Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-04-14
L|FE-SAvERS' WORK
Crews Play Gallant Part at
Steamer Ontario Fire.
REPORT OF SERVICE MADE
Figure Largely in Saving Passengers
and Crew From Burn
ing Ship.

1
Merchants and Miners Line a,OOO-ton
steamer Ontario. which caught fire early
in the morning of April g. while en- route
from Baltimore to Boston and was
beached near Montauk: Point, on the
south shore of Long Island. to, saye the
lives of the seventy or more persons on
board, is set forth in report forwarded
to the general superintendent of the serv-
Ice by superintendent. Knowles of the
third life-saving district. The report,
which follows. is submitted to Superin-
tendent Knowles by Capt Walter: H.
Davis. keeper of the Watch Hill (Rhode
lsland) life-saving station:
In obedience to your telephone mes
sage to me yesterday morning at o:a0
O'Clock. informing me that the steamer
Ontario was on fire between Montauk
Point and Block Island, and that the
vessel would have 10 be beached at either
one place or the other, | Immediately
launched my power life boat and set out
in search of the steamer. Four members
of my crew accompanied me. We left
our station at 3:15 am. with our dory in
tow. As we We're unable to sight the
steamer after clearing the Watch Hill
reef we steered for Montauk Point AS
the tide was flood and running against
the wind. which was increasing all the
time. the trip was made exceedingly
rough. The seas broke over us almost
continuously.
when we We're within about four miles
of Montauk Point rockets were seen to
shoot up some distance to westward of
the point, which told us that the vessel
was on the south side of Long Island
AS we hauled out to southwark of the
light the vessel came plainly into view at
the place where her captain had beached
her under full steam.
First to Reach the Ship.
ours was the first boat of any descrip-
ton to reach the disabled steamer. The
life-savers from Ditch Plain had, how
ever, arrived on the beach abreast of her
somewhat ahead of us and rugged I'D the
breeches buoy apparatus between ship and
shore. Running our boats in alongside
and going aboard, We discovered that
the whipHne. used TO haul the buoy back
and forth, had a knot in IT, and that the
buoy was hung up a hundred feet or
more out from the port forerigging, to
which the hawser supporting the buoy
had been made fast about half way up
Fry as they might, the men 'on the
beach were unable to work the line
free. ! at once climbed into the rigging.
overhauled the whip, cut out the knot
spliced the line with the aid of two of
the steamers crew, then signaled for
was thereupon run out to the steamer and
sent back by the captain with messages
intended for transmission to his owners
and Others The distance between the
steamer and the beach was approximately
100 feet. and the operations of the life
savers were conducted from the crest of
bank eighty or more feet high.
Shortly afterward a life-saver came out
in the breeches-buoy and asked that the
ships doctor be sent asore to attend
one of his comrades who had been badly
injured by an axe, which had slipped
from Its handle while the men were
setting their wrecking gear in position
Both the physician and the surfman re-
turned ashore in the buoy at the same
time.
After the tide had made ebb and the
seas somewhat subsidized, Capt. Parsons
of the Hither Plain station. arrived with
his powerboax towing an open surfboat
and all hands began the " ork of trans
ferring the passengers and their baggage
from the steamer to the wrecking tug
Tasco. which had in the meantime come
upon the scene.
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