New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1927-02-21
Patrol CAPTAIN
ON initial TRIP
Skipper Of Inflated 238 Just
Promoted. From Ranks

Provincetown, Mass. Feb. Il P)
Somewhere in the churning sea
off High Head today were the
bodies of six gallant members of
the crew of the coast guard picket
boat 23S. who lost by a single
hour a plucky all night fight
against death in one of the wild
est northeasters that has scourged
Cape God in nearly 80 years.
Ashore their comrades who had
watched helplessly the grim trag-
edy on a bar a few hundred yards
from the beach waited to reclaim
them.
Two of the dead We're pulled
from the raging surf late yester.
day, a few hours after the craft,
disabled in motor power and radio,
had been swept to destruction. Old
mariners characterized the storm
as the worst since the famous
blizzard OF 1898 when the steamer
Portland went down with all
hands.
velocity of rs miles an hour at its
height Sunday, continued with
lessening force today but dashed a
pitiless slcet before 1t that stung
the beach patrol and coated the
shore with treacherous covering
of ice.
Giant combers broke over the
sand bar where the rs foot picket
boat went down. and no trace of
her remained.
1t was at o'clock Saturday aft
ernoon that the little craft was
first sighted through the murk of
the blizzard on the Atlantic side
of the cape and near the tip.
Flashing blinker lights told watch
ers at the High Head tower that
its engines had gone dead and its
radio was powerless.
Was on First Trip
Boatswain Jesse K, Rivenback,
her commander. who had just been
proomted from the ranks and who
was making his first trip as an exc
cutive officer, evidently realized his
peril for his message for help was
urgent. His home was in Oak Bluffs.
His plea was relayed at once to
the coast guard base in East Boston
and within the hour two destroyers,
the Padding and the Jouctte were
steaming to sea under forced draft
and with two cutters followed close
ly.
At that time the 23S was three
miles off shore with two anchors
overheard and tremendous sea run
ming. Crews from the guard stations
sensing the peril of those aboard,
paced the shore with guns and
breeches buoys, waiting for the
chance TO rescue that was never to
come.
Soon the whirling snow and dark
ness closed in but the lights of the
picket boat could still be seen, and
the appearance Of large steamer
but a short distance away gave mo-
hope to the anxious watch
ers on shore.
The guardsmen signalled fran
tically to the steamer which, how
ever. kept its course and soon disap-
peared. Then the storm swallowed
the 23S and she passed from sight of
those on shore.
1t was at S o'clock Sunday morn
ing, just IL hours after she first had
been sighted. and with the racing
destroyers less than an hour away
that the picket boat and those
aboard met their fate. A watch on
swept ashore showed the hour at
which the sea had stopped its mech
lnism and claimed its owners life.
Inquiry Ordered
Today a coast guard board of in
luiry was on its way here to investi-
gate the tragedy. -Four warrant Off
,ers from the East Boston base COM
orised its personnel and among other
hings it will seek TO learn the iden-
ity of the steamer which passed the
doomed craft.
Beside Boatswain Riverback, the
'ictims We're, Raymond II. Clark of
Dorchester and Charles A. Freeburn.
Philadelphia, whose bodies We're
'ound, Cornelius Shea. Charlestown,
frank c. McCausland. Watervillc,
Me-, Joseph V. Maxim. Dorchester,
.eo S. Krzyanowski, Chicago, and
Clarence Alexander, Greenville. n. c,
Edward S. Cronin of Lynn, a ninth
Of the crew. escaped their
ate only because sudden illness
lad put him in the Chelsea marine
hospital and he was unable to join
MS ship when she sailed last We'd
lesday.
The CG-23S had been in commits
sion less than year and cost SAL
300 to build.