The Red Cloud chief., 1912-08-01


~ count Of the particularly heavy
sea.trafiic In the vicinity. but 1t
is chiefly due to Cape Cod. 1t
u this crooked finger Of land that has beckoned
Q thousand ships to their doom and which In the
hollows OF its dunes holds many tragic story
Of lives snuffed out In desperate grappe with
wave and wind.
The night Of Tuesday. March H. 1902. was
wild and stormstrewn. Running up along the
coast, the ocean.going tug Sweepstakes was max
ing bad weather with her tow Of the two big
barges. Wadena and John c. Fitzpatrick. For
hours the tripe-expansion engines OF the tug had
been churning her screw In the drift OF the
heavy head sea and shortly before daylight her
captain discovered that she was making no head.
way. He then decided to lie to and. while feel
ing about for an ancborabe in the gloom. the
barges ran aground the edge Of Shovelful
Shoal, of the southern end Of Monomoy island
Massachusetts.
When daylight came, the crew OF the Monomoy
life saving station boarded the barges. but finding
It impossible to float them on the food tide. 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 was
on the ground having replaced the Sweepstakes.
On the night Of the 10th the weather thickened
and . gele swept in from the sea.
The night passed without incident but early
on the morning Of the 18th Keeper Eldridge OF
the Monomoy station received telephone from
thing was all right on the Wadena This alarmed
Eldridge. 40 he did not know any one had been
left on the barge all night. He started at once
for the point of the island. three miles away. to
look over the situation. The Wadena lay half
. 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.
It was q terrific pull through the breakers that
rolled In across the shoals to the Wadena. but
<ho
under the lee Of the barge at about noon. Keep
or Eldridge then directed the men to get into the
surfboat and told thin that he would take them
ashore The rail Of the big barge was dozen
feet from the water and 1t was here that the
trouble began
The men on the barge lowered themselves over.
side on o rope but as Captain Olsen, very large
man, was halfway down. he lost-his hold and fell
on the second thwart Of the lifeboat. breaking
it. and making It impossible for the rowers to
use It, In addition. the boat was crowded and
the wind, which had been momentarily increas.
ing. was tumbling huge combers into the wind
ward OF the barge. 1t was into this maestrom
Of breakers that It necessary for the handi.
capped crew Of the life-saving station to pull
their overloaded boat. and they made swift
and able attempt to accomplish 1t. At the instant
the starboard oarsmen were swinging the mead OF
the lfe-boat to meet the sea. giant comber lited
under the quarter and dashed barrel OF water
oversize That was the signal for panic among
the rescued men that before It subsided. cost
twelve lives.
The Portuguese wreckers. in a frenzy Of fear
stood up In the boat rocking It to and fro In
their endeavors to escape the momentary inrush
of water and though the life-savers fought to
force them into the bottom Of the craft. this
could not be done before the next shouldering
wave caught the bow Of the boat, swung her
broadside and turned her over.
Then ensued desperate struggle for life.
hundred yards to leeward the breakers were
smashing themselves into white foam on the bar.
There was Just one chance In q million that the
boat could be righted before the sea carried her
into them. Once she reached them It would be
all over. Hampered by the wreckers. the life
savers fought desperately In those few minutes
left before tho combers should be reached. Three
times they righted the boat and strove heroicaly
to bail her, but each time she was again over
turned. They were lighting the last tragic ngns
when they we're swept into the smothsring foam
Of the bar.
At that instant seven men. including all from
the Wadena, went to face their maker. Five Of
the hardest of the lifesavers still clung to the
capsized boat They were Keeper Eldridge and
surfmen Ellis, Kendrick. Foye and Rogers BY q
superhuman effort Kendrick crawled to the bot
tom OF the overturned craft but the next sea
swept him to Join the seven who had gone mo
ment before Foye was the next "Goodby
boys" he gasped q smother Of foam took him
That left Ellis, Rogers and Eldridge the keeper
ana Eldridge was fast losing strength.
In q brief lull In the wash OF the sea. Ellii
crawled to the bottom Of the boat. Below him. I
foot away, was the keeper. Q friend since boy
hood At the risk Of his own life, Ellis dropped
into the water again. pushed Eldridge up on thu
cotton with his last strength and again crawlet
out himself The next second q sea washed boil
Oh and the keeper after losing and regaining hi