The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-16
BARGE CREWS SAVED
IN THRILLING RESCUE
Nine Persons, Including Women
and Children, Narrowly
Escaped Death.
VESSELS LOST IN STORM
As Last Breaks Up and Sinks
Those Aboard Take to
Small Boat.
VESSELS LOST IN STORM

GRrESpoRr, l.. l.. Feb. IA little
group of men and women. with two chill
dren sleeping In their mothers arms. sat
close around a big fire in tho homo Of
H ID. Latham at Orient Point. the north
ernmost point of Long Island. this
afternoon. and toll OF their drift across
Long Island Sound in n sinking barge.
They were the captains and their wives
Of the four barges that broke adrtft from
tho tug Piiny Fisk early Saturday morn
Ing In tho storm. They all got aboard
the barge Feeney. and were drifting
toward Plum Gut and the open sea when,
at o'clock Saturday afternoon. the
Feeney broke In two of Orient Point. All
aboard got ashore In q small boat
The four barges were the Frederick
Willenbrock, on which were George
Towne. his wife and two children. one
beth. with Frederick Shellhorn and his
wife the Katie Wood. with Emil John
senaren and hts wife, and the Marie Rose
Feeney. on which were John Johnston
and his wife and William A. James.
Barx<s Run Into storm.
The barges were in a tow OF six bound
for Providence. They were making for
New London Friday night when the snow
storm came out Of the northeast and beat
them back. Early Saturday morning the
hawser between the second and third
barges snapped.
The last four barges drove down upon
one another and those on board realized
that unless something was done quickly
they would all 20 to the bottom.
Hawsers were thrown from the Feeney
to the Wood, which were close together.
and Johnston and Johnsensren warped
| these two barges close together. Then
-. -, a n a.
horn tied "A rope about his wife and she
jumped aboard the Feeney. Shellhorn fol-
| lowed.
The Elizabeth was pulled up next
Towne bundled up his children and tossed
them to Johnston Towne then put
| rope under his wife's arms and told her
| to jump. She climbed TO the rail- hest
tated. slipped and fell into the icy water
between the two barges. The barges were
| separated momentarily by "A wave that
would bring them together with d crash.
Woman's Narrow Escape.
With "a frantic pull the men on the
gap between the two boats just before
| they plunged at each other. Towne
| jumped and got safely aboard.
The Feeney and the Wood were cut
loose from the other barges and were
blown by the northeast wind into the
a
The half frozen men and women .bu,
| Themselves in the cabin ~ tho Eoo,sy
All that morning the two barges were
driven across tho sound When tho s,ou
s,,pned tho uir1 .hif,.d % ~. nnr,has..
and blew III. hoats ,owar s IN, end n,
| Long Island. Thos. ahoard knew "a the
shore line approached that a very short
drift TO tn. east would send theu IN
sea. whcr. the. proba bilities OF rescue
would be very small
As they came abreast NJ In. Rocky
/ Point Isl. saving station about tw, nils
, on shor. the Mood began In hreaL m
1 sh. was en-, odrift and hrnk. M anJ
! sank. The F..ney was grooming u,der
| IN, strain Of the pound,ny she had Ma
and tho rr.a, weight OF cargo Sho us
4 "a low in tho water thai IN. w..
went clear ov~r her and the water froze
until she seemed a boa, Of ico
Barge Breaks In Two.
Tho man -, hoard ..,h.ro, l., a.,
-, 49,, 1T, - a, W Az 'he gee
, Se W ~ 'on, "niSh "ouiu