1902 — March 17, Monomoy Station lifeboat capsizes off Monomoy Pt., Chatham, MA– 12
Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 8-26-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/
–12 Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac 1903. “General Chronology of 1902.” Jan 1903, p. 572.
–7 Lifesavers
–5 Seamen
–12 Smith-Johnson, Robin. “Chatham Light Monument recalls Tragedy of 1902.” 6-25-2010.
–8 Lifesavers
–4 Seamen from the Wadena
–12 Snow. “The Monomoy Disaster.” Great Storms and Shipwrecks of New England, 1943, 160
–7 Lifesavers
–5 Seamen
Narrative Information
Smith-Johnson: “Cape Codders have always lived in the shadow of maritime disaster. One particular tragedy took place in March 17, 1902 when two barges were stranded off Chatham, the Fitzpatrick and the Wadena. A bad storm blew up as members of the Wadena were busy trying to salvage their belongings. Their distress signal was spotted by members of the old Monomoy Life Saving station and a boat was sent out. Eight members of the lifesaving station set out that day to rescue crew members of the Wadena.
“The lifesavers rescued all hands on deck, but as they were turning the boat for their return trip, a huge wave caught them broadside. The lifeboat capsized and only one man survived. Eight life savers and four Wadena crew, including the owner, William H. Mack of Cleveland, died. The lone survivor was Captain Seth Ellis. On board the Fitzpatrick at this time was Captain Elmer Mayo. He set out alone to rescue anyone who could be saved and brought Ellis back safely. Later, many felt that the lives lost were needless since the Wadena was untouched by the storm and the crew would probably have been safe if they had weathered the storm onboard the stranded vessel. The rescue was attempted since no distress signal could go unanswered.
“According to the Chatham Light station website, “the memorial monument near the foundation of the old North Light Tower commemorates the heroic efforts of Captain Marshall N. Eldredge and six Lifesavers from the Monomoy Life Saving Station who drowned attempting to rescue survivors of the coal barge, Wadena on March 17, 1902. The barge was grounded on Shovelful Shoal.” Around the base of the memorial are listed the names of all who lost their lives….” (Smith-Johnson, Robin. “Chatham Light Monument recalls Tragedy of 1902.” 6-25-2010.)
Snow. “The Monomoy Disaster.” Great Storms and Shipwrecks of New England, 1943:
“An event which excited much popular sympathy over the entire country in the year 1902 was the disaster which befell the Monomoy life saving boat as she neared the beach at Monomoy Point, south of Chatham, Massachusetts, on the morning of March 17…..
“Two coal barges, the Wadena and the Fitzpatrick, had been stranded several days before on the Shovelful Shoal off Monomoy Point, and several men were rescued by the Monomoy Life Saving Crew. The weather moderated, allowing wreckers to go aboard and plan the task of lightering the vessels. On the evening of March 16 the weather grew heavy, so that all but a few of the men were taken ashore by the tug Peter Smith.
“The next morning when the barge Wadena flew a distress signal, Captain Eldridge organized a lifeboat crew to reach the craft. At several places on the shoals the seas were extremely rough, but the surfboat reached the lee of the barge without further incident. With a line made fast, plans were formed for the return journey. Five men were on the barge, all of whom excitedly asked to be taken ashore. It is believed that the workers on the Wadena were in a partial state of panic and fright from their perilous position.
“Four of the five men lowered themselves into the boat successfully, but the captain of the barge, who was a heavy man, let go his hold when he was a few feet above the life-boat, and fell breaking the after thwart. The painter or rope as cut as soon as the five men had been placed in position in the lifeboat, and the trip to safety began. Getting out from the lee of the Wadena, the lifeboat was hit by a great wave which partly filled the craft. This made the bargemen frantic, and they leaped to their feet in the lifeboat throwing their arms about the bodies of the surfmen. One after another the seas struck the little lifeboat, until it finally filled and capsized with its thirteen occupants. Twice the lifeboat was righted by the surfmen in the water, but each time the seas overturned her.
“The five bargemen were the first to drown since they could not get back to the overturned craft. The surfmen clung desperately to the bottom of the boat, but soon their strength began to fail. Surfman Chase was the first to perish, and then Nickerson and Small disappeared. Only five remained. Ellis, who was the sole survivor, later wrote down his experience. We quote now from his journal:
Captain Eldridge, Surfman Kendrick, Foye and Rogers and myself still managed to hold to the boat. Every sea which struck the boat swept completely over us, almost smothering us. Kendrick was the next one of our crew to perish, and poor Foye soon followed him. Captain Eldridge and Surfman Rogers and myself were the only ones left and we expected that we, too, would soon share the fate of our comrades.
Rogers was clinging to the boat about amidships, while Captain Eldridge and myself were holding on near the stern. Captain Eldridge called to me to help him get a better hold, and I managed to pull him on to the bottom of the boat when a sea struck us and washed us both off. I managed to regain a hold on the bottom of the boat, and looking around for Captain Eldridge, I saw that he was holding on to the spar and sail which had drifted from underneath the boat, but was still fast to it. The seas were washing me off the boat continually at this time, and when I last saw our brave captain, he was drifting away from the boat holding on to the spar and the sail.
My strength was fast going, and when poor Rogers begged me to help him climb further up onto the boat, the only thing I could do was to tell him that we were drifting toward the beach, and that help would soon lie at hand and to hang on. Rogers had lost his strength, however, and failing to get more secure place on the bottom of the boat, feebly moaning, ‘I have got to go,’ he fell off the boat and sank beneath the waters.
I was now alone on the bottom of the boat, and seeing that the center board had slipped part way out, I managed to get hold of it, and holding it with one hand had succeeded in getting my oil clothes, undercoat, vest, and boots off.
By that time the overturned boat had drifted down over the shoals in the direction of the barge Fitzpatrick, which was also stranded on the shoals, and when I sighted the craft I waved my hand as a signal for help. I soon saw those on the barge fling a dory over the side into the water, but could see nothing more of the dory after that until it hove in sight with a man in it rowing towards me.
“….”
Sources
Brooklyn Daily Eagle Almanac 1903. “General Chronology of 1902.” Jan 1902. Digitized by Google; accessed 8-26-2024 at: http://books.google.com/books?id=N8QWAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
Smith-Johnson, Robin. “Chatham Light Monument recalls Tragedy of 1902.” 6-25-2010. Accessed 9-8-2011 at: http://blogs.capecodonline.com/cape-cod-history/2010/06/25/chatham-light-monument-recalls-tragedy-of-1902/
Snow, Edward Rowe. “The Monomoy Disaster.” Pp. 159-163 in Great Storms and Shipwrecks of New England. Boston: Yankee Pub. Co., 1943.