Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-18

Duty Performed in Freezing Wealth
er. With Gale Lashing the
Waves Into Fury.
Occasion for heroic work for the reve-
nue. cutter Apache and her valiant crew
was provided by the storm which for
four days of the past week devastated
shipping in Chesapeake bay and threat
ened destruction to the fleet of small
oyster sloops The work is not yet fin
ished.
Monday, Tuesday. Wednesday and
Thursday the gale swept down the bay,
heavy seas running, with biting, chilling,
killing cold prevailing. The work was
done in conditions which covered the
Apache's power launch and surf boat
with flying spray that froze upon the
exposed parts of the bodies and the
clothing of the men who manned them.
The details have just been reported to
the revenue cutter service. Capt. Q. l..
Gamble of the Apache gives a graphic
report of the dangers encountered and
the work of rescue and aid.
Monday and Tuesday the Apache
watched over and protected the oyster
lttt uUHdi1HeI anu at dIcIoIdEe ol
Low Wharf, Md, awaiting better tong
ing conditions. Many Of these small
craft were beached to prevent them from
laundering, others which went adrift
were provided with anchorage. and some
in collision were disentangled.
Aids Imperiled Ships.
Wednesday, Thursday-other days of
storn-indeed, throughout the week, the
Apache aided many ships in distress, and
towed a number into harbor. All this
was done under severest conditions.
One of the Apache's wrecking crews,
caught near shore Monday morning as
the storm suddenly magniiied, took shell
ter on shore at Low Wharf. From this
point the crew gave aid to many small
sloops near the wharf. anchoring or
Bleaching them u1ider the lee of the
wharf. This crew was unable. because
of the weather conditions, to rejoil the
Apache from the time the men left the
side of the revenue cutter, 10 O'Clock
Monday morning. until 2:30 O'Clock Tues
day morning.
One unknown oyster sloop broke from
moorings and dragged down on sister
ship. the Ella Wilson. The wrecking
crew got them apart and hove the Ella
Wilson with a line into the wharf, where
she was secured.
Two Vessels Entangled.
The Carrie Marie was another sloop
that dragged anchor in the gale,
into the Alice F'onso. The two
sloops entangled began pounding against
each other, each springing lead. Both
were run ashore in the soft mud by the
wrecking crew. They will easily float at
flood tide.
Another crew from the Apache went
after the dragging Nalkyrie, moored her
securely, saving her from the sandy
beach.
The sloop Addie Bond, dragging anchor
and drifting, was in danger of damaging
herself and other vessels of the fleet.
Wrecking crews in the power launch and
the surf boat, in the teeth of the gale
got a five-inch cable to her. Buffeted
around in the rough sea and ice covered
from the spray, they succeeded in towing
the sloop into the wharf and making he,'
fast In secure berth.
The sloop Viola May was also dragging
anchor toward the beach. with prospect
of going high on sand, whence 1t would
have been difficult to remove her With
spare anchors and cables the power
launch and surboat crews accomplished
the difficult job of fastening the anchors
to her and she held.
Schooner Shows Distress Signals.
A two-masted schooner, name not
wiven, was sighted by the Apache in
Poplar sound narrows late Tuesday, the
second day of the storm. flying signal
the heavy sea prevailing. The Apache
Baltimore. but turning her over en- route
TO a towing tug.
Wednesday morning found the Apache
towing into Baltimore the schooner
Thomas l.. FELTON,, dismantled and leak
ing badly. On the way in she passed
the Mary L. Baxter of Bath, Me, ashore
just below Seven-Foot knoll, in Cutoff
channel
Leaving her tow in safety, the Apache
returned to the aid of the tug Daunt-
less, which had failed in efforts to float
the Baxter On the right tide. after
and turned over to the tug to be towed
to harbor.
Completing this task at 7:45 o'clock, the
Apache steamed away, passing the
steamer Virginia and receiving from it a
telling of a vessel in the ice
twenty miles below Seven-Foot knoll and
making distress signals. Working through
icefioes and with her searchlight peering
through the darkness and fog, the
Apache picked up the distressed vessel at
IN O CtOch III Tic WITCH SNtI MING
was black. The schooner was damned
fast in the ice. The Apache broke her
out, plunging through the thick ice.
In Dangling Of Sinking.
The schooner was the Mark Stevens.
with seven aboard, fuel and provisions
had been exhausted The vessel had been
in the ice all day, making signals and
calls to which there had been no re-
Spouse. The schooner lay low in the
water and was In danger of sinking.
A tow into Baltimore was asked. for
the purpose of discharging the cargo of
oysters and to obtain food and fuel.
The Apache, at low speed to avoid sink
ing the schooner, towed her through the
ice foes into a safe berth at Canton
Hollow She left her there, as there was
other work to be done
The master of the Mark Stevens, says
the report of Capt. Gamble, was grateful
His danger was great from ice and cold,
bitter weather, without the necessities
of food and warmth.
The next job for the Apache was tC
float the disabled schooner w. +. Thorn
as. off Gibson Island. The Thomas was
towed into Baltimore yesterday morning
There word was received that the Carrie
and Belle of Chrisfeld. Md, laden with
lumber, was disabled and had been OBJ
served drifting by the lighthouse steam
er Myrtle. The schooner had been towea
~ff IDat yApf rtt ~,