Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-03-05
EXPERIENCE IN ,;FHE BAY.
sufcrinngs:ss Of a Family on a Barge Barge
Last Sunday Night; ~

| I
Sly. ~ $500 sri.: -rf. , ~.
/ Crisfeld,; Md!,o March 5.lWith lit.
tie fire and food no water and sur=
.cunded by breaking waves, WHICH
qnickly froze, as 1.-THE, spray Dashed
c,ser the deck of the vessel, two nns,a.
a &ornan and two little children: suf.
fered untold hardships on barge in
ule Chesapeake Baytgoff Tangier IS
land, Monday and Tuesday. The
| tory of their plight and their sub.
seqpent rescue after,all hope of h4!a
had been abandoned was brought %
Cri ;feld yesterday by Capt. Asa
Virgins, of Tangier Island.
! A tug towing three barges loadai
with guano from Baltimore to Nor
folk encountered the storm off the
mouth of the Potomac river Sunday
afternoon. The gale and heavy sea
mt such strain on the hawse that
tho near barge broke away from thr
other vessels. The crew of the t:'@
either did not notice the parting 6
the hawse or the storm was too Sc
we're to permit the tug to go back
+. and pick up the barge, and IN a shors
while the steam craft and the re-
,uaining two barges were lost to
! viaw.
(! The captain of the barge thus sea
adrift threw out the anchor ana at
tempted to hold the barge in tie
mouth of the Potomac, but the YES
.al was swept across Chesapeake
Bay, being near Tangier beach about
midnight Sunday.
those aboard, including the captain
aud his wife; the mate and the cap
tain's two sons, aged a and years
were in a sorry plight with scarcely
anv fuel and food supply almost ex-
hausted. The barge mad sprung a
leak near the rudder and was hil!n%
fast, while the high waves beat over
the craft with great force. The "o-
man and her two children, hudd.e''
topether in the house cabin, whl!e
the captain and his mate took turns
at the pump in an attempt 10 Keep
the barge afloat. Hope OF rescue
or If saving the vessel was given up
and when the gray streaks OF morn
inr began to appear in the East the
little group gathered in the housed
mart of the barge and united IN pray
er.
DAYLIGHT showed Tangier Island
about a mile away, and distress Sig
nails were displayed. By this time
the barge was ice-coated, from two
TO three feet of ice covering the deck
and the sides. The residents OIL the
island saw the craft, but the contlh-
nous gale and the heavy ice made II
impossible to render assistance
watched for an opportunity to 90 10
watched for an opportunity to go 10
the assistance of those on the barge
women offering up suppiicatlonS
for the safety Of the nVe
persons in dire peril. Through
Monday night the two men
kent steadily at the pumps, and al
| though nearly exhausted from eA-
ortion cold and hunger, TUESDAY
morning found the barge still ABOVE
water. Again distress signals were
raised.
The line of people on the island
could b. plainly seen from the deck
but the bay was still too rough 10
attempt rescue. .
About one o'clock Tuesday after
noon the people on the barge gave
M their fight and lost all nope %
ha;no rescued. There was only one
,ifo nreserver aboard and father ana
mother were confronted with 'ne
awful necessity of deciding upon,
which of the little tots to faSteil vi,
aor.r;v.nco After much agltated
deliheration the mother decided ~
I olive the two children an equa'
cbance for life and lashlng the wv
hove together she tied the life pre-
| server about them both.
About four o'clock party Oh men
launched small gasoline veSS1'
owned by the fishing firm OF DFau,
shaw and Parks, and started for I've
horoe After desperate oa.''e
Nth the ice and the heavy sea .ney
rsacbed the imperiled craft and 'ooS
81 all hands. Mother and her c MI,
dren were weeping as the gasol'he
launch drew near the barge and the
two men also broke down and crleo
when help came. ca