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Wreck Of The Huron

Wreck Of The Huron image
Parent Issue
Day
7
Month
December
Year
1877
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Had the life-saving-stations boen nanned, evory lifecould have been saved. Nothing but a confident belief in help 'rom shore eaused the great loss of life. None but young men were saved, men who were able to stand the buffetiug of the wavcs upon tlie wreek, and were afterward ablo to reach shore. No oflicer had a life preserver. They were all given to the men. Each officcr that got in effected his escape by hard swimming. En8ign Young, who started first, who left the wreek in the dark to go an unknown distance to the shore, with the sole idea of carryiug a line to save his comrades, is tho hero of the hour. This nnprecodentedly cool, brave, unselfish deed is not the first great action of this naval hero. Once Yonng jurnped overboard in midocean and saved a sailor who had fallen into the sea. Youug is a very muscular man, stands abont five feet seven, and weighs in the neighborhood of two hundred pounds. When he set out to flnd the shore he stripped off his olothes aud floated on his back. He sank with every approaching wave, and husbanded his strength carefully for the next. If he had not lost his line he would cei tainly have opened up an avenue of escape for lnR comrades. Mr. Warburton thus eiplains how there was sueh a great loss of life. He says there was no panic on board, and two honrs ai'tcr the vessel sank he went below and clianged his clothes. No one thought there was any immediate danger. He says : " The greater portion of the men were on the topgallant torecastle. Some were in tho main rigging, and some in the mizzen rigging. Capt. Byan, Mr. Palmer, and several men were in the first launch. We did not take those positions until about half-past 4, when it was dangerous to remain aft. We had been up to that time in the cabin and under tho break of the poop, but the sea wasbing through the cabin sent us forward. In a short time the flood-tide camp, and I was compelled to hold on to the pin-rail. "The sea was so heavy that it was with difnculty that we held on, and wo suffered a great deal from the sea washing over us. I held to the pin-rail on the starboard side, and every sea that camo over me would wash me right under the rail, braising my legs aud feet. We remained there until jusfc beforo daylight, when we discovcred lights in the cabins on shore, that gave us assurance that we had been seen, and we of course expected that help would come to us almost any moment. After this Mr. Young started ashore in a balsa, but no one followed him. Soon after some who were still clinging to the vessel were washed off, and we who remained eould see them drifting out to sea. Some jumped off to swim ashore, but wero served in the same way, which caused us to believe that tliere was no chance of getting to the shore by swimming. Besides that, we expected to receive nssistance from the shore, knowing that tiiere were iife-saving stations there. Most of the men held on to the vessel until they were exhaustfd, and, when they wero washed off they had not strength to make ft struggle to get to the shore. Those of us who were saved were conftdent that if those stations had been fully manned and in operation nearly every life would have been saved. " Mr. Warburton was asked is to the whereabouts of the Captain at the time the vessel struck. Hesaid: "The Captain was certainly awake at the time the vessel struck. As near as I can remember he and Mr. Palmer were in the first launch on Üie starboard side, whieli was fast to the davits and suspended. It was impossible to launch them. The Captain and the officers and men who were with him went thero for protection from the sea, which finally came and carried the aft davit away, and the Captain was washt'd away and drownod. The boat was taken out from the vessel by another sea. This was between 4 and 5 o'clock. Another sea carried the boat back to the ship and threw it down from the eradle. Mr. Palmer was knoeked out of the boat when it came back. The next sea carried the boat away entirely. Kight livos were lost from tl: at boat. Duriug all tliis time the men were very cool. There was no pauic at any time. When I was carried off the ship I determined to nwke a start for the shore. I had been dashed so muoli against tho pin-rail that my legs were bruised and it was with dififculty that I could mako any progress. I took off my overcoat and moved to the starboard ehains and there tried to take off the rest of my clothes, but before I could take off any of them I was washed off the ship to the outlying spars. I tried to get on top of them, and almost exhausta! myself tliere, but could not succeed. I was washed away from the spars, and then started to swim for the shore without anythiug to support me. I was ftrst carried by the tide out to sea, aDd thought I was going out all the time. My first intimation that I was nearing land was by seeing telegraph poles on shore, which I first thought were the masts of veseels. Every once in a wbile a wave would upset me in the water, send me some distauco around and turn me over three or four times, and it was with great difficulty I reachcd the surface again, but I found these waves were sending me to the shore. When about fourtns of the way from the wreek to the shore I picked up a part of an oar, which I put undor my arms and so supported myself, which enabled me to keop my head above the water. I think that saved me. I was about to give up when myfoot struck bottom. I then made another struggle to get nearer the beach, when the unclertow carried me out. I would have been lost had not some fishermen rushed in the water and helped me ashore.

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus