Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1921-04-02

MEDAL FOR A
STORM RESCUE
Captain Reed and Three of
Point Isabel Crew are
Decorated

Capt Wallace l.. Reed, in charge
of the BraZos island life saving sta
ton, Point Isabel, was in Brownsville
today to visit his family. He brought
with him the medal for bravery which
was recently awarded him for hero
ism during the great hurricane of
Sept. l6, 1919. Similar medals were
awarded to three members of the
crew, Surfman Pablo Valente; Mar
iano c.. Holland and Yens Peterson.
The particular act for which these
men were decorated was the saving Of
the lives of eight men on board the
schooner, Cape Horn, eight miles off
the island. The officie, report on the
incident says Of the four men that
their superb surfmanship. added to
ioc overcams weil-nigh in
.u~aTable obstacles
According to the report. the schoo-
ner, small craft, was drifting help
lessly. its masts cut away and its
crew toiling desperately at the pumps
10 keep the vessel from sinking. They
showed a light which was observed
from the e-saving station ard was
taken for that of vessel riding at
anchor.
When dawn broke. the life savers
caught glimpses of the wreck through
the mist but were unable 10 tel
whether anyone was aboard. Never
theIess, they got out their power boat
and started for her. altho a heavy sea
running and the pounding of the surf
was terrific The report declare:
that, or the way out. the hammerini
the power boat got was almos
enough to wreck il, and several time;
members Of its crew were stunned al
il fell from the crest of a roller.
Their danger was increased wher
they came near the wreck. 1t wa
plainly sinking and enormous waves
were pounding il down. Ii was mani
festly impossible for any swimmer Z
live in the water, and if the boat'
should touch, both would be certain
\ to sink.
In this extremity, the life boa
adopted a daring manuever. Holding
aloof from the schooner until a wave
should bear down on il, it would rui
close up. snatch off a man and b'
away before the next wave. In TIM
way all eight Of the schooner's crew
were taken off.
The return trip of the now over
loaded life boat was described as tai
more difficult than the outward jour
nev. Only by the most superb sea
manship and the coolest courage
could Il be made at all. AS the boa
neared the shore, a drogue wa
thrown out to check its momentum
but this broke and was left at tn
mercy Of wind and wave.
There was but an outside chanc'
that the men could reach safety, IN
report says, but the mon took it arr
finally rode a wave ~ and Wer
thrown high and dry on the beach
The medal awarded Il large 81
YER medallion, hung from a silve
eagles head and beQk, dependini
from sky-blue ribbon. The o5vers
side shows one heroic figure resoulni
a swimmer from the sen. on the CIR
icumference are the words. "The Unit
ed States Of America, Act Of Con
gress. June 20. 1887"
The reverse bears the inscription
.sTo Wallace T. Reed for bravery as
sisting in rescuing from drowning tn
crew of the wrecked schooner, Cap
Horn. Sept I6.I9l9." II j. sur
rounded by the words in tcstimon
Of heroic deeds in saving life fror
the perils Of the sea"
II Is the fifth trophy which Capt
Reed II entitled to wear. One j.
medal for foreign service IN the Spar
Iish-American war; one braver
mccall for saving nine lives at Tan
non Pav. Florida, in 1909. One Is
: gold watch presented by marines Q
/, the Pensacola navy yard for savin
the lives of four Of their comrads !
1904 and the other is a Victory me'
al from the late war.