Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-23
Revenue Cutter Service

| In consequence of the pacific nature Of
| the winter. the vessels of the revenue cut
ter service have had in comparison with
other years but few calls upon them for
aid from vessels in distress from strand
ing or from winter gales. Though the
vessels have been kept cruising, ready to
give aid where needed, it is thought that
the grand total Of the work done this
season will fall considerably below past
years, though March is usually a trou-
blesome month. both on the north and
south Atlantic. and the cutters may have
plenty of work to do before the winter
cruising season is over.
| The only call for assistance received by
cutter in the past week, as shown by
the records of the division of the service
Treasury Department, was to aid the
schooner Montrose w. Houck. which
stranded on the North Carolina coast
about fifty miles below Cape Henry. The
cutter Onondaga. Capt. De Otte. re-
spOnded to the message, but on reaching
| the scene Of the wreck found the schoon-
err in such condition that Capt. DE Otte
decided nothing could be done to aid her
and that she was a total wreck and he SO
reported to the department.
A report from Capt. s. B. W1nram,
commanding the cutter 1tasca, regarding
the aid given the three-masted schooner
Frank S. Witherbee found in distress In
Cape Cod bay about two weeks ago. has
been received at the department. 1t
states that the vessel was found with
| four feet of water in her hold and lead-
ing badly. Her cargo OF big blocks of
| stone had shifted In a gale and had torn
| away a portion of her bulwarks. made
big hole in her deck and otherwise
damaged the vessel She was in a bad
plight and would have gone to the bot
| -
which a boat crew was sent to assist in
pumping her out. and which took her in
tow and carried her into Providence
town, Mass. from which port a tug took
the schooner to Boston.
In recognition Of his heroic conduct in
saving the life of shipmate by jump
ing overheard and keeping him from
drowning Capt. Johnston, commanding
the derelict destroyer Seneca, has recon-
mended the granting of life-saving
of that ship. The act of herosm
CURED about month ago in midocean,
as the Seneca was towing the derelict
Norwegian bark D0rothea into Bermuda.
boats crew had been sent aboard the
derelict to change the lead Of the towing
hawser when an extra heavy sea came
and washed three men overheard. One
of the seamen o. NJ. kolberg, was car
ried about fifty feet away from the ship
and was helpless and drowning wnen
shoes on, jumped into the rough sea.
| swan to the man and held him Up until
aid could reach them.
Reports from Capt. Carmine command
ing the cutter Apache, in service on Ches-
apeake bay, state that during the past
week she floated the barge Triton and the
| schooner Marion. which were ashore In
the Nanticoke river, a tributary Of the
Chesapeake. on its eastern shore. The
vessels had been carried ashore in a
heavy blow and cnnSidQra hlxy q
aged. They were taken to SharptOwn,
Md. for repairs.
Having completed repair work. which
kept her at the Bremerton, Wash. navy
yard for several weeks, the cutter Sno-
homist has resumed service on her sta
ton at Neah bay, WASH and has re-
lieved the cutter Tahoma, which has gone
to Seattle. While at the navy yard the
ceived needed attention and her hull was
also repaired. The Tahoma will overhaul
at Seattle In preparation for service with
the Boring sea patrol In the coming sum-
mer
The new cutter Unalga, on her way
from Chesapeake bay to Port TownShend,
Wash, via the Suez canal, sailed yester-
day from Yokohama, Japan, after a stay
of eight days there. Her next port of
call will be Honolulu. and from there she
will steam across the Pacific to her des-
tipatiOn. She is expected to reach Port
Townshend in the latter part Of March.
The cutter Onondaga. on the Norfolk
station. has been engaged several days
the past week in removing the remains of
the old barge Charmer, which sank sew
eral weeks ago of Cape Charles in the
channel leading into Hampton roads.
Capt f. p. Bertholf. commanding the
revenue cutter service. has returned from
an official visit to New York and is again
on duty in the department.
Preparatory orders have been issued o
officers in the service as follows: Second
Lieut. NJ s Hay to the Onondaga: Sec
ond Lielt. r. p Munro, to the Onondaga.
and Third Lieutenant of Engineers w
III. Doron. to the Tahoma.