Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-05-23
SACRIFICES SELF,
SAVING SHIPMATE
FROM SEAS FURY

! SAN DIEGO, Cal, May 23.-"Pacific
Coast fishermen are discussing what is
said to be one of the most heroic ex-
ploits In the history Of fishing smacks
along the coast during a storm off Point
Iona which cost the life Of John Zaber-
lin. an Italian, and in which Joe Vido-
witch and Sam Frontera, Austrians, re-
ceived severe cuts about the head and
shoulders caused by flying glass. All
three men were sailors of the forty-foot
Italian fishing craft Santa Lucia.
The battle Of the small craft with the
gale dashed seas was marked with many
spectacular incidents after the intrepid
little vessel had been knocked on its
beam ends by a monster comber. Zaber-
lin literally gave his life to save Vido-
witch.
The Santa Lucia, bound from the fish
ing banks north of La Jolia for San
Diego, had reached a point about one
mile northwest of the whistling buoy, at
the entrance to the harbor, when it sud
denly was engulfed by a giant wave. The
surge Of the seas smashed in the cabin
windows, showering Frontera, who wfNa
at the wheel, with bits of broken glass:
tore the compass bodily from its fasten
tngs and washed Zaberlin and VidoYitch
who were standing on the lee side of
\
nets, valued at $1,000. These nets were
made fast to a bitt near the stern, fact
to which Vidovitch, coupled with the
heroic assistance of Zaberlin, owes his
life.
Zaberlin and Vidovitch were carried
everal hundred feet on the crest Of the
roth capped comber before they were
erKed up suddenly by clutching the
neshes Of the net The Santa Lucia,
wallowing IN the swells, without a helms
man, Frontera having been knocked part
( ly unconscious when the cabin was stove
In, continued on toward the bell buoy.
Laboriously fighting their way hand
over hand along the net, with the seas
continually whipping about their heads
and choking them with its froth and
spume, Zaberlin and Vidovitch managed
to reach the stern Of the Santa Lucia
! They had laboredsfor more than an hour
and were virtually exhausted. BY a SUI
1 er-human effort Zaberlin pulled himself
aboard by digging his feet into the
meshes of the net hanging over the
stern. Once safe on deck he turned and
helped Vidovitch. As the latter fell ever
the rail Zaberlin turned to him and saiex
Il have helped you all I could. am
going to die now"
Without uttering another sound the
hSAcI man huAS up MS ndnuS anu Tell
10 the Santa Lucia's deck, Iifeless.
Too weak to offer any aid Vidovitch
lay near his dead shipmate while he
called weakly to Frontera to head the
smack into the channel. In the mean
time the net had gone adrift from the
vessel, relieving 1t greatly of the drag
and permitting Frentera to keep the
craft from lying in the trough Of the
iwells. Frontera, however, failed to pre-
vent the Santa Lucia from drifting dan
gerously close to the breakers. and Il
was in this perilous position that Capt
Andrew Castagnole, of the fishing
schooner Catherine, sighted the SAINTS
Lucia when he hove in view from the
Touthward
Without hesitating a second Castga-
uole Unanswered his boat near the Santa
Lucia succeeded in getting line aboard
and towed the boat safe into the harbor.
The Ute of the Santa Lucia alarmed
the members of the local fishing colony,
and many Italian and Austrian fisher
women rushed to the water front to seek
news of their husbands. The wife Of
the captain Of the Italian fishing schooner
Garibaldi became hysterical when she
found the craft was not In port Be
cause of her wild pleadings the coast
guard cutter Tingard was dispatched TO
search the banks of La Jolia. The Tin
gard met the Garibaldi inbound and safe,
abreast Ballast Point.
Fishermen said the gale kicked up the
"dirtiest'' sea that has been seen in local
waters in years.