Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1913-04-04

Icy Seas When a Storm Wrecked
Vessel Offers the Fearless Guards
Chance to Rescue Human Being.
Through a bleak February night a
storm WIS raging up the Atlantic sea-
board All along the coast the life
guards were out. hunchug into the
gale. psirolling the beaches. alert for
signs Of disaster. Just before mid
nieht one of them east OF Bellport sta
ton. on Long Island, saw schooner
aoundering 10 the gray spindrift OF
shore 1t WIS the benjamin Cromwell.
and as The alarm swept down the
beach the crews Of three stations hur-
ricd 70 the scene. Their work was to
take seven men from the rigging OF
the wrecked vessel
All efforts through the night and the
forenoon following failed. The wind
was too high Then at noon the
sehooner's masts. except the foremost.
nn which all OF the crew save one bad
taken refuge crashed overheard This
man went down IN welter OF wreck
nse. aud to those on shosr It seemed
rs If he mist surely be battered TO
death. but as the breakers raced In
they @iw him clinging to a plank that
had heen swept away with him.
furin'is SURF was running. and TIM
her with which the Cromwell had been
lndeii was pitched W on the beach.
10 add 10 the darger thiek Ice cakes
heaved by The breakers. lifted their
Jagged ends high in the air and crashed
down, splinterlng one upon the other'
and always the awtul driYe OF snow
ana sieet. ripping the onfiishins waves
INTO tatieiS OF roam aha splndriit-
surely no man eonid ilVe N that'
lnstlncuVely the NE savers moved
nearer the edge OF tue SURF and peered
ahead for some sign OF NE Ihe beach
was fringed with skim zee sharp ana
pointed, mat cut throash funner hoots
aud clothing as II through parchment.
Helpless TO aid the man whom they
knew must be plunging somewhere out
in that angry water. they huddled to-
gether as men VIII when a nieiess
body is about to be east up before
them. Ihey hearu ice ahd wreckage
grind harshly' scattered debris washed
up to their feet Brave men al, yet
they saw nothing TO do Taey Knew
not to what lengths the ocean would go
before giving up its Vlcum-
AT this juneture hgure sprang nom
among them and. WfuppinE line about
his waist, ran to the edge or the SURF
ne was FRANK hayner OF the Blue
POINT station and ne was ahout 70
/ commit what the other surfmen m
silnetiveiy told themselves was suicide
The service demands courage, not fooi-
hardness FOR moment Keeper
korke hesitated' unueclded wnether 70
order hayner back 10 tue beaeh or not
but ne Couldn't ma II IN MS heart 10
do It. IL was venture too heroic, too
splendid
Ihey watched Kaynef as ne stood
IN the whiri OF Icy spray awaiting ms
chance. He was half naked Ills
clothes ne had tEro'El' on as ne ran.
The cold biting into MS hesh, tortured
him. Still the chance held on. Then
It came-the bit OF wreckage, the CHING
Ing sailor. crashing into the boiling
breakers, and Rayner dashed forward
Foot by foot through that roaring tu-
mutt OF water, OF plunging beams and
timber. dodging the splintered spars
that leaping from giant eombers, made
as II to pin him, Rayner worked to
ward his man. 70 those on shore he
was hidden the greater part Of the
time Finally they saw his bead bot
above a big billow. Near him floated
the wreckage bearing its stiff, motion
less burden. The next instant Raynel
vanished. swept under by a tremen
dous wave.
From the huddled group on shor,
men started forward. but Albert La
than. also Of the Blue Point station
was first to plunge into the tumblins
seas. Tearing through them. b,
reached Rayner. who. Just cresting /
breaker, snatched at the sailor. now
unconscious And together these he
roes Of the coast hauled their mar
through the rearing timbers and ice t.
the beach and TO safety.
Not ten minutes later the Cromwell
broke in pieces From shore the life
savers saw men fall from the rigging
Ave Of them. who fell. one BY one. ike
black plumplets into the sea. One re
DARK FORM elinging 10 the wrecked
basf now adrift And again Raynel
ana Latham plunged into the surI.