The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-11-29
Mine Sweeper Swan Wa
Driven Ashore at Dux-
bury, Mass.
DARING RESCUE + I
OF HEP e&Ev
The Swan Helr s. to La
the North Sc sy.ine Bar
rage in vs. i'd War

| Duxbury, Mass, Nov. 29.-The mirI
sweeper Swan, famous as war-tin
| figure for its part in laying the Nor.
Sea mine barrage, was wreck on I'll
Gurnet sand pit to-day with her ere
safe ashore as result of the life-s
ing exploits of Captain Jack Glynn al
his Gurnet coast guard crew After III
Swan WAS driven on the shoals off til
Gurnet in northeast gale late yestej
day, the guards of the Gurnet statioI
brought the SO men aboard to safet
through mountainous seas, some
them almost drowned by the stornI
driven waters.
By breeehes buoy and surf boat I'll
rescue work was done. Captain Glyr
had his rigging for the breeches fcrr
up and working in iiffy and wit
each man transferred from the Swa
to shore gathered strength for ii
rescues that remained to be done.
was a task that tried the ten men
the Gurnet crew at the o-itset, but. afd
er they had landed as many more froI
the Swan, the breeches buoy operatio
was left to the latter, and Captai
Glynn turned to his surf boat appa
ratus to double the rescue activitie
When it was erected and put at wor
men were being brought through IL
tumbling seas over two lines and )
men left the Swan drenched but VI
harmed, before Lieutenant Joseph kon1
ieczny, commanding the mine-sweepe
quit his ship last TO leave in accord
ance with the tradition of the sea.
To-day Lieutenant Konieezny stoe
by the wreck, which had been drive
far up on the beach overnight. planniu
means of salvage. He was notified b
radio that the destroyer Mahan wa
on the way from the Boston navy var
and that the coast guard cutter An
droscoggin would report TO assist dur
ing the day.
The Swan was herself engaged /
salvage work when the storm struc
here. Oil barge No. l3l of the navy ha
gone ashore at the Gurnet, sand
peninsula that crooks its arm acros
the southern approach to Plymout
harbor, a week ago, and the Swan wa
sent from Portsmouth to pull her fires
Working with the mine-sweeper wer
the naval tugs Palapsco and Penscool
the latter the tub that had the harr
in tow at the time she went ashore
All was ready for another pull o;
the oil-tanker Yesterday and boa
crew was sent from the Swan 10 rm
a haRser from the barge TO the mine
sweeper. The storm appeared. tossed
the boat crew about so that they los
the hawser, and the steel cable becan,,
in the mine-sweeper's pro
peller, The propeller snapped off, and
the Swan became unmansgebsle.
Lieutenant Kcnieezny tried all tbs
devices known to ssilormen TO keep hi
ship in control against the buffetincI
IF the gale. but his best efforts coul
not match the fury OF the storm, ant
-ips that skirt the shore. The sea
rere whipped into highland fore.
hat made impossible the use Of a boa
rom ship 10 shore Across the smother
II sea waters the coast guards shot the
inc that crossed the mine-sweeper'
bow and, with q stouter line rigged
be work of rescue was begun and wa
with the aid Of the surf boa
without injury 10 man.
The storm struck hard both on the
ga and shore, and all wires to the Cur
let were put out of commission and
was cut off until morn
ng. A few of fragmentary messages
anne out by radio during the night
mt they barely sketched the story Of
he Swans disablement, the plight Of
er crew and the heroic rescue work oi
'aptain Glynn and the Guruet coast
yards