The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1912-06-13

/ that is concealed in that casual phrase-"a
nights work
From Washington. II you go down into the life
saving stations along the Jersey shore, you viii
find the same casual Indifference to the story Of
/ one night which is history-au Indifference
that might lead TO the belief that the occasion
was a trihe. were 1t not for the fact that In the
memories Of the old men OF the service its de.
tails are stil vivid
II was the third OF February, 1880 Two storms
| were rushing along the Atlantic coast They met
! on the Jersey shore, a bowling. roaring conflict
OF wind and weather. snowrent and seet-riven
As darkness settled the life-saving crews in the
stations along the windswept coast watched the
sea with foreboding In their hearts. At midnight
| the storm was at its height
! In the next twelve hours during its continuance
the apprehensions of the Jersey patrol found
realization. Within those twelve hours there were
five wrecks within the scope Of four consecutive
stations, while another disaster engaged a station
a short distance beyond The Of the stations
rescued forty-three persons. tolled hungry and
half-frozen I'm darkness and tempest established
a standard OF bravery and fortitude that is unique
and went through the ordeal with that offhand
carelessness Of personal risk which characterizes
those Of their calling
AT one In the morning Keeper Charles H. Val.
entne of Station No. lay grayely III Of pleurisy
AT 1880 Surfman Van Brunt, staggering Into the
drift Of the gale on the west patrol caught the
red gleam of light in the breakers SO fierce
was the wind, filed with driven sand and sleet,
that he could not look into its teeth. but by
shielding his eyes and looking across 1t he
the outline of large schooner. She was the
T.. c. Babcock Of Somers Point and she was on
bar close to shore.
Van Brunt for the station and gave the
alarm. Despite his Illness, Keeper Valentine rose
from his bed and in person led his crew to the
rescue. Bafled by the snow which lay thick
along the beach, by the gale that tore seams in
their faces, and by the intense cold which frozs
shot line and beach apparatus the life savers
fought for two hours to get line aboard the
stranded vessel. AT length they succeeded and
man came ashore In the breeches buoy He said
that the captain of the Babcock had his wife
and two small children board. The breeches
buoy was sent out again and the captain came
ashore in It,, his six-yearold daughter in his arms
His wife followed. Then came the mate with the
other child Last came the rest of the crew.
The life savers went back to the station, and
In the early hours of the stormy dawn were hastily
rearrangng the apparatus when Of the men
saw a large brig coming head for the shore
Keeper Valentine had gone back to bed, but once
more he arose and insisted on leading his men
again to the scene Of danger.
Before the crew could get the hRlfprepared
beach apparatus TO the surf, the brig, running
furiously before the tremendous sea, her sails
split and tattered, struck with terrific impact
The tide was very high and the brig, tie Angus
tina from Havana, came up close to the station
and well inside the breakers. Just before she
struck the life savers could see a man at the
wheel apparently steering composedy, his face
emotionless a pipe in his teeth.
When the shock came a torrent OF frothlng
seas broke over the vessels stern, covering the
helmsan; but a moment later he could be seen
standing at the wheel, unmoved Then the brig
swung broadside to the fuslllade Of laundering
surf, and her crew fed forward to the bits.
BY this time the life savers were on the beach
with their gun, while crowd Of some hundreds
of persons watched from the shelter OF the higher
| dunes ~ as 40 plO tn oho at urf.
man Garrett White, following a receding sea
| down the beach, succeeded In throwing heaving
stick and line on board her.
This the crew Ieg.e3, and hauled the whip
line on board but. getting the tailblock. did not
know what to do next In vain the life savers
signaed and shouted 10 them. They were Span.
ish, and the directions. on the billet attached to
/ the lines were In Italian and English only
At this moment the life savers were filed with
| horror. The crew of the grounded brig unable
TO solve the mystery OF rigging the breeches buoy
/ were preparing TO take a terrible risk One OF
them seized the line and started the attempt OF
coming in on It hand over hand.
Meantime the wreck OF the Babcock a quarter
of mile up the beach. had broken up and the
fragments of the vessel. together with her cargo
Of cordwood were being swept by the current
down about the Augustine, filling the surf with
tumbling debris which well-nigh insured the
death OF anyone who fell into It, In a moment
the whip line over which the sailors were pre-
pairing TO come in fouled In the wreckage Dis.
regarding the shouts TO wait, the first sailor clad
only in pair Of trousers seized the Hne and be
| gan working his way in on Il hand over hand
Rushing waist deep into the breakers. White
seized the man, and the brig rolled inshore
and the line slackened he slipped the blight from
the sailors neck.
The next second both were caught in the in.
rush Of wood and water and torn from the line
10 be hurled beneath the breakers. BY a ter.
rihc effort White succeeded in regaining his foot.
Ing and still clutchng the sailor. dragged him
out OF the surf
While this struggle taking place two more
sailors had started down the line from the brig
surfman Van Brunt sprang into the water 10 aid
them, but was swept from his feet his life hang
ing on straw In the deadly mass OF tumbling
timbers. Be was carried down-shore a hundred
yards where's nfendly shoudered him up
on the beach At the moment Van Brunt's peril