LIFEBOAT HERO.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 59, 5 March 1912, Page 6

LIFEBOAT HERO.

THRILLING ADVENTURES BY i NIGHT AT SEA. A GRAPHIC WRECK STORY. Thirty years ago tho name of Charles Fish was being acclaimed throughout tho world as that of the hero of one of tho most thrilling exploits in the history of life-saving on the English coast. Charles Fish, as the coxswain of tho Ramsgate lifeboat Bradford, had performed a- stupendous Teat 'hi saving part of the crew of ' the’ eked, Indian Chief.' . 'He was the man who led to the fame of Clark Russell.

When Fish came home from the Goodwin Sands after looking death in the eye, Clark Russell heard tho story of the shipwreck and rescue, and in it ho found the inspiration for tho first of his famous sea stories. Much of his information and -'idea came from Fish, for he frequently went to Ramsgate to chat with tho old lilieboat man and to remind himself of the nautical phrases and expressions ho had heard and made use of when a sailor before the mast.

Charles Fish still lives _ within a. stone’s throw of the sea "of Ramsgate. When I called upon him (writes a special correspondent) a few days ago I found him an Alert Storm Warrior, still able to man a boat if needs ho. In his little sitting room, where ho sat and chatted with mo, are certificates and orders of mer.it in a groat number. Though tho old man is no longer in tho lifeboat crew, Ins groat work is still recognised, for only last yeai lie was called to Paris to accept an a-ward, and the year before lie attended a similar public ceremony a 1 Calais. His is a wonderful record. He war second coxswain and coxswain of the Ramsgate lifeboat Bradford—one p: the most famous lifeboats in tho Kingdom—from 1865 to 1891. Three hundred 'and fifty-three times he put to sea on service in the lifeboat. He was either first'or second in command on the lifeboat when 53 crews we;-_ saved from death. One hundred and three vessels were extricated from perilous positions, and 887 men manned tho vessels he saved.

Thrilling Rescue Recalled The old man has still a host of rominiscences'of the rescue of the crew of the Indian Chief—a rescue which has been described as tho most meritorious piece of lifeboat work on record. Although it happened so long ago as January 7th, 1881, the memory of the thrilling adventure still burns brightly in the old man’s memory. In tho course of an interesting chat ho described graphically the position of the Indian Chief,, hard ashore on tho Long,sand, ono of those dangerous spits of sand at the month of the Thames.'l he lifeboat men were called out on tho 6th, hut as they did not reach the sands till daylight had failed they decided to lay to until the following morning. That in ear. t sitting in the lifeboat all night, with little comfort in the whistling of the gale through the halyards, or in the si/.z of the sea as it broke over the hows. Tho old mariner, telling his story, said : “We waited all night and strained our eyes across the sands as daylight broke. ‘There she is!’ one of the crow cried suddenly, wild with excitement. Morning had just broken. Tho light was gray and dim in the west, and the Indian Chief had only one mast stick-

ing up out of the water. She was , about three miles, and just that one mast had pointed her out to ns. r l hat was the sight wo had waited for all night to see. Our job was a difficult one, for although we were in deepish water, the sea round the wreck was; broken and ■ turbulent. Columns of: foam broke, as high as the vessel’s foreyard. Her maiuyard had gone. I looked over the faces of the crew and called thorn to duty. I would not let them look hack, for a nervous man might quail; stern duty was required of all of ns.

No Tims for Nerves. “1 sot all eyes on the wreck. The sight of the tumbling sea we were plunging through might play old Harry 'with weak nerves. As we approached the vessel we saw there were people in the forotop rigging. When they saw ns they unwrapped canvas they had, round their poor numbed limbs, for the night bad been terribly cold, and I marvelled that they could have remained there so many hours. One at a time they dropped down the rigging, and I thought to myself there must be the wholeship’s company present. My men thought so too, ;tnd shouted ‘All hands!’ And 1 replied, ‘Yes, and we’ll have them all, mates.’ “There wore only eleven all; told, yet it looked many more huddled together on the vessel now rapidly breaking up. Backwards and forwards she rocked, and each time the sea cleared from her more timbers and planking went. When we had got fairly close we run off to the windward, and presently veered ,the cable so as to bring down under her stern. I shouted to the wrecked men to bend a piece of wood to a. line and throw it out to us to haul on. I had fears for the half-perished fellows as I saw them scrambling along the rail. There was a horrible muddle of spars and canvas under the Indian Chief’s lee, but we could not guess the frightful sight that was to meet our gaze when we hauled the lifeboat close, under the quarter of the wrecked ship.

Dead Bodies Floating About. “There looked to be a whole score of dead bodies floating about. For the moment I felt stunned, for J had thought that all bands were alive and in the foretop. 1 never dreamt so many lives bad been lost. Seventeen had been drowned and most of the bodies wore floating round us. “Tho body of the Captain • was lashed to the head of with his head stiffly upright and bis eyes watching its. ,1 shall .never |orget it. ' ’The 1 stnr* of rtlip-'sea made him appear to he struggling to get to us. I thought ho was alive at first and called to the men, ‘Haul him in.’ But somebody shouted that he had been killed when the mizzen-mast fell, and had been dead four or live hours. “Well, we saved the cloven-, men, we saw, got them aboard our boat, am l made sail.for- the tug '• Afd... It was a terrible experience; hut 1- shall not forget as long as I live- tho'A'ecept-ion •Jo bad v hep wA n-ti.rt.ed -teAR-ims-gate. That was only one of our experiences.” .