New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1922-09-09
slipper Adopts
By, Ii, Hero OF
shipvrecl< Tale
gsuneth Corkunl. Held by
Ellis Island Inquiry Beard,
Turned Over TO Captain
If Eoundered 4-Master
End Faced Death Bravely
de- Cut Line Holding Boat
70 Sinking Vessel just Be-
fore She Took Plunge

Nsn,bers OF special board of in-
.r;,y Al Ellis Island may have been
!. ssubt FOR several days as TO what TO
!. with thirteen year-old Kenneth
sfsrtuu,, but that was before they had
s..rd from Captain A. S. pub.icove.r
shat happened to the coca snip -
ydwsYd Drake on an August highs
81 miles east OF the Bermaoss. sha
what happened to nine men ano ooy
sf.sr they had deserted the iounaeI !,
me vessel to take refuge IN shals
aifeboss. ). n,. uo
nrovsd himself, the captain said, as
brave and as gallant q lao as ever
shinnad to sea. boy who faced dsasl
witbout a whimper and VINO hsea
Far three days with nine others on
Nov ~ sardines and some water-soa u
Sraad II was such a boy as this .bat
shs rantain wanted to adopt, ana y,
asking the release of Kennesn ne 'o'a
As The ! Edward Drake, big four
..ssv sailed from New YORK early
,ass saonsb witl, q cargo of lumber for
wonseyideo. South America. 1t was q
sr;n tbat promised no adventure. At
a. aufset, however, the rather unpies
srresous j. Edward Drake experienced
vopyh weather and as she piowed
.authwar the weather became rougher.
WREN She reached point 600 miles
ssst Of the Bermudas she struck the
IN end Of hurricane. The hurri-
zane was stronger than the j. Edward
nyske. The four-master almost turned
snrtie under the fury of the storm.
rs crew of ten, including the captain
and Kenneth Corkun, rushed to life
tost, set fire to the laundering yes
q and ceased thinking of Montevideo
tss everything save personal safety.
In our little dorys" said Captain
rsbiiroyer, his eyes filing with tears,
re had been tossed up and down for
fsars. The last fiickering light was
5yjng out from the burning ship, to
skich our little craft was fastened by
along rope. One moment we would be
joTa in a deep trough, the next mo-
cent far up on the crest of huge
NIow Any one of these big waves
night have swaraped Us any moment.
Ii was midnight when gave orders to
cat the rope which bound our boat to
ths wrecked schooner. Kenneth had
,,ksn his post at the bow of the life
koat, and If he hadn't severed the rope
quickly the next mountain of water
mrely would have sent us to the bot
tom or spilled as to the mercy of the
sea, The boy played a heroic part that
Hlght and I'll not desert him now.
I q would rather that you tie weight
around my own neck and sink me in
tie bay out there than have you take
this lad away from me. We have been
thrown together by the hand of Fate.
The boy lost both his parents when
10 was only eight years old. He went
10 live with q foster father, but wanted
10 try tie sea life and came to me in
La Have, Nova Scotia, year ago last
February and begged me to take him
for 4 life at sea. In New York they
nsda me sign guardianship papers be-
isss they would let boy so young go
tps We have been buddies for over
ARR in sll sorts of weather. We
fial hell in that hurricane in the
eslf aream, and ! am going to adopt
kslHsh and make him my own son."
as board was willing. Captain
hsacger and Kenneth Corkum left
ellis lsisnd together.