If the weather is such that a boat cannot be lowered, the difficulties of effecting a rescue are greatly increased, but the situation is not necessarily hopeless. There are many ways of getting a line between the ships; as, for example, by a line-throwing gun, a rocket, or a float. If a balsa is available, the following method might give some hope: The rescuing vessel steams slowly across the stern of the wreck, towing the balsa by a very long line, and manoeuvers in such a way as to cause the line (not the balsa) to foul the wreck. If the people on board can haul the balsa up to leeward and get on it there should be no great difficulty about saving them.

Another method which suggests itself is the following: Suppose it is apparent that the wreck is drifting faster than the rescuing vessel will drift if she stops her engines. The rescuing vessel goes to leeward and places herself, with engines stopped, in such a position that her bow is just clear of the line of drift of the stern of the wreck. If any miscalculation is made, a few turns of the screw astern will carry her clear. As the wreck drifts down, a line is gotten across by any means that is convenient and the people are hauled across. If the rescuing vessel drifts the faster she will of course go to windward instead of to leeward, and wait to drift into position herself. In this way it should be possible without imprudence to let the vessels come much closer than would be safe in any other manoeuver that could be attempted.

The following extract from a letter received by the author gives a detailed description of several rescues by the writer of. the letter, who is one of the most experienced officers of the International Navigation Company. It will be noted that he believes in holding his ship as close as possible on the weather quarter of the wreck instead of going to leeward to pick up the boat; believing that more is gained by the lee afforded in this way than would be gained by the other plan.

In December, 1899, I was in charge of the boat from the S. S. Pennland that rescued the crew of the British Brigantine Don Juan, of Salcombe, England, in the North Atlantic. In the morning we discovered a vessel dismasted and rolling in the trough of the sea, the wind N.W., force about 7, and a very high sea. Getting closer to her, we saw that there were people on board of her. I got a volunteer crew and made the boat ready for lowering, taking in a couple of heaving lines, two buckets, Captain H. Doxrud, Steamship Noordland.

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and a large can of oil. The Pennland was brought to windward of the wreck close to and with the wind and sea about 4 points on the starboard bow, heading about west. The boat was lowered with the full crew, 8 men, in it and a bridle around the falls from the main deck to prevent the boat from swinging too much when lowered; a line from the fore part of the ship in the boat. The boat was lowered very quickly, and on touching the water the patent hooks disengaged themselves, the bow-line was passed aft and a strong pull on it brought the boat's bow around and sheered it clear of the ship's side. We got the oars out immediately and pulled before the wind and sea toward the wreck, having good shelter of our own vessel. When we got close to the wreck we found it impossible to get alongside, as she was rolling heavily, the sea washing over her, and part of her rigging floating alongside. We got close under her stern with the boat and had a line thrown us from the wreck; to this we bent on our heaving line and a life-belt, which was hauled to the wreck, one end being in the boat. The life-belt was put on the first man to go and the bight of the line secured around him under his arms; he jumped overboard and was pulled in the boat. The life-belt was hauled back to the wreck, and by this means all the crew, 9 in number, were rescued. Our vessel was drifting in the trough of the sea with the wreck, close to; so a short pull brought us safely alongside.

During the rescue the boat's crew was placed as follows: two men in the bow to work the line, four men at the oars to keep the boat in position, one man bailing and myself steering (using a long oar instead of a rudder) and directing the work.

My second experience was in October, 1892, off the Flemish Cap-when Chief Officer of the S. S. Noordland, when I was in charge of the boat's crew that rescued the crew of the Norwegian Barque Kong Oscar the 2nd. The wind was N. W., force about 6, with heavy hail squalls. This rescue was very difficult and dangerous, as it was done during a very dark night, and took from 9 in the evening until I in the morning. The Noordland was brought to, to windward of the wreck, heading about west, when the boat was lowered in the same manner as on the former occasion, with 8 men in it. We got safely away from the ship's side. Coming up to the wreck, we found her waterlogged, the sea making a clean sweep over her, making it impossible to get alongside. The crew, numbering 16, was taken off by means of a life-belt and line, as on the former occasion.

The Noordland was drifting in the trough of the sea to windward, and we pulled up to her under her lee and got safely alongside and on board with our boat load of men. The boat's crew during the rescue was placed as on the former occasion.

My third experience was in October, 1899, when in command of S. S. Rhynland. When off George's Bank we fell in with the disabled and waterlogged British Brigantine Ida Maud. The night previous it had been blowing a gale from the S.E.; and at the time (about 3 P. M.), it was blowing from the N.W., force about 6, making a very nasty cross

sea.

I brought the Rhynland to windward of the wreck, close to, heading about W.S.W., and lowered one of the port life-boats with a volunteer crew of 8 men, Chief Officer Daddow in charge. The boat got away from the ship all right and proceeded toward the wreck.

As on the former occasions, it was not possible to get alongside the wreck, the sea washing over her, and a lot of loose lumber floating about. A rope was thrown over the end of the main boom that extended several feet abaft the stern of the brigantine, the shipwrecked crew climbed out one by one to the end of the boom and dropped into the boat. In the meantime I had brought the "Rhynland" close to the wreck, her bow nearly in line with the stern of the wreck, thereby giving the boat shelter, and a short pull brought them alongside.

In these instances oil has been frequently used both from the rescuing vessel, the boats, and in the first instance from the wreck also, and I cannot recommend its use too strongly for work like this. Its effect is simply wonderful, and I attribute my success in the above cases without mishap greatly to a liberal and judicious use of oil.

An unusual case of the rescue of the entire crew of a foundering vessel in heavy weather without the lowering of a boat is that of the saving of the crew of the U. S. S. James, a mine sweeper, by the gunboat U. S. S. Marietta, Commander H. G. Hamlet, USCG, commanding, in the Bay of Biscay on April 28, 1919. In a gale of wind, with very heavy sea, the James, with fires out and water logged, was sinking. Weather and sea conditions made it impossible to attempt a rescue by boat; action of some sort was imperative if the imperiled lives were to be saved. The James was lying with wind and sea on her port quarter. The Marietta was placed for a while in the James' wake, and heading with her, in order to determine the comparative drift. As was to be expected, it was found that the Marietta drifted the faster. The Marietta was then placed with her bow lapping the lee quarter of the James, heading with her, and only a few feet distant, and a heaving line was passed on board. The Marietta was held in position, with the helm and engines, at a distance that at no time during the operation of rescue exceeded fifty yards. A 4-inch line was hauled on board the James and the bight was secured to a Carley life raft in such fashion that the raft could be hauled back and forth from one ship to the other. In this manner the entire crew of the James, 47 in all, were transferred to the Marietta, nine trips being made. The crew of the Marietta were stationed along the rail on the forecastle head with bowlines, and, as the raft came near the Marietta's

bow, a bowline was passed to each man on the raft and he was hauled on board. During the operation oil was used freely by throwing it overboard from the port side of the Marietta; on the James the heads of oil barrels on the after deck were broken in. Shortly after the Marietta had rescued the crew and backed clear the James sank.

A life raft, with sunken deck, is much better adapted to an operation of the sort described than is a decked life raft. Had a decked raft been used in this case the men would have been in danger of being swept off by the seas.

Another rescue of exceptional interest is that of the crew of the Otranto by the Mounsey, described on page 619.

CHAPTER XXVII.

MAN OVERBOARD.

The most immediate danger to a man falling overboard from a steamer is that of being struck by the propeller. This danger is especially great in the case of a vessel with twin-screws, and is of course increased in any case by throwing the stern to the side on which the man has gone over.

If the experiment is tried of throwing over from the bow a light buoyant object, it will be found that by the time this reaches the stern it will be clear of the side by a considerable distance, being thrown off by the surface wash from the side. A man falling overboard may feel this wash to a certain extent, but he sinks in the beginning far below its influence and into the suction of the screw. Moreover, his first instinct is to swim back toward the ship.

The first thought of a man falling overboard should be to swim outward from the ship, and the first thought of the officer on the bridge should be to stop, not back, the engines. If it is known from which side the man has fallen, the helm may be put hard over to the opposite side, throwing the stern away from him. This calls for quick thinking and prompt action; but the time available is by no means as short as might be supposed. A steamer 400 feet long, making 12 knots, passes over her own length in twenty seconds. Thus, if a man falls overboard amidships, he will be ten seconds in reaching the screw. One or more life-buoys should be thrown over at once. If a little presence of mind is exercised here, it is often possible to throw one of these very close to the man.

At the first alarm, a number of men (previously instructed), jump aloft to try to keep the man in sight; and as quickly as possible a quartermaster follows them with a good pair of binoculars.

The ordinary life-buoy is so small that often the man in the water cannot see it, and it is of little or no assistance to the