The Elbert County tribune., 1912-05-10

when the after masts fell, and caught and clung
to piece of wreckage that was swept away
simultaneously with himself
At the best, the chance of the wretched sailor
who had been washed away on the floating wreck
age was almost hopeless The life-savers clus-
tered on the shore, powerless to aid watching
with eyes of horror for the moment his lifeless
body should be crushed the beach or ground
to pupNin the grinding wreckage. At this crit
ica moment when the hearts of strong men
stood still. figure sprang from the huddle of
the beach, wrapped line about its waist
and ran to the edge OF the surf. Surfman Frank
Raynor of the Blue Point station about to do
what no keeper In the lifesavng service would
have been authorized to ask him to risk The
service demands courage. but it does not demand
suicide. Keeper Rorke of the Blue Point station
might have ordered Raynor back to the beach, but
the venture was too heroic. too splendid: the
keeper could not find 1t in his heart.
For moment Raynor stood in the edge of the
foaming whirl of icy spray, waiting his chance
half naked, for he had thrown off his outer cloth
ing. Then it came. AS the bit of wreckage to
which the sailor clung plunged into the mass of
crashing debris in the breakers Raynor dashed
forward fighting his way inch by inch through
the roaring maelstrom of water and tmbers
lodging plunging beams. diving beneath shat
tered spars that. rising giant combers threat
ened to crush him. AT times he was hidden from
view for minutes
At last he almost within reach of the
drowning sailor and in that instant he was swept
beneath the wreckage by a ponderous sea- It
looked as though he were lost, but at the crucial
moment Albert Latham. also of the Blue Point
station went to the aid of his comrade Before
Latham could reach him. RayEor came to the sur,
face Just in time to seize the now unconscious
man. The next second Latham tearing wildly
through the surf was at his side and rendering
assistance Together the two hauled the ex-
hausted man to the beach. while cheer went up
from their comrades on shore
In the brief ten minutes consumed in this res
cue the ill-fated Cromwell had broken to pieces
ha can rvft rtv
remaining men upon 1t. The life-savers flew to
their gun and tried to shoot a line across the
wreck OF the mast but failed and one by one the
men. one, fell exhausted from II and were
drowned before their eyes
The lone survivor held his place In miraculous
fashion while the gale and current swept him
down the shore at the edge of the breakers Hone
for him given up, when again Raynor and
Latham dashed to the front Though exhausted
and numbed. they plunged into the sea once more
In time to reach the man Just as he was torn
from his grasp the mast
Two OF the most tragic wrecks that ever oc-
CURED on the Long Island coast took place within
four years of each other one at the extreme
outward end of the island. the other far to the
westward
The loss of the Italian bark Ajace on Rockawav
Shoals, March A. 1881, with all her ships comnanv
save one cost thirteen lives and brought to light
the story of a despair terrible that II had
driven hardened sailors to suicide The other
wreck. that OF the fullrigged ship Circassiau.
which took place December 20 1875 involved n |
loss Of twenty-eght lives and was one of the sad |
dest In the history of the service
Long Island is but a tiny speck on the vast
ribbon Of sea and lake coast patroIled bv the
life-saving service and its wrecks compose a cor
respondingly small proportion of those that the
iife-savng crews are called upon to face each |
year Some of the most tragic struggles that the
service has won and lost have occurred along the
Jersey and Massachusetts coasts, and the lives
that went out on the storm winds in these hat. /
ties have not always been those of the saip-
wrecked. In Washington there is a long list Of
the watchers of the beaches who died with tbe,r
hipboots on in the performance of duty.