It
was on February 4,1896, that the British tramp steamer Lamington ran
aground opposite Patchogue about two miles east of the Blue Point
life saving station.
The steamer ran on the outer bar at full speed
at 8 o'clock Tuesday night, and her lights were seen by Jedediah
Payne from the Blue Point station, who was on patrol about three
miles east of the station. He hurried back to his station and
notified Capt. Rourke, who telephoned to Capt. Baker of the Lone
Hill station and to Capt. Kreamer at the Bellport station.
A line
was shot across the stranded sreamer's decks at 10 O'clock but no
one hauled it in, so the life savers made a fire and remained on the
beach all night.
The following account of the rescue of the men from
the steamer appeared in The Patchogue advance for February
7,1896.
"At 7a.m the sailors on board the stranded steamer hauled
aboard the heavy breaches buoy line, and by 9 o'clock James Brady,
the one passenger aboard, was hauled ashore and he got a chilly bath
in the breakers as he came scooting through them. The line was
tightened and most of the sailors came off with dry jackets. A cat
and dog were also brought to shore. On board were four little
Spanish ponies consigned to New York, but it was impossible to
rescue them and their bodies floated ashore a few days later. The
sailors evidently enjoyed their novel trip to land as they skimmed
through the air high and dry above the breakers, but the life crews
were working hard to get all the men off before dark, and it was
hard work pulling on a wet line all day with hardly anything to eat
since the night before. The wind went down and the officers remained
on board.
The next morning the agents of the Merrit Wrecking Co, the Luckenbach
Towing Co: and the Chapman Towing Co, were on the beach
and by afternoon the wrecking companies had tugs at the scene of the
wreck. The Luckenbach got a line aboard first and sent a boat crew
aboard the steamer to fasten the lines for the kedge anchors. While
at work there Wednesday night the gale came on again so suddenly the
men could not be taken off. The terrific easterly storm piled the waves high
on the beach and made the position of the steamer and the men on
board extremely perilous. Later, word from the beach stated that the
men who had been huddled on the bridge had taken to the masts and
rigging as the sea was washing the decks and water pouring from
every port hole. The men were all safely brought to shore by breaches
buoy on Thursday morning.
"Thirty sail boats sailed over to the beach
on Wednesday to see the wreck and some of the Patchogue parties did
not get home until midnight, and some lost their bearings entirely
and fetched up at Blue Point, Bayport, and on the mud flats off
Sayville, and did not get home until morning."
The cargo of the
Lamington consisted of 1,900 tons of currents, 928 cases of oranges
and 200 cases of onions (currents must have been plentiful along the
shore for some time)
The Lamington was a schooner rigged screw
vessel 274 feet in length bound for Valencia to New York and was
valued at $500,000.and her cargo at $100,000.
Twenty years before
this the Great Western a steamer loaded with oranges went ashore
near the same spot and a fruit dealer purchased the cargo for
$1,500.profit of $10,000.Oranges were cheap in Patchogue for a new
weeks.
The Advance carried the following item on February 28,1896.
"The
streamer Lamington was floated at 2 o'clock Wednesday morning by the
Merritt wrecking Company and towed to New York. She leaked slightly
and considerable sand has clogged her machinery. Her rudder frame
are gone and most of her bulwarks. It is said that part of her cargo
of currents are in good condition."