The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-08-09

which froze In their clothing cut and bruised
from the buffeting they received
And then" says the Service Report of the oc-
currence "the last time the launch was attempted
the boat hurled high on the shore her crew
were spilled out like matches from the box and
the boat 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 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
lfe-lines but for Keeper Atkins failure to employ
the Lyle gun which had recently been furnished
the station, through a singular inapprehension of
It's powers"
1t was bitter pill for the service-the defeat
of ~ts men by volunteer crew.
The night of November 80, $780, clear but
windy 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 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 1t eastward until
they were opposite the stranded vessel which
proved to be the sloop C. E. Trumbull of Rock
port. The manned the boat.
The story of what took place out there under
the darkness 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 words is taken
from the Life Saving Report of 1881. II 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 was running to
the eastward between the bar and the shore. It
was low tide. The was smooth on the
shore. but on the bar. where the vessel lay it
rough enough to be dangerous.
"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 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 sea came around
the stern, threw the stern or 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
1t 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 I
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 a sea
rolled us over again. We got again and 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 holding by the boat
Kelley had already struck out heard Taylo,
groan near me as l started but did not see him
< 81 saw 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 could moth
Ing: but l kept swimming,
Il 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 l 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 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.