The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-03-05
BY WILLIAM ENGLE
Times Special Writer


NEW YORK, March s.
The night was wild and
the glass was falling as the
steamer Robert E. Lee,
with $50 passengers, came
down tho coast through
snow and sleet from Boston
to her fate.
Storm signals were fly
ing from Maine to Hatteras.
The sea was running high.
In the Coast Guard sta
ton at Manomet Point,
Boatswain's Mate William
II. eastman, commanding,
knocked out his pipe on the
potbellied stove and sent
out his beach patrol with
the admonition to have the
Coston signal light ready
and to keep an eye on the
reefs.
1t happened within the hour.
Through a rift in the binding
storm. the men of the beach pa
troll saw dimly the dark blob of a
ship wavering through the bliz-
card, as they said later, straight
into black hell"
The reefs were ahead of the
ship and the ship was heading
into them.
They were startled. She was
so close in. They raced to the
watch tower.
THE blob of darkness, silhou-
L. cited against the gray-black
of the evening, came on, pin
pointed now by lights, they saw,
and wandering, wallowing, blund-
ering toward the reefs, while they
drew out the Coston light to the
beach,
AS the warning flare from the
gun Redeemed the sky. the Rob-
ert E. Lee suddenly ceased NOV
ing. She had struck.
For little while her pin-points
were teetering firef1ies in the murk
and they could see her lurching
terribly, damned on Mary Ann
rocks, and then there were no
more fireflies. Only the rocking
bolt on the dim horizon.
Bill eastman, big and burly.
sloW-Spoken day in and day out,
and man who cared for his men.
spoke sharly and quickly then.
He said to the eight in the Coast
Guard station:
Man the surf boat"
1t was rough order, because
the sea was rough, and it was dark
and snow was needing down,
and to find a path out through
Mary Ann rocks was something
not easy for a man to do even
under blue sky with the sun
high.
But no one moved slowly then.
They had the launching carriage
ready in three minutes.
AT the same time the ships
IA wireless was cracking out the
call help.
IS. S. Aground Mary Ann
rocks. Pounding badly. Taking
water fast. Need immediate as
Sistance; $50 passengers aboard,
but no batteries"
Thereafter, through the night,
while three Coast Guardsmen gave
their lives to the Robert E. Lee,
the ships radio log ran:
g P. M,-Everything about the
same. Engine room flooded.
Pounding hard here. Can't keep
key tight. I can stay here, yes"
1912 P. M.-Engine. Not able
to reach"
1926 P. M.-We need boats to
take off passengers and crew."
$3.50 P. M.-Ship struck half an
hour ago"
"8:44 P. M.-Six feet of water
in engine room. Using gas engines.
Running radios on batteries.
Power is running Off"
"0:45 P. M.-Hope we can get
off here, Still pounding badly
and listing. Getting worse"
"8:47 P. M. warning to rescue
craft. Beware of reefs under wa
ter nearby"
$50 P. M.-No one in sight yet.
Getting worse. We are worrying.
Come. please"
1852 P. M.-No one in sight and
getting worse all the time"
1888 P. Meeting breeches
buoy ready as we can't launch
boats on account of reefs and wa
ter too shallow"
. q
NTOW, from the U. S. S. Bush
IN nell. arriving in response
to the S o S:
1920 P M Standing by until
morning and will make no attempt
to take off passengers except in
extreme emergency. Seas too
heavy for us to approach closer"
The seas were not too heavy for
the big laconic man in the Coast
Guard station. The glass kept on
falling rapidly and at midnight
one could hardly stand against
the wind on the beach. But he
said, Man the surfboat," and he
did not mean that he would not
go along