The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-06-07

was recognized by those on shore. Surfman Pot.
ter leaped TO his assistance, only 10 be himself
unfo0ted and hung on 20 4 floating mass Of drift
As he lay there struggling 10 get 10 his feet, the
liAe suddenly tautcned in tho current and falling
across hts broas, held him plnIoned under water
For fully a minute he lay there helpless In sight
Of hts comrades and slowly drowning. At last,
nearly dend, a wave washed him free.
Meantime one Of the two sailors was torn from
his hold on the rope and washed ashore unCon'
scious. surfman Ferguson went for the other
and brought him 10, surtman lockwood rescued
tho fourth man.
And so, one by one. In grim handto-hand com.
bat with the storm. the crew Of the wrecked brig
were rescued. Hours later she was boarded In
tho surfboat. In the cabin, lying IN his bunk.
a pistol bullet through his head. they found the
captain, lie hhd been part owner OF the vessel,
and when be had seen that she was lost. he had
gone below, scrawled a note In Spanish saying
he was ruined, and shot himself.
While the men Of Station No. 4 were battling
at these two wrecks, those OF Station No. 2 were
resculng seven men and the captains wife from
the three masted schooner Stephen Harding.
While Eve miles off shore the Harding had been
IN collision with the schooner Kate Newman,
which had gone down with all hands, save one
man, who, as the vessels came together, leaped
over the bulwarks Of the Newman on to the deck
Of the Harding.
At the same time Stations Nos. II and u were
waEing ono Of the grimmest and gamest fights
against mastertuI odds in the history Of the
service.
This struggle was at the wreck Of the schooner
George Taulane. The night before the big storm
she WAS of Nayesink. running steadily in the
growing wind. An hour found the snow shutting
thick over the rim Of the sea, and the gale In.
creased 10 a hurricane. II was two In the morn
ing when the craft found herself In distress, At
that hour the deck load Of lumber, piled high,
broke loose, The terrific roll Of the schooner
in the high sea sent huge timbers ~tumbling about
her decks, making Il almost impossible for the
crew to stay above matches, Twenty minutes
later fire was discovered on board. Flames shot
aft from the torecastle, igptting the deck load,
With her progress somewhat arrested toward
shore by the dragging anchors, the Taulane be-
gan drifting parallel to the shore, getting In close
to It very slowly. At this time she was discov-
cred by the life savers OF Station No. IL.
This crew, leaving beach apparatus behind
and knowing that no liteboat could live In the
breakers. followed the craft as she drifted along
the coast. calculating that she would ground near
Station No. IL and depending on that station for
apparatus, Shortly afterward the wreck was seen
by Keeper Chadwick OF Station u, who ordered
out his crew with beach cart and gun.
At this time the vessel was about halfway be-
''"'N NFN wv '"1ANt-' va WV EiNN AAt ANV VI
Station II were following her along the beach;
on the other the crew Of No, IL were coming In to
meet her.
1t was between nine and ten o'clock when the
two crews met. The horses that had started
with the beach cart OF the men from Station IL
had refused to ford the slulees between the hills
and had been left behind, the men dragging the
cart themselves. The helpless Taulane was then
still holding OF the bar by her dragging anchors,
and Uf1lf EpifEpy H1,ry gbnrn Thn N~N Isa q n III.
Ing crews now Joined forces in a strange and ter
riblo battle.
The vessel was 400 yards of shore, her men
in her rigging, the seas breaking and ~tumbltng
white all over her huh, But she was still moving,
steadily. surely, alongshore, her keel free OF the
sand,
The life savers at once placed the surf gun
and a line which was fired fell across the Tau.
lane out OF reach OF her shipwrecked crew. Be
fore another could be fired the vessel had drifted
southwark out OF range.
Loading the gun and apparatus into the beach
cart, the two life-ssying crews started after her
Rlongshore, laboring manfully In the sand and
Hooded Rluices TO keep pace with the drift OF the
vessel to leewRrd. In order to do this they were
obliged to proceed ut what was almost a run.
After twenty minutes OF breathless work they
we're again opposite her. the gun was once more
planted, and another shot fired.
Al inns poFuon OF the oeach the SAND dunes
were low, and the only point Of vantage from
which the gun could be shot was the top OF the
knobs, The knoll on which the effort was made
was in an indentstion in the shore. making II
farther from the vessel. and. the line being wet
and heavy, It failed to reach the Taulane.
Once more the crews OF Stations IL and II
loaded the heavy beach cart and staggered on
after the fast drifting schooner. As the chase
led to the south, the conditions on the beach
became worse, The surf washed In higher. the
siuices became more numerous, and the dry sand
dune tops further separated.
The next dry hill was 400 yards farther on