Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-07-09
Lightship 4
BY Nj. QUAD
Copyright, 1914. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

One day thirty years ago II was re-
ported to the Trinity board, which has
charge Of all Lights on the coast of
Great Britain, Chat a shoal had made
In the English channel about ninu
miles due east of the Lizard. At the
spot indicated there had been thirty
fathoms of water ever since British
ship went to sea, and the board, of
course, argued that there had been a
mistake. 1t was fishing craft which
had reported the shoal and found only
fourteen feet of water over it, and
craft was sent out at once to make an
official investigation. What had hap
pened was this: 1t was a bowlder
strewn bottom, and two or three old
wrecks had drifted together and piled
up on each other until dangerous OBJ
struction had been formed. 1t was as
if a great rock had been heaved up
from the bottom, and the board must
guard against the dangerwithout delay
Thirty years ago the divers dress
was not what it is today, nor could
men handle explosives under water as
they can now. After two or three vain
attempts to clear away the wrecks the
work was left for storm to accom-
plish, and meanwhile lightship No 4,
under Captain Crox, was moved
around from Mounts bay and anchored
near the spot and notice given to mari
nerS.
That night it was the captains
watch from till midnight A gale
had come up. 1t had come 10 O'Clock
when a sudden hail reached the light
ship. The captain was aft and his
mate forward, but he knew at once
that the hail came from seward. II
was not 50 dark but that one cou.d
see a ship 300 feet away. even though
she had no lights aboard
AS soon as a port fire was ignited the
sea was lighted up for hundreds OF
feet around in a CHASTITY way, and both
men looked for the craft they suppos-
I'd to be near by. They looked in vai:i
till the signal was nearly finished
Then ships yawl, driving right up In
the teeth Of the gale, hove into sight
She was without mast or sail OF
oars, and the only figure in her sat in
the stern sheets, and his arms and legs
were bound around with ropes.
The man was bareheaded and dress,
ed as landsman, and as he drove past
within twenty feet. of the rail they had
q look square into his eyes, and the
agony on his face made them shu'lder
They started to throw him a rope, but
3as the coil swung into the air they re
membcred that, being bound, he could
make no use Of it,. The yawl and the
man went straight to windward and
in a couple of minutes were out OF
sight, and the men found themselves
all a-tremble. Captain CrOx was full
ing man afloat in that manner anc
/ of pity for the victim, when his mate
touched him on the arm and shouted
In his ear. g. e. ...,...,.
'If { was ashore, captain, all the
money in England would not bride m.
to set foot on this deck again. ,.
whats the matter with your" was
called in reply Its only bit of shore
villainy that We must report"
"It's nothing that's happened ashore
sir. Did you take notice that the craft
was driving right in the teeth Of thu
gale? 1t wasn't live man in that
boat. She was going to windwarC
With a ghost. and I'd give the bit
have in the bank if I'd not seen it,"
1t was agreed between them thatnoth
Ing be said to the other watch wheI
they turned out, and they went on duty
without knowing or suspecting tina
anything out of the way had hap
pened. o.s. IT..
While carrying the thing out witt
pretended Indifference, Captain Cro2
was, as a matter of fact, pretty thor
cughly upset over it and on turning
In found he could not go to sleep. IL,
had been lying on his bunk and turn
ing the thing over in his mind for ar
hour or so and the gale was still
bowling and the lightship bouncins
about when he realized from the
movement of the watch that they haC
been hailed. He was out of his bunk
and on deck just as one of them light
ed a port fire. and you can judge his
feelings when he saw the former scene
re-enacted There were the yawl and
the man, and the boat slowly forged
past them and disappeared to wind
ward.
There was no more sleep for any
body on board no. that night, and
next day, when the gale broke and
the tender came alongside, all de
manded that they be put ashore a.
once. The captain was as badly rat
tied as the others. They were guyed
and ridiculed, of course, but they
stood so firm that the tender brough,
off another crew, and they were re
Iieved from duty. A new crew was
assigned but the man and the boat ap
peared to them twice in one night and
drove them ashore. as they did tht
others.
A third crew went out and for two
weeks began TO prepare TO remove thu
wrecks. Some progress had been
made when three days gale set II,
from the north, and there were more
wrecks than had been known for ten
years before. For two days the light
,hip hung to her anchors, though hav
Ing signal of distress out after the
first day, but when the gale abated
she had disappeared. She had been
swept down the channel and out t.
sea, and a week later she was passed.