Evening star., 1942-02-11
Lewes Is Faithful
To Old Tradition
Writer Tells How People
Of Delaware Coost Town
Help Torpedoed Sailors
By Mdry-Cdrter Roberts.

oStS W SaS SSSSh
Help Torpedoed Sailors
BY Mary-Carter Roberts.
Flags are flying over Lewes, Del. today
and the citizens Of the little seaside town
are going about their business very much
rs usual. Three times within the past
two weeks the village has been the rescue
port Of survivors from torpedoed tankers,
but the Lewesians are not excited.
Hordes Of reporters and photographers
have descended on them and they have
known that they were in the news, but
they find rescue work an old story. Their
new Coast Guard Station was finished
only short time ago and is the last word
in modernity, but to the people Of Lewes
1t is simply q descendant Of the old Life
Saving Service post which for genera
tions stood near its site. Many of the
strapping Sussex County boys who have
assisted in the recent rescues are sons
and even grandsons of men who belonged
to surf boat crews and rowed out through
towering seas to bring sailors OF from
foundering ships before the days Of
steam. So, though they have been in the
headlines, these people think nothing
Of it.
In fact, the only happening connected
with the recent rescues which startled
them at all was the appearance Of the
Rev Dr. Nelson w. Rightmeyer, rector
of 260-year- st. Peters Church in
his pulpit last Sunday morning in need
of q shave. DR.. Rightmeyer is head Of
the local branch Of the Red Gross, and
he had been up most of Saturday night
collecting clothing for the 81 survivors
of the China Arrow. who, as the Coast
Guard had warned him. were expected
Sunday morning and who arrived at $40.
Attending to the needs Of the rescued
men, he had to omit his o'clock service
altogether but he managed to appear at
$50, though he had not had time to
shave. The sight of their cultured young
minister with days growth Of whiskers
did surprise the congregation.
Sitting in his pleasant study, sur
rounded by heaps of clothing contributed
by the local people for future rescue
emergencies, glancing out of his window
at the yard Of st. Peters where there are
gravestones dating back to the 18th CEN
tury, DR.. Rightmeyer talked Of the Red
Cross organization and the way it was
moving to meet the new emergency.
I'VE found out when the first tanker.
the Powell, was sunk that clothes and
blankets are the great need" he said.
But there are other things more i'm
mediate. When I went down to meet
the men of the China Arrow I carried
with me, in my vestment bag, along
with some prayer books, cigarettes, six
quarts Of stimulant which a well-to-do
friend had contributed for the purpose,
and . bunch Of Western Union blanks.
think" said the clergyman smiling,
that that is q good combination.
The first thing we did was to hand
out the smokes. Then those whom the
doctor indicated were given stimulant.
There weren't many such in this last
crew, 50 I still have i've quarts. Then
every man who wanted to send a mes
sage filled out q telegraph blank and,
as soon as these had been censored, the
Red Cross sent them. After that, we
got a list of what each man lacked in
the way of clothes and went over our
supplies to flnd what was needed"
Across the street from the rectory is
a store which is parish property. This
has been contributed rent free as q sup
ply station for clothing and in 1t the
women of the town sort out and mend
the clothes which the local people have
given. There are stacks of trousers for
30-inch waist, others for . 32-inch
waist, and so on. Hats, shirts, jackets,
sweaters, overcoats, shoes, socks, under
wear are assembled In this manner. All
were contributions of the local popula-
ton. Lewes is handling Its own emerg.
ency and proud Of 1t.
1t is the size problem. says DR.. Right
meyer, that makes the Quitting OF
rescued men difncult. Finding his sup
plies short Of what was needed in this
respect he sent out two of his choir men,
Immediately after service. They de
parted, one in one direction, one in the
other" and only came back when they
had found what was wanted. Shaving
kits also were assembled by the min
lister who had not himself had time to
shave, rs we'll as toothbrushes and tooth
powder. and large stacks Of blankets.
But If hewes today, with its active Red
Cross, its modern Coast Guard Station,
its hospital and Its doctor from the
Public Health Service. is well equipped to
handle rescue work, 1t is pnly carrying on
its old tradition in an up-to-date way.
Said an old timer, reminiscently, "Shucks.
one ship isn't anything. I remember
the storm of 1859 when 1e went on the
beach right here, Is at one time. One
came in so close that her jib boom ram
med the boathouse. The other two
Life Saving Stations down the shore
couldn't even get their boats OF, the
waves were 10 high, and they hauled
them by oxcart over the sandhills here
to Lewes where we get the lee Of the
cape There was real doings then, can
tell you"
So the little toVn which was founded