December 6, 1915
Battled Gale in Sinking Dory
His Dory Mate John Goodwin Swept to
Doom By Heavy Sea
Philip Kuse Bailed Little Craft for 30 Hours Until Rescue Came
John Goodwin, one of the crew
of the fishing sch. Elk, was drowned on Brown's Bank, Wednesday
afternoon. His dorymate, Philip Kuse, of this city, after a
struggle of 30 hours with waves and wind, in a half-filled dory, was rescued by the sch.
Pauline, Capt. Larsen, and taken into Yarmouth, N. S.,
whence he sailed on the steamer Prince George, arriving at
Boston yesterday.
Kuse, standing on the deck of
the Prince George, could see the flag of the Elk,
tied up at the fish pier in South Boston, flying at half-mast. He waved his hands
and shouted and one of his mates recognized him. When the steamer docked the crew
was there to welcome a man they had given up for lost.
Kuse said he and Goodwin went
out from the Elk to haul trawls Wednesday afternoon. A
gale sprang up and all hands were called back to the vessel. He and his dorymate did
not take in their trawls fast enough, and a heavy sea swept over them, carrying Goodwin
into the water. Kuse threw him a line, but the rising seas swept by
a fierce wind, quickly wasted the strength of the struggling fisherman, and he went down.
The little dory had by this time almost filled
with water. Every wave nearly overturned it. Kuse managed to
bail out enough water to keep afloat, but he could make no headway. Lookouts placed
on the Elk to see if they could pick up the missing dory missed
it in the increasing dusk. Kuse could plainly see the men clinging
to the rigging, and shouted and waved at them, but to no avail. Slowly the schooner
disappeared.
Kuse bailed without rest for
30 hours. He had not had a bite to eat since early Wednesday morning, and there was
no fresh water left in the dory. He had decided that it was all over when the Pauline
hove in sight. He was nearly unconscious when Capt. Larsen's crew
hauled him aboard. |
