The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1912-08-02

ls thls crooked finger Of land that has ~borhonod
"A thoua@nd ships to their doom and which IN the
hGnows Of It's dunes holds many a tragic story
Of lives suuned out In desperate grnpIIe with
wave md wind.
THE night OF TUESDAY. March II, 1902. was
Wild aud st0rmFtrrEn Running up along the
coast the ocean goiag tug Sweepstakes |aa mnk-
Ing Ind weather with her tow Of tho two tIg
bagges. Wadena and John e Fitzpatrick For
hours the tripiecxpangi0n engines Of the tux hnd
been churning hor screw IN the drlit of the
heavy head sea and shortly before daylight her
captain discovered that she was MAILING no head
way He then decided to tic to and, while feel
ting abOut for an aDChOrabe IN the gloom, the
barEos ran aground on the edge Of &hovolfui
ELnal oT the southern end Of MouUmuy island,
Massachusetts
when daylight came, the crow Of the Mon0moy
lfc saving station boarded the barReB, but finding
II Impossible to float them on the food Hde, took
their crews ashore
1t Was six days later that the disaster oc-
cured. Wreckers sent from Boston were at
work on the barges. The tug Peter Smith wa8
or the ground, having replaced the Sweepstakes.
On the night Of the 10Th the weather thickened
and A gale swept In from the sea.
The night passed without incident. but early
on the morning Of the nth Keeper El4tidge Of
tho Monomoy station received "A telephone from
the captain Of the Smith asking him II every
thing was all right on the Wadena. This alarmed
Eldrdge, as he did not know any one had been
left on the barge oil night. lie started ut once
for the point Of the island, three miles away, TO
look over the situation. The Wadena lay half
a mile of shore from the point. She seemed to
be riding easily on the bar. but the distress was
flying from her rigging. This was a signal Ed
ridge could not ignore.
II was a terrific pull through the breakers that
rolled IN across the SHOALS to the Wadena, but
the Iifa.saveTB accomplished It and put their boat
ursier the ice Of the barge at about noon. Keep
or EldriaEc then directed the men to get INTO the
sarIh0at ana toid TIM mat ne "ouln 'aNe thein
ashore. me rail- OF the Dig barge was "a uo@'n
feet from tho water aud 1t was mere that the
trouble began.
me men on me barge lowered lneIhseiFeA over
eide on a rope out ON captain olsen d very laise
man, was halfway down he Loaf MS hoIu ana Ieii
on "" second thWNrt OF tue HieOoAl' breaking
IT, ana making 1t Impossible" Tor III" ro"era 10
use II IN ADDITION the boat was crowded ana
tue Mlhd' "hiCh haR peeh molneh'ari'y lhcFeas"
ing, "as tanhIlhg hHEe colnbers INTO the Wind
Wafd OF the barge II was INTO thiS haeIStrom
OF broakeTa mat 1t was necessary Tor the handl-
capped ere" OF the lie saving station 70 pun
thelF oFer'o"oeo no"'' ana they maze a a"Ht
ana NhIe attempt to accomplish IT, At the instant
the ~S'arboard oarsmen were swinging the mead OF
the hle'boat TO meet Tue sen Il giant coNnoer IHted
under the quarter and dashed a barrel OF water
oversize lhat was the signal tor a panic among
the rescued men Ih"t' before II sNOs'uea' cost
Twelve hFeS'
'"e f'FtuSuese "r"ckeFs' IN a frenzy OF rear
S'"," wy !" ,"' 'o''' 'o'h'"3 " " wv nv u
'n'" '"''"'',' ~ eer"pe III" hpo"'h''.' 'n,uhN
v ""','' Il" '"""SN - "es"'S'' ''uS"' W
'U'Es lut'" '"o 'H% oo''oin ol 'ne cruz I"'s
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