GALLANT RESCUE BY LIFEBOAT.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10858, 29 December 1906, Page 8 (Supplement)

GALLANT RESCUE BY LIFEBOAT.

CREW SUMMONED FROM CHURCH

LONDON. Nov. 10,

The crew of the Dungeness lifeboat returned <lo their station on Monday evening after a thrilling experience. They had been out m a hurricane nearly twenty- four hours, and had rescued nineteen men of the crew of the fourmasted German barque Schiller, which was wrecked on a desolate part of the coast.

The news of the wreck was first received at Littlestone on Sunday evening, when many of the crew of the local lifeboat were m church. They immediately left m order to man the lifeboat, and as the congregation also heard the news, the church* thinned rapidly, even members of the choir leaving so as to assist m the launch of the boat.

The lifeboat had to be dragged a considerable distance over the sands before a suitable spot lor a launch could be found.

Owing to the heavy sea and the tremendous force of wind! very little headway could be made, and despite the efforts of the men they were unable to reach the stranded vessel.

LIFEBOAT LAUNCHED

The signals of distress, however, had been observed by the Dungeness coastguard, and the lifeboat was launched with as little delay as possible. The boat was driven off Romney, where she narrowly escaped being capsized. The vessel struck several times, but fortunately it was a sandy bottom. In the darkness neither of the two boats saw the other, but eventually the Dungeness boat succeeded m making her way to the ship, and took on seventeen of the crew.

Three others had endeavoured to get ashore m one of the ship's boats, which was overturned by a big sea. One man was drowned and the others were rescued with great difficulty. The lifeboat landed the rescued men at Littlestone, where quarters were found for them.