The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1912-06-08


recognized by those shore surfman Pot
ter leaped to his assistance only to be himself
unfooted and flung floating OF drift
As he lay there struggling to get to his feet, the
line suddenly tautened in the current and falling
across his breast held him pinioned under water
For fully a minute he lay there helpless in sight
Of his comrades and slowly drowning At last
nearly dead. a wave washed him free.
Meantime Of the two sailors torn from
his hold the rope and washed ashore uncon
scious surfman Ferguson went for the other
and brought him In. Surfman Lockwood rescued
the fourth man.
And 30, one by one, in grim handto-hand COM
bat with the storm the crew Of the wrecked brig
rescued. Hours later she boarded in
the surfboat- In the cabin lying In his bunk.
a pistol bullet through his head, they found the
captain. He had been part owner of the vessel.
and when he 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. were battling
at these two wrecks, those of Station No.
rescuing seven men and the captains wife from
the threemasted schooner Stephen Harding.
While FIVE miles OF shore the Harding had been
in collision with the schooner Kate Newman.
which had gone down with all hands
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 IL were
waging OF the grimmest and gamest fights
against masterful odds In the history OF the
service.
This struggle at the wreck OF the schooner
George Taulane The, night before the big storm
she OF Navesink, running steadily in the
growing wind. An hour found the shutting
thick over the rim OF the sea. and the gale In
creased to hurricane 1t 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 sent huge tmbers tumbling about
IanL = olv TO-
to stay above matches. Twenty minutes
later hre was discovered on board. Flames shot
aft from the forecastle. ignitng the deck load.
With her progress somewhat arrested toward
shore by the dragging anchors the Taulane be-
drifting parallel to the shore. getting In close
to 1t very slowly. At this time she dscov-
cred BY the life savers Of Station No. H.
This crew, leaving aeach apparatus behind
and knowing that no lifeboat 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 that station for
apparatus. Shortly afterward the wreck was seen
by Keeper Chadwick of Station ~. who ordered
out his crew with beach cart and gun.
At this time the vessel was about halfway be-
tween the two stations. On one side the crew Of
Station II were following her along the beach,
the other the crew Of No. IL 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
and had been left behind the men dragging the
cart themselves The helpless Tauane then
still holding on the bar by her dragging anchors.
and still drifting along shore. The two lfe-sav-
ing crews now Joined forces In a strange and ter
rible battle.
The vessel was 400 yards of shore, her men
In her rigging, the seas breaking and tumbling
white all over her hull. But she still moving,
steadily. surely. alongshore. her keel free Of the
sand.
The life savers at placed the surf gun
and line which was fired fell the Tau.
lane out Of reach OF her shipwrecked crew. Be-
fore another could be fred the vessel had drifted
southwark out of range.
Loading the gun and apparatus into the beach
cart. the two lifesaving crews started after her
alongshore laboring manfully in the sand and
flooded sluices to keep pace with the drift of the
obliged to proceed at what was almost run
After twenty minutes Of breathless work they
were again opposite her. the gun was once more
planted. and another shot fired
At this portion Of the beach 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 which the effort was made
was In indentation In the shore making IL
farther from the vessel. and, the line being wet
and heavy, 1t failed to reach the Tauane
Once more the crews Of Stations II and ~
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. Tho surf washed In higher the
dune tops further separated
The next dry~hil was 400 yards farther on