The Detroit times., 1913-01-11
LIFE SAVERS
BATTLE TOREACH
TURRIALBA
Wet and in Biting Wind, Worked
Twenty-fOur Hours With
out Rest
MEN OF FIVE STATIONS
ENGAGED IN STRUGGLE
Story of the Surfman Who First
Saw the Stranded Ship and
What Quickly Followed

NEW YORK Jan. ll-When the
stranded steamer Turrialba was
pounding on the Brigantine Shoals, off
the New Jersey coast. people were so
interested in the fate OF the 81 passen-
gers who were on board that one class
OF persons who were deeply concern
ed about the fate of the stranded yes
sci were generally overlooked. They
were the 50 life savers along the coast
who for nearly "a hours, without rest
or sleep, were trying vainly to beat
their way through the waves to the
ship. reporter for The World &C.
companied tho Little Beach crew
while they were launching their life
boat-i In biting wind that was blowing
out or the northwest. Waves were
rolling over the beach higher than a
mans head, leaving thin layers OF the
frozen foam on the sands. The life
savers worked without covering 70
their hands. Down they would go into
the cold waters TO unite rope under
the boat. Then upward they would
come, giving no outward sign Of the
cold they must have felt.
The work OF launching the five life
boats which finally reached the Tur-
rialba was difficult, but it was by no
means as hard as the later work OF
pushing across the three miles OF
shoals and in some cases six miles OF
ocean that lay between the various
stations and the wrecked boat. AT
The Little Beach station the launching
was accomplished without apparent
difficulty. The surf boat was drawn
down 10 the waters edge IN the surf
wagon, a vehicle which Is so arranged
that the wheels can be removed from
the forward part, permitting the boat
TO slide down an inclined plane equip
red with rollers.
After the forward wheels had been
taken off. three men on either side,
clad in their high rubber boots and
rubber jackets, seized the boat and
pushed II toward the ocean. Despite
the protection OF the rubber there was
not a man who was not good and wet
by the time he had waded nearly up
to his waist In water. before Capt.
Endicott gave the order TO climb In.
After boarding there was a struggle
with the waves until the crew had
passed the first line OF breakers. Out
side they rode easily on the heavy
ground swell twas beyond on the
shoals that the real dificulty lay.
Passing one line OF breakers IL one
thing. Passing a dozen lines, each one
bigger than tho one before. is another.
And this was the problem that the
life-boa men had TO face. Three miles
OF shallow water open to the ocean
meant that there were three miles OF
La in Y
the outer bar was approached
All day Tuesday the lifemen strug-
gled with these waves. Three OF the
crew had the new power boats that
the government Is gradually installing
along the coast The fact that two OF
the power boats refused to work at u
crucial moment was commented on by
some OF the llfemen as an indication
that Uncle Sam had better buy diff
ferent brand OF engine or else provide
better instruction as to the way OF
running the complicated mechanism
now in nse
The big lifeboat OF the Atlantic City
station, which is considered one OF the
finest In the service and which cost
s., 900, had hardly started on her way
across the treacherous waters when q
clutch broke. IL took the crew an en-
tire day 70 make the necessary repairs
and meant that even had the persons
on board OF the Turrialba been drown
ing, one crew counted on TO be OF the
most assistance was unable to per-
form any service.
With the power boat Of the Little
Egg Harbor station the trouble seem
ed to be a natural Discrimination on
the part OF the engine TO work for
more than a few seconds at a time.
This meant that the waterproof jacket
had TO be taken off to repair the
trouble and in the process the engine
was exposed to the storm. Snow set
tied on the spark plugs and they be-
came useless. II was not until they
had been taken ont and dried over a
fire built on the beach that they finally
consented to operate And Il was then
so late that the crew had TO abandon
all hope OF getting out that day.
Still another accident delayed the
crew of the Little Beach station. In
running their boat down from the surf
wagon the side struck on a fange or
one OF the rollers. There was a crack
ling OF wood which showed that the
side of the boat had been splintered
Notwithstanding this the crew put out
but had to return before they had