Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-15
SUFFERING AT SEA
DESCR|BEDB'Y21
Men Rescued After More
Than Week in Barge
r Near Exhaustion.
BY Sha Associated Press.


TAMPA. Fla, December 1b.-
Twenty-one men rescued on board the
barge Aftanaha. caught in a gulf
gale, which sank. her tug, the GGwalta,
landed here yesterday, after being at
thaameTcy Of the seas for. more than
a week. The barge was picked up by
the Coast Guard cutter Tallapoosa
Saturday. after fleet OF tugs and an
airplane had combed the sea for sew
eral days.zEr
The Gyalia's crew numbered 10
men. They leaped into ifeboat just
before the tug went down and began
a 13-hour battle with the sea. whipped
by q wind blowing hurricane proper
lions. to reach the barge.
The tug and her tow left Mobile De-
cember . and were So miles OFF Esmont
Key. when the tug sank, according to
Capt. NJ. D. Cogswell, commanding the
Gwalia. Capt w. l.. Borden was In
command of the barge.
The boat finally reached the barge
and the men taken on board utterly
exhausted it was said.
Holds Rescue Miraculous.
1.-THE men couldn't have stood 1t
any longer" Capt. Borden said.
Those men surely suffered, 1t is a
miracle how they pulled their lifeboat
through that gale and reached us
after we had drifted away during the
night. When we lifted Capt. Cogswell
and his ID men on board they were 80
weak they couldn't stand up"
OIL. Hillberg, chief engineer Of the
tug. told of the struggle to keep the
Gwalia ahoat and then the leap for
the lifeboat.
I'm lowering the boat" Hillberg
said, "she struck the side of the sink
ing tug and battered a hole in the
port side. Before we knew 1t, our
lifeboat was beginning to fill with
water. With a couple of pals we be-
gan bailing the water out.
THE seas were high and we were
drifting farther away from the
barge. We worked franticaily. 1t
was a tough job. but Capt. Cogswell
spoke encouragement to us through IT
all.
Saturday afternoon we sighted the
barge and with all the strength we
could muster we rowed toward her.
Declined Aid Prefer.
saturday afternoon q week ago we
signalled to the steamer Tampa. She
proceeded alongside of us. the captain
volunteering to take us aboard and
supply us with food. Capt. Borden
declined aid. asking that the Tampa
report our condition to the officials at
Tampa.
THE next day the tug Jim Sid,
with barge In tow. sighted us. The
captain of the tug proceeded to shore
to anchor his tow 40 miles from shore,
but when he returned he couldn't To-
cate US, the wind having drifted us
considerably off the location.
I'VE put our distress signals up.
Several steamers passed US but did
not come to our aid but reported our
distress to the Coast Guard.
Tho Tallapoosa finally reached US
Saturday. 100 miles off Tampa. and
after supplying us with fresh water
and rations towed us as far as quar-
antine."
lii -. Feared for Food
! Chief Engineer Hflberg said the
only fear the men encountered was
give out. We had already cut the
meals down to TWO a day and We're
practically without food when the
cutter came TO our rescue" he said.
The two crews OF Il men consisted
OF IL whites and 10 negroes.
Omcers besides Capt. Cogswell
aboard the sunken tug were o. j.
HillberE. chief engineer; E. II. Nehls.
first assistant engineer; Thomas q.
Reed. chief mate: J. J. Bohlin. second
mate. and the rest sailors and f1remen,
all of Mobile. Capt. Borden was the
only officer aboard the barge Alta
maha, of which he has been in COM
mand the last six months. Prior to
that he was master of ocean going
freighters.