New Britain herald., 1924-01-04
NINE MEN GO DOWN
 OFF FIRE ISLAND
Of These, Five Were Members of
 Rescue Party

Babylon, N. Y, Jan. As the At iantie off Fire Island continued to subside today from the storm which ragged all of yesterday coast guards men cruised about looking for the bodies Of 2 men who arc believed to have gone down last night. of the 2 men were of a rescue party and the other four were shipwrccked men the rescuers had hrayed the storm to save.
 The rcseUers went out last night to search for the Electra, speedboat, which had left Rockaway Wednesday in command of (. Eccleston of Boy Shore, who recently bought her. Ec- cleston had John Nirginicr and man named Williams as companions The Electra struck on shoa of the Fire Island bar. about a mile off shore on "Wednesday night, is the storm came up.
 The trio lahored vainly to get off the shoal before the waves pounded the boat to pieces. Soon, however, the Heas had incapacitated the ignition system and stalled the engines. The marooned men flashed q large light as distress signal and cast anchor to await the advent of rescuers or the end of the storm.
 Kept Afnat All Night
 They kept afloat all Of Wednesday night by bailing the boat but yester- day they fell exhausted, Tn the mean time Mrs. Ecclestons fears for her a party of men, beaded by Arnold hfayne Of Babylon, to launch the Sid, a rowerboat and challenge the storm.
 They found Eccleston and his com panions unconscious in the Electra with the seas breaking over them. They got the trio aboard the Sid and then started to the rescue of fishing smack they had sighted in distress a mile away, By dangerous and dexter ous work four men were taken off the smack.
 The Std started back to Babylon but within d few minutes she ran into some unaecountahle trouble and was stalled a moment. 4 big wave came over the deck and swept eleven men overheard. The five survivors threw life preseryers toward them but they fell short and all the unfortunate dis appeared in throughs of the noun. fainous seas.
 second Boat Starts
 Tn the meantime 2 second rescue boat had gone out under command of Captain Charles Murdoek of Bay Shore. It passed the forssken Elec- tra. and seeing no one aboard. started back, believing Eccleston and his com panions had been drowned. On the journey back, however, tho helpless Sid was sighted and Murdocks boat brought her In.
 Of tho II who were tossed over- board of tho Sid two were from tho fishing smack. two from the Electra, and seven from the rescue party. Those known to have been on board were Mayne, Arthur Nolan, Ike Gleapns. James weltman. NirEinier and Williams.
 Coast guardsmen hrsYed the high 1 running seas all night searching for | the bodies. but they saw only life pre- servers, gloves and jackets floating in | the water. They believed some of tho | men had divested themselves Of their garments and tried in swim ashore.
 List of Victims
 The official list of the drowned in- clndes John fireinier and John VII Hams, members Of the Electra party. Arnold Mayne, commander and Ike Cleases, Arthur Nolan. James Welt man and Bert Tillotson Of the Sid and two unidentified men from the fishing smack.
 The body Of Cleases pss found today on Oak Island beach