,by
boys" he gasped as another OF foam took him
That loft Ellis, Rogers and Eldrdgo tho keeper
and Eldrdge was fast losing strength
Ia a brief lull In the wash Of the sea, Eli
crawled TO the bottom Of the boat Below him,
foot away. was the keeper a friend since boy
hood AZ the risk Of hiE own life. Ellis dropped
into the water again. pushed Edridge up on tn
bottom with his last strength and again crawle
out himself The next second sea washed boil
on and the keeper, after losing and regalnlng hi