Show 11 r I 1 I 1 A on sunday morning at day break the first sunday in april 1877 the c elizeus of ludington michigan era n rocked toy lite cry A on t lie beach I 1 the night dmd been knoof tile worst ever peen on higan 1 a d aty light brought no of ilia storm 4 great brou 1 I of pool a soon collected oil lie al ore em h acx ious to do something but cacti au cious that nothing could lie done tile ve x I wait oise of the sailing craft so common oil the great like arid was mantled by five sailors he had a to make ilia harbor but it a I 1 unit had run head first I 1 upon lie sands alto now I 1 ty partly on one aida completely at the of tile waves abich mashed her from and to end and every mo ment threatened threat ered to troy her file sa alors citing to aijo rigging they coald as their only chance for life for ahugh tile shore was not three hundred yards distant they could not hope to live to reach it if they trusted themselves to tile mercy of tile ice cold water and lite pitiless waves they had hoped the storm would a bate in tile morning but instead of diminishing it increased and they ln no boat could live in that sea to come to their relief the crowd oil tile beach constantly ii 11 creased tit there were hundreds of ill on and many momen walking up ind do n the areek feeling occasion can make men feel what feeble and helpless creatures we are abany of them had stood on tile samo spot alien tile schooner souvenir went ashore in midwinter mid winter two or three years beforehand before and u atchoo and waited as they were watching waiting now the souvenir had ain on a level keel and the sailors had been able to wa I 1 k up and down from end to end of her without danger of being washed 0 overboard ver board tile men on shore lad be on them one after ano therlie down and die within yards of dry land roaring fires and every comfort that the ingenuity of man could devise they had watched one man well known to many of them who to be of better metal than the others for when they laid down and died lie still stood nil they had watched film walk back and forth on this ship all daylong beating his hands and arms around his body as men do to warm them and at la at as tile storm began to bill they had seen him lie down they had manned the boat sand reached the ship and brought the men IL bore all dead save one the brave sailor who had stood up so long and lie was past tile help of man ilis hands and wrists lad been frozen solid antl in beating them about his body as they had seen him do lie had broken his fingers and both of his arms tho aloneo ilia tr V the crowd on the beach on this first sunday of april 1877 bared that dreadful day that day when tile souvenir was beached and were mild at the thought of seeing an similar tragedy tile captain of the life saving sta tion with his crew of brave sailors arrived on the scene early in tile day but thoy could do noth irig and so the time wore on till two in tile afternoon sam haight a lawyer of ludington carne tile beach ile had been busy during the forenoon and had noi heard of the wreck till now ile avent at once to the captain of the life saving station and urged him to go to the rescue of those perishing men ile was informed that no boat could live to reach them ile then said there are a dozen steam tugs close at liand in the harbor they can breast ilia a take one of them tile a answer was no it could get near enough to the still to be of any tier should tile chance are a hundred to on site would tip over in attempting attempt inz to turn a round ile then called for voltin to build a raft there were hundreds of milling hands ready to follow his lead and the harbor was full of huge pine logs it work of but a few minutes to A raft twenty feet square with a railing around it about four feet high while tile raft was ile had caused a tug to be got ready and by sheer bull dozing had shamed the captain of the life saving station to man her and tow out the raft when all was ready a long and strong rope was fastened to the raft the tug seized the other end and steamed out in the face of the storm sain anti one other man went on ilia raft ile had given orders to the captain to tow out beyond the wreck and tile look out for himself when 1 I IS raft had reached tile place lie wanted lie cut tile rope and back it came straight toward tile ship the wind was MON III straight on shore and in a few seconds the raft struck the ship instantly all tile sailors were over her side safe on the raft ellich swung round arid then came swift I 1 y ashore dozens of men into their waists the raft arid drag it bagh anti dry up on the sands where the sailors w ore cared for and made comfortable but they did not allow sam to step his foot upon tile share they seized him and carried him on their shoulders to tile town tall a mile ity went wild over him the next day was election lay and am might was a candidate for c judge a democratic candidate lra hopely sly republican district mid no thought of being elected but when tile polls more closed at night lie had received ivery vote in cy of ludington and its I 1 or part 1 the district A heraver the news of ilia heroism was received in time the re gabne ilien aside I 1 heir party prejudices to do honor I 1 I 1 rue manhood arid lie was elec toLl b an overa lie ming majority the captain of ilia life saving sta tion g 0 t back to etli it t ug and in due reason re a gold medal and a vote of thanks from con gress for li ls bravery in rescuing chojo perishing sailors I 1 A 11 I 1 1 I 1 I 1 t I 1 1 11 J |