The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1912-08-02

is chiefly due to Cape Cod 1t
is this crooked finger of land that has beckoned
a thousand ships to their doom and which in the
hollows of it's dunes holds many tragic story
of lives snuffed out in desperate grapple with
and wind.
The night of Tuesday March H. 1902, was
wild and stormstrewn Running up along the
coast, the ocean-gong tug Sweepstakes max
ing bad weather with her tow of the two big
barges, Wadena and John c. Fitzpatrick. For
hours the triple expansion engines of the tug had
been churning her screw in the drift of the
heavy head and shortly before daylight her
captain discovered that she making head
way. He then decided to lie to and while feel
ing about for anchorabe in the gloom, the
barges aground the edge of Shovelful
Shoal off 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 the flood tide, took
their crews ashore.
It six days later that the disaster oc-
Cured Wreckers sent from Boston were at
work the barges The tug Peter Smith
on 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
the morning of the 18th Keeper Eldridge of
the Monomoy station received a telephone from
the captain of the Smith asking him Ii every
thing all right the Wadena. This alarmed
Eldridge. he did not know any had been
left 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
a mile off shore from the point. She seemed to
be riding easily the bar but the distress
flying from her rigging. This a signal Ed
ridge could not ignore.
1t terrific pull through the breakers that
rolled in the shoals to the Wadena, but
the life-savers accomplished 1t and put their boat
under the lee of the barge at about noon. Keep
Eldridge then directed the to get into the
surfboat and told thin that he would take them
ashore. The rail of the big barge dozen
feet from the water and it here that the
trouble began
The men the barge lowered themselves over
side rope, but Captain Olsen, very large
man, was halfway down, he lost his hold and fell
on the second thwart of the lifeboat, breaking
1t, and making it impossible for the rowers to
use 1t. In addition, the boat was crowded and
the wind, which had been momentariy increas-
ing tumbling huge combers into the wind
ward Of the barge. 1t into this maelstrom
of breakers that it was necessary for the handi-
capped Of the life-saving station to pull
their overloaded boat, and they made swift
and able attempt to accomplish it. At the instant
the starboard oarsmen we're swinging the head of
the lifeboat to meet the giant comber lifted
under the quarter and dashed barrel of water
oversize. That was the signal for panic among
the rescued men that. before 1t subsidized, cost
twelve lives
The Portuguese wreckers, in frenzy of fear,
stood up in the boat, rocking it to and fro in
their endeavors to escape the momentary thrush
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 a desperate struggle for life. A
hundred yards to leeward the breakers were
smashing themselves into white foam on the bar.
There was just chance in 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 the combers should be reached Three
times they righted the boat and strove heroically
to bail her but each time she was again over
turned. They were fighting the last tragic fight
when they swept into the smothering 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 life-savers still chung to the
scapsized boat They were Keeper Eldridge and
Surfmen Ellis. Kendrick Foye and Rogers. By
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 a
ment before. Foye was the next "Good-by,
boys he gasped smother of foam took him.
That left Ellis Rogers and Eldridge the keeper.
and Eldridge was fast losing strength.
In brief lull in the wash of the sea, Ellis
crawled to the bottom Of the boat Below him,
foot away was the keeper, friend since boy
hood. AT the risk of his own life Ellis dropped
into the water again, pushed Eldrdge up on the
bottom with his last strength and again crawled
out himself. The next second washed both
on and the keeper. after losing and regaining his