Joshua James (lifesaver) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Joshua James, United States Life-Saving Service

United States Life-Saving Service

The United States Life-Saving Service was a United States government agency that grew out of private and local humanitarian efforts to save the lives of shipwrecked mariners and passengers...

(November 22, 1826 – March 19, 1902) was a sea captain

Captain (nautical)

A sea captain is a licensed mariner in ultimate command of the vessel. The captain is responsible for its safe and efficient operation, including cargo operations, navigation, crew management and ensuring that the vessel complies with local and international laws, as well as company and flag...

and later in life a Lifesaving Station Keeper. He was a famous and celebrated commander of civilian life-saving crews in the 19th century, credited with saving over 600 lives from the age of 15 when he first joined the Massachusetts Humane Society

Massachusetts Humane Society

The Humane Society of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, better known as the Massachusetts Humane Society was founded in 1786 by a group of Boston citizens who concerned about the needless deaths resulting from shipwrecks and drownings and wanted to find ways to save lives....

until his death at the age of 75 while on duty with the United States Life-Saving Service. During his lifetime he was honored with the highest medals of the Humane Society and the United States. His father, mother, brother, wife, and son were also heroic lifesavers in their own right.

Joshua James was born on November 22, 1826 in Hull

Hull, Massachusetts

Hull is a peninsula town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,293 at the 2010 census. Hull is the smallest town by land area in Plymouth County and the fourth smallest in the state...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

, the ninth of twelve children to Esther Dill, who was from Hingham

Hingham, Massachusetts

Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...

, Massachusetts, and William James, who had emigrated from Dokkum

Dokkum

Dokkum is a Dutch fortified town in the municipality of Dongeradeel in the province of Friesland. It has 13,145 inhabitants . The fortifications of Dokkum are well preserved and are known as the bolwerken . - History :...

, Holland as a young man. Little is known of William James' early life except that he was a soldier in the Dutch Army before running away and becoming a sailor

Sailor

A sailor, mariner, or seaman is a person who navigates water-borne vessels or assists in their operation, maintenance, or service. The term can apply to professional mariners, military personnel, and recreational sailors as well as a plethora of other uses...

. In time he made his way to America, landing in Boston, where he earned a living as a sailor on numerous small schooners that provided paving stones to the city. Eventually he made his home in Hull and via frugality became the owner of his own schooner

Schooner

A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....

and engaged in the paving-stone business for himself.

Esther Dill was the daughter of Nathaniel and Esther (Stoddard) Dill, of Hull, both descended from the early English colonists. Her great-grandfather, Daniel Dill, served as a Private

Private (rank)

A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...

in the Revolutionary Army and during the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

. Ester Dill was the only girl in a family of seven children and was sixteen at the time of her marriage to William James in 1818. Soon after their marriage, in 1818, William James purchased some land by the sea and built a home. Like most people from Holland, he was a Lutheran, and it was his custom to read from the Bible

Bible

The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...

he brought with him from Holland. When his children were old enough they were required to read every morning in English from the King James version of the Bible. The family attended the Methodist Episcopal church, the only Protestant church in the village, and all took part in the Sunday School, either as teachers or scholars.

He was described by his is elder sister Catherine that he had a thoughtfulness and reserve that distinguished him from other children. He was the favorite of his father, beloved by his brothers, idolized by his sisters. Joshua was a great reader from childhood on, preferring historical and scientific books, notably astronomy. His preference for practical literature is most likely due in part to his parents, whose strict religious views largely guided the children’s choice of reading. Esther Dill prohibited the reading of novels and fiction of all kinds, and forbade the neighbors lending her children novels. On one occasion she destroyed a beautiful and expensive copy of The Children of the Abbey
The Children of the Abbey
The Children of the Abbey is a novel by the Irish romantic novelist Regina Maria Roche . It first appeared in 1796, in London in 4 volumes, and related the tale of Amanda and Oscar Fitzalan, two young people in love who are robbed of their rightful inheritance by a forged will...

that she found in the hands of one of her daughters.

At a very early age Joshua began to go to sea with his father and his elder bothers, Rainer and Samuel; there his fondness for astronomy stood him in good stead, and he soon became an expert navigator

Navigator

A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation. The navigator's primary responsibility is to be aware of ship or aircraft position at all times. Responsibilities include planning the journey, advising the Captain or aircraft Commander of estimated timing to...

. His father in later years was fond of relatingincidents illustrative of Joshua's good seamanship

Seamanship

Seamanship is the art of operating a ship or boat.It involves a knowledge of a variety of topics and development of specialised skills including: navigation and international maritime law; weather, meteorology and forecasting; watchstanding; ship-handling and small boat handling; operation of deck...

and the confidence reposed in him by other sailors. William James continued in the paving-stone trade between Hull and Boston until cobblestones were replaced by more modern paving materials. At one time he had a large contract for filling in the west end of Boston, and owned a fleet of twelve vessels of from 50 to 125 ton

Ton

The ton is a unit of measure. It has a long history and has acquired a number of meanings and uses over the years. It is used principally as a unit of weight, and as a unit of volume. It can also be used as a measure of energy, for truck classification, or as a colloquial term.It is derived from...

s burden. It was his practice to give each of his sons on reaching the majority age of 25 a complete outfit for the business, including a new schooner. Joshua, with his deep love of the sea and his early training on his father's and brothers' vessels, was a natural seaman

Seaman

Seaman is one of the lowest ranks in a Navy. In the Commonwealth it is the lowest rank in the Navy, followed by Able Seaman and Leading Seaman, and followed by the Petty Officer ranks....

, and with such an outfit provided by his father, entered business for himself, lightering

Lightering

Lightering is the process of transferring cargo between vessels of different sizes, usually between a barge and a bulker or oil tanker. Lightering is undertaken to reduce a vessel's draft in order to enter port facilities which cannot accept very large ocean-going vessels...

and freight-carrying. Captain Joshua James, as he now came to be called, continued in his chosen profession until his appointment as keeper of the Point Allerton Life-Saving Station in 1889.

On April 3, 1837 Joshua witnessed a pivotal event in his life; he was an eye-witness to the death of his mother and a baby sister in the shipwreck and sinking of the schooner

Schooner

A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....

Hepzibah in Hull Gut

Hull Gut

Hull Gut is a narrow channel of water, about half a mile wide and thirty-five feet deep, in Boston Harbor running between Hull and Peddocks Island. It is the southern entrance to the Inner Harbor connecting it to Hingham Bay. The gut is a dangerous waterway with strong cross-currents and often...

, only a half-mile from safe harbor. Mrs. Ester James was returning from a visit to Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

in the Hepzibah,a paving-stone hauling vessel owned by her son Reinier James. As they were passing through the treacherous Hull Gut, a sudden squall

Squall

A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed which is usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to an increase in the sustained winds over a short time interval, as there may be higher gusts during a squall event...

threw the vessel on her beam

Beam (nautical)

The beam of a ship is its width at the widest point. Generally speaking, the wider the beam of a ship , the more initial stability it has, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more energy is required to right the vessel from its inverted position...

; the Hepzibah filled and sank before Mrs. James and her baby, who were in the cabin, could be rescued. This event was no doubt influential in shaping Joshua's life. His older sister by five years, Catherine, took over raising the family after the death of their mother.

Lifesaving career

Joshua's lifesaving activities began when he was 15, on December 17, 1841 five years after the death of his mother and sister, when Joshua leaped aboard a surfboat manned by volunteers from the local chapter of the Massachusetts Humane Society at Hull

Hull, Massachusetts

heading toward the ship Mohawk, which was being “hammered shapeless” off Allerton Beach at Harding's Ledge

Harding's Ledge

Harding's Ledge, also known as Harding Ledge, is a shoal in the Atlantic ocean located on the approach to Boston Harbor, 1.5 miles east of Point Allerton, and near Hingham, Massachusetts, United States. The shoal is exposed at low tide and has been the site of numerous shipwrecks. A lighted bell...

; he would continue to save lives for the next six decades.

He was involved in so many rescues that in 1886 the Humane Society struck a special silver medal for "Brave and faithful service of more than 40 years." The report said, "During this time he assisted in saving over 100 lives." Unfortunately many records of his early rescues were lost when the archives of the Massachusetts Humane Society were destroyed in the Great Boston Fire of 1872

Great Boston Fire of 1872

The Great Boston Fire of 1872 was Boston's largest urban fire, and still ranks as one of the most costly fire-related property losses in American history. The conflagration began at 7:20 p.m. on November 9, 1872, in the basement of a commercial warehouse at 83—87 Summer Street in Boston,...

Appointment as U.S. Life-Saving Service Keeper

In 1889, the U.S. Life-Saving Service established Point Allerton Station at Hull, Massachusetts. James was then 62 years old, seventeen years past the mandatory retirement

Retirement

Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...

age of 45 for a federal appointment with the new U.S. Life-Saving Service. Due to his unequaled lifesaving record and considerable petitioning by townspeople of Hull and his allies in the Service, Congress made a special provision to allow him to be appointed as keeper of the new station. Under the question on the form calling for past experience qualifying him for the position, James wrote "fisherman."

Hurricane of 1888

The hurricane of 1888 came in in the guise of a northeast gale

Gale

A gale is a very strong wind. There are conflicting definitions of how strong a wind must be to be considered a gale. The U.S. government's National Weather Service defines a gale as 34–47 knots of sustained surface winds. Forecasters typically issue gale warnings when winds of this strength are...

and snowstorm accompanied by extremely high tides, and 100 mph (155 km/h) winds created tremendous surf conditions. The snow

Snow

Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...

and sleet

Ice pellets

Ice pellets are a form of precipitation consisting of small, translucent balls of ice. Ice pellets usually are smaller than hailstones. They often bounce when they hit the ground, and generally do not freeze into a solid mass unless mixed with freezing rain...

in the early part of the storm gave way to rain. Early in the day of November 25, Captain James and a few hardy beachmen climbed to the top of Telegraph Hill, where through nearly blinding snow and wind they could observe several vessels anchored off an area southeast of Boston

Boston

called Nantasket, attempting to ride out the storm. With the intensity of the storm growing and sensing that it was only a matter of time before some of the ships at anchor yielded to the storm, Captain James notified his volunteers to be ready for service, and about two o'clock ordered patrols all along the ocean shore.

The beach patrols had hardly begun when the schooner

Schooner

A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....

Cox and Green was discovered broadside to the beach. With the assistance of local residents, Captain James and his men rescued the entire crew by rigging a breeches buoy

Breeches buoy

A breeches buoy is a crude rope-based rescue device used to extract people from wrecked vessels, or to transfer people from one location to another in situations of danger. The device resembles a round emergency personal flotation device with a leg harness attached...

to the stricken schooner. This was to be the first rescue of an extraordinary 36 hours, during which 28 Hull volunteers would work in five crews to save 29 lives along the town’s shores.

At the same time the Cox and Green was discovered beached, the schooner Gertrude Abbott had struck some rocks about one-eighth mile to the east, and was too far out to reach with the line and breeches buoy. Because night was approaching, the tide was very high and the storm increasing in fury, Captain James decided the best course was to wait until low tide the next day and ordered a bonfire lit on a bluff so the Gertrude Abbott could be kept in view. During the evening, weather and sea conditions deteriorated so much that between 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm the crew chose to row out to the Gertrude Abbott during the night. Knowing that the conditions were extremely dangerous, Captain James told the men that only volunteers would be taken for the rescue attempt; all the men volunteered.

They launched the surfboat R.B. Forbe through the breaking waves and rowed to the wrecked Gertrude Abbott with two of the crew bailing constantly to keep the boat from swamping. After desperate rowing the R.B. Forbe maneuvered under the ship’s bow and a line was heaved from the surf boat to the schooner, and as the smaller craft was lifted by the cresting waves the eight sailors leaped one by one from the rigging into the surfboat. With 17 men aboard, they began the hazardous return journey to shore. Between rescuers and survivors, the R.B. Forbe was overcrowded, leaving little room to work the oars; the overcrowding also made the boat even more difficult to manage. Within two hundred yards of the beach, the R.B. Forbe struck a rock, rolled one gunwale deep under water, and began taking on seawater. The occupants quickly shifted their position and succeeded in righting the boat. One surfman was washed out of the boat by a wave, but was reclaimed by his comrades before the sea carried him away. The surfboat was buffeted along at the mercy of the waves and struck rocks a number of times. With most of the oars lost or broken, the men managed with the few oars left to steer the R.B. Forbe toward the shore so that the waves might push her in. Captain James admonished everyone to stick to the boat as long as possible. Finally near shore the R.B. Forbe was thrown upon some hidden rocks and completely wrecked; the occupants promptly jumped out and scrambled to shore and safety. The schooner’s crew were immediately taken to a neighboring house and cared for. For the rescue that Captain James himself called "miraculous," all nine surfmen were awarded the Treasury Department’s U.S. Gold Life Saving Medal, the highest possible award.
Because the storm continued, Captain James ordered the surfmen to maintain a patrol along the beach to watch for more wrecks. At 3:00 a.m., word came of a third wreck, of the schooner Bertha F. Walker. This time the vessel had sunk, and seven crewmen were stranded in her rigging. As the surfboat R.B. Forbe had been wrecked in the rescue of the Cox and Green, volunteers had to drag a second surfboat, the Robert G. Shaw four miles overland with the help of horses to the site of the wreck. At dawn, James and the rescuers were able to launch the second boat from the protected launch at Pemberton Point, but faced a six and a half mile row in difficult seas to reach the Bertha F. Walker and save the seven men in her rigging, who were in danger of perishing of exposure.

Just as they landed ashore with the seven men from the Bertha F. Walker, word came of two more shipwrecks, the H. C. Higginson and the Mattie E. Eaton. In addition to Joshua and his crew of the Massachusetts Humane Society, the crew of the U.S. Life-Saving Service station at North Scituate

North Scituate, Massachusetts

North Scituate is a census-designated place in the town of Scituate in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,065 at the 2000 census. It was formerly known as Gannet Corner.-Geography:...

and Cohasset

Cohasset, Massachusetts

Cohasset is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, though it is not contiguous with the main body of the county. The population was 7,542 at the 2010 census.- History :...

had also gone to the rescue of the H. C. Higginson. Captain James and his volunteers had to pull their beach cart with rescue equipment nine miles overland through snow and slush to get to the wreck site. Efforts to fire lines out to the H. C. Higginson failed due to debris fouling the lines, and the Cohasset and Scituate crews left the wreck site, so it was necessary to launch the untested surfboat, the Nantasket.

The rescue was extremely dangerous because the waves were breaking around the wrecked H. C. Higginson. Captain James took the Nantasket out twice. The first attempt failed after forty-five minutes of rowing when the boat hit rocks that knocked two holes in it, making it necessary to return to shore to make temporary repairs using lead patches. On the second attempt, the Nantasket was rowed close enough to the schooner for the men to throw a line on board the H. C. Higginson. The first sailor to be rescued was in the mizzen rigging; he came cautiously down the shrouds, tied the line around his body, leaped overboard into the sea, and was hauled into the surf boat. Four other sailors in the fore rigging, exhausted from their long exposure, had to work their way with great difficulty into the main rigging. There they fastened lines to themselves and in turn jumped into the breaking waters and were hauled one by one into the Nantasket. Once in the surf boat, they were taken safely to the shore, where the half-starved and half-frozen men were quickly conveyed in carriages to the home of Selectman David 0. Wade of Hull. Not all of the crew of the H. C. Higginson were so fortunate. Three lost their lives: the captain and one sailor were washed overboard in the night and a third man died in the rigging from exposure.

By the time they were able to reach the site of the Mattie E. Eaton, the wreck had come so far up on the shore that her crew was able to get off on their own. The brigantine

Brigantine

In sailing, a brigantine or hermaphrodite brig is a vessel with two masts, only the forward of which is square rigged.-Origins of the term:...

Alice was abandoned at sea, but late on the 26th the vessel had come ashore. Two salvors had gone aboard and needed to be rescued when their dory was swept away. Captain James and his crew took the would-be salvors off the wrecked Alice. The Alice was the last rescue of the Hurricane of 1888.

For his work at the scene of six wrecks during a two-day period and rescuing 29 people, Joshua James was awarded gold medals by both the Massachusetts Humane Society and the U.S. Life-Saving Service. The U.S. Life-Saving Service also awarded eleven gold and four silver medals to the other volunteers for their heroic efforts. The 1888 storm led to the construction of the Point Allerton U.S. Life Saving Station one year later.

Hurricane of 1898

The storm started quietly on the evening of the 26th of November, with a light but strengthening wind. Within hours it had grown to hurricane proportions and was creating havoc all along the coast. The winds raged all through the night of the 26th, all day on the 27th, and did not subside until the 28th, some 36 hours after the storm had started. Winds were clocked at up to 72 mph in Boston, and were probably even stronger along the coast to the southeast on Cape Cod

Cape Cod

Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...

.

At about 3:00am surfman Fernando Bearse, who was on patrol, spotted a schooner about a quarter mile from land directly in front of the station; with the surf pounding hard and the wind blowing so strong it was decided against launching the surfboat. Around 6:30 am the Henry R. Tilton had swept westward and was now within range of the Lyle gun

Lyle gun

Line-throwing guns are most often referred to as Lyle Guns, after their inventor David A. Lyle. They were used from the late 19th century to 1952, when they were replaced by rockets for throwing lines.-History:...

. Captain James' first two shots were unsuccessful, but the third shot landed within reach of the crew on board, who quickly secured the whip line to the foremast twenty feet above the deck. After bringing the first sailor ashore, the rescuers realized that the Henry R. Tilton was still drifting toward shore; after each transfer of a man from ship to shore the rescuers had to reset the lines. The men handling the lines had to wade out into the water and were standing dangerously close to the breaking waves; from time to time the sea would engulf the men and equipment. It took over three hours with a mixed crew of U.S. Life-Saving men and Humane Society volunteers to bring all seven crew members of the Henry R. Tilton to safety. Back at the Point Allerton Station, Louisa James and the wives of the other surfmen had laid out blankets and hot drinks and stoked a roaring fire to care for the surviving crew of the Henry R. Tilton. After enduring 15 hours of riding out the storm, the crew could finally feel safe.

At about the time Captain James and his crew completed their rescue of the Henry R. Tilton, word came that Coal Barge No. 1 of the Consolidated Coal Company was coming ashore about three-quarters of a mile west of their location on Toddy Rocks. The storm had blown down telephone, telegraph, and electrical lines in front of the Point Allerton station, making it impossible to drag out the station's second beach rescue apparatus. Joshua James conferred with his son Osceola James, who was Captain of the Hull chapter of the Massachusetts Humane Society, on the best course of action. The two agreed that Osceola would send some of his men to Massachusetts Humane Society's Station #18 to retrieve the Hunt Gun stored there and Osceola would rent some horses to bring the rest of the equipment, as the rest of the men went to the wreck site.

At about 11:00 pm the two crews reached the wreck site and set up the Massachusetts Humane Society's beach apparatus. While they were firing shots from the Hunt Gun, they realized that Coal Barge No. 1 was about to break up; both keepers called for volunteers to wade out into the surf. The volunteers tied lines to their waists and walked out amidst debris to get as close to the vessel as possible. While they were wading out to the stranded barge, the pilothouse broke free from the vessel and rode the waves toward the shore. Close to shore, the waves slammed the pilothouse to pieces, tossing its passengers into the surf. The volunteers already in the water rushed to grab the survivors before the rip current

Rip current

A rip current, commonly referred to by the misnomer rip tide, is a strong channel of water flowing seaward from near the shore, typically through the surf line. Typical flow is at 0.5 metres per second , and can be as fast as 2.5 metres per second...

could drag them away. With the surfmen holding on to the sailors, they waited for waves to carry them to a point on the beach where they could scramble to safety.

On the morning of the 27th, Captain James using his spy glass spotted a predetermined distress signal at Boston Light

Boston Light

Boston Light is a lighthouse located on Little Brewster Island in outer Boston Harbor, Massachusetts. The first lighthouse to be built on the site dates back to 1716, and was the first lighthouse to be built in what is now the United States...

on Little Brewster Island

Little Brewster Island

Little Brewster Island is a rocky outer island in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area. It is best known as the location of Boston Light, the only remaining Coast Guard-manned lighthouse in the United States, and an important navigation aid for traffic to and from the Port of Boston...

. The U.S Life Saving crew and four volunteers launched the Humane Society's surfboat #17, named the Boston Herald from Stony Beach. En route Captain James spotted the steam tug

Tug

Tuğ is a village in the Khojavend Rayon of Azerbaijan....

Ariel and arranged to be towed as close as possible to Great Brewster Island

Great Brewster Island

Great Brewster Island is a one of the outer islands in the Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area, situated some offshore of downtown Boston. The island has a permanent size of , plus an intertidal zone of a further...

. After being brought as close as possible to the island, the surfmen rowed the Boston Herald through the breaking surf, came alongside the schooner Calvin F. Baker, and retrieved five survivors. At 3:00 am on the 26th the Calvin F. Baker had run aground on the island and the eight crew members were forced into the bow rigging, where they remained for the next thirty hours. During that time the First Mate and Second Mate

Second Mate

A second mate or second officer is a licensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The second mate is the third in command and a watchkeeping officer, customarily the ship's navigator. Other duties vary, but the second mate is often the medical officer and in charge of maintaining...

could not hold on and fell into the water and drowned. The Steward

Culinary Specialist (US Navy)

Culinary Specialist is a United States Navy occupational rating. It was formerly the Mess Management Specialist rating until 15 January 2004, and as Steward prior to 1975.-Duties:...

froze to death in place; his body was carried down to the surf boat by the rescuers. After rowing the Boston Herald back through the breaking surf and to Stony Beach, the survivors of the Calvin F. Baker warmed themselves in front of the fire with fourteen other lucky survivors at the Point Allerton Station.

Houses were blown over and washed away all along the coast from Cape Cod to Portland

Portland, Maine

Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...

, Maine

Maine

Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...

. The coastline was littered with the wrecks and wreckage of dozens of vessels, large and small, smashed or sunk by the fierce winds and seas. In Provincetown harbor alone, over 30 vessels were blown ashore or sunk. Damage along Boston's south shore and Cape Cod was probably the worst: telegraph lines were brought down, railways washed out, and even the low scrub trees of Cape Cod were blown away. In Scituate

Scituate, Massachusetts

Scituate is a seacoast town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on the South Shore, midway between Boston and Plymouth. The population was 18,133 at the 2010 census....

, the coastline was permanently altered when mountainous waves cut a new inlet from the sea to the North River

North River (Massachusetts Bay)

The North River is a river, approximately long, in eastern Massachusetts, the United States. It is primarily a tidal river, formed by the confluence of the Indian Head River and Herring Brook. The North River forms the boundary between the towns of Norwell and Pembroke, Massachusetts, and...

, closed the old river mouth, and reversed the flow of part of the river.

As with the hurricane of 1888, there were numerous brave rescues in an extraordinary 36 hours, during which the crew of the Point Allerton station and volunteers from Hull would save 41 lives along the town’s shores.

The Schooner Ulrica

On December 15, 1896, a northeast storm with gale-force winds and heavy snow struck the Massachusetts coast. The Ulrica, a three-masted schooner with a load of plaster

Plaster

Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...

southbound for Hoboken

Hoboken, New Jersey

Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...

, New Jersey

New Jersey

New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...

, was caught in the storm. The ship turned for Boston Harbor to ride out the storm, but the winds shredded her sails and she ended up dropping both of her anchors off Hull near Nantasket beach. Her anchors failed to hold and at about 8:00 am on December 16 she was observed aground by a patrolling surfman from the Point Allerton Station, who reported the wreck. News of a ship in trouble had already been telephoned to the station and Captain James accepted the railroad's offer to transport the crew the two and a half miles to the wreck site. One surfman was left behind to obtain horses and bring the beach cart to the scene.

On arrival at the wreck site, they found very heavy seas breaking over the Ulrica forward of the mizzen mast, and the crew had taken refuge in the aft house and the mizzen rigging. Feeling that the crew was in great danger, Captain James decided not to wait for the beach cart, but retrieved the Nantasket from the Massachusetts Humane Society, which was housed nearby. A mixed crew of seven Life Saving Service men and six volunteers from the Humane Society launched the large surfboat, only to be hurled back to the beach twice by the strong waves. The third launch attempt was successful, but progress was slow due to the strong current. At one point about halfway to the wreck a large wave struck the Nantasket astern, throwing Captain James out of the boat; he caught an oar as the boat passed him, and both were washed back to the beach.
In the interim the beach cart had arrived and it was decided to try the breeches buoy to effect a rescue. Two shots from the Lyle Gun were fired across the Ulrica, but the crew was too cold to retrieve the line. The third shot fell close enough for the crew to grab the line, but because of their exhausted state they were unable to make the line fast high enough in the rigging. Under these conditions Captain James thought it was too dangerous to use the breeches buoy and decided to make another attempt using the surfboat.

Once more with a mixed crew of seven Life Saving Service men and five volunteers from the Humane Society, they attached the surfboat to the hawser

Hawser

Hawser is a nautical term for a thick cable or rope used in mooring or towing a ship. A hawser passes through a hawsehole, also known as a cat hole, located on the hawse....

via the traveler block and fastened the other line to the stern of the surfboat. Using a combination of oars and hand hauling on the hawser, aided by the men on shore controlling the stern line from there, they managed to bring the Nantasket to the Ulrica. All seven crew members of the Ulrica were brought safely to shore and were taken to Seafoam House to recover before being taken to the Station. For this difficult rescue Captain James received the silver medal from the Massachusetts Humane Society.

Death

The dramatic death of Joshua James occurred on March 19, 1902, two days after the entire crew save one of the Monomoy Point Life-Saving Station perished in a rescue attempt, drowned by the panicking wreck victims they were endeavoring to save. This tragedy affected Joshua deeply, and convinced him of the need for even more rigid training of his own crew. At seven o'clock in the morning of March 19, with a northeast gale blowing, he called his crew for a drill and to test a new self-bailing, self-righting surfboat. For more than an hour, the 75-year-old man maneuvered the boat through the boisterous sea. He was pleased with the boat and with the crew. Upon grounding the boat he sprang onto the wet sand, glanced at the sea and stated, "The tide is ebbing," and then fell dead on the beach from a heart attack.

Joshua was buried with a lifeboat for a coffin

Coffin

A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...

; a second lifeboat made of flowers was placed on his grave. His tombstone shows the Massachusetts Humane Society seal and bears the inscription "Greater love hath no man than this — that a man lay down his life for his friends." The superintendent of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, Sumner Increase Kimball

Sumner Increase Kimball

Sumner Increase Kimball, Sc.D. was the organizer of the United States Life-Saving Service and the General Superintendent of the Life-Saving Service from 1878-1915...

, said of him:
Despite his frugal habits, Joshua James was practically destitute at the time of his death, leaving his invalid wife and children with insufficient support.A grateful public did not forget Joshua James' lifelong efforts, and $3,733 was raised and given to Mrs. Louisa James.

Remembered today

Joshua James is honored every year at his grave-site on May 23 (Joshua James Day) by the Hull Life-Saving Museum and the Point Allerton Station. His house, built in 1850, still stands in Hull, Massachusetts, and is marked as having been his home. Point Allerton station also still stands, but is no longer in use; it now houses the Hull Life-Saving Museum. In 2003, the Coast Guard created the Joshua James Award to honor the Coast Guard personnel with the most seniority in rescue work and the highest record of achievement. The U.S. Coast Guard announced in 2011 that the fifth National Security Cutter

National Security Cutter

The United States Coast Guard National Security Cutter , also known as the Legend class and Maritime Security Cutter, Large, is one design among several new cutter designs developed as part of the Integrated Deepwater System Program....

will be named the USCGC Joshua James in honor of his life and dedication to saving lives.

Known Rescues

December 17, 1841, assisted in the rescue of twelve crewmen of the Mohawk.
October 10, 1844, assisted in the rescue of eight crewmen of the brig Tremont.
December 9, 1845, assisted in the rescue of crew of the Massasoit.
April 1, 1850, assisted in the rescue of crew of the brig L'Essai.
April 1, 1850, assisted in the rescue of crew of the Delaware.
March 2, 1857, assisted in the rescue of crew of the brig Odessa.
December 23, 1870, assisted in the rescue of the crew of schooner William R. Genn.
March 15, 1873, assisted in the rescue of the crew of the Helene.
February 1, 1882, assisted in the rescue of the crew of the Bucephalus.
February 1, 1882, assisted in the rescue of the crew of the Nellie Walker.
Date unknown 1883 assisted in the rescue of the crew from the schooner Sara Potter.
February 17, 1884, assisted in the rescue the crew of the brig Swordfish.
December 1, 1885, assisted in the rescue of the crew of the brig Anita Owen.
January 9, 1886, assisted in the rescue of the captain of the Millie Trim, but was unable to save the rest of the crew.
November 26, 1886, assisted in the rescue of the crew from the schooner Bertha F. Walker.
November 26, 1886, assisted in the rescue of the crew from the schooner H.C. Higgins.
December 25, 1888, assisted in the rescue of nine men from the schooner Gertrude Abbott.
November 25, 1888, assisted in the rescue of the crew from the schooner Cox and Green.
November 5, 1891, assisted in the rescue of the crew from the schooner Clara S. Cameron.
August 26, 1892, attempted rescue of the steamer W.S. Slater, no crew members were found
February 19, 1893, assisted in the rescue of seven crewmen from the schooner Enos Phillips.
February 22, 1893, opened the station to take in the crew of the Glenwood who abandoned their wrecked vessel off Hardings Ledge.
April 8, 1894, assisted in the rescue of seven men from the schooner Mary A. Hood.
December 16, 1896, assisted in the rescue of the crew from the schooner Ulrica.
December 16, 1896, assisted in the rescue of the crew from the Modesty.
February 2, 1898, assisted in the rescue of the crew from the schooner Albert Crandall.
November 27, 1898, assisted in the rescue of four men from the schooner Virginia.
November 27, 1898, assisted in the rescue of one survivor from the Able E. Babcock.
November 27, 1898, assisted in the rescue of five survivors from the schooner Calvin F. Baker.
November 27, 1898, assisted in the rescue of seven men via breeches buoy from the Henry R.Tilton.
November 27, 1898, opened the station to a family whose home was threatened by the storm.
November 27, 1898, assisted in the rescue of three men from the beached Coal Barge No. 1.
November 27, 1898, assisted in the rescue of five men from the beached Coal Barge No. 4.
November 28, 1898, assisted in the rescue of three men from Black Rock
Black Rock
-Organizations and firms:* BlackRock, a global investment management firm based in New York City* Black Rock Arts Foundation supports arts programs in San Francisco, California* Black Rock City, LLC, the organization behind the annual Burning Man festival...

after loss of their vessel Lucy A. Nichols.
November 28, 1889 assisted in the rescue of seventeen survivors of the wreck of the tug H.F. Morse.
November 27, 1898 assisted in the rescue of four men from the schooner Virginia
February 25, 1900, assisted in the attempted rescue of the Keystone, no survivors.
February 25, 1900, assisted in the rescue of five men from the Otto.
October 7, 1901, assisted in the rescue of five men from the schooner Columbia.

Possible Rescues

It is very likely that Joshua James led or participated in the following rescues.

April 30, 1841, the schooner Emeline
December 11, 1844, the Massasuite
September 25, 1847, the Surplus
September 25, 1847, the Nun
March 9, 1860, the brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...

Ewan Crarar
November 3, 1861, the Maritana

United States Awards

Gold Lifesaving Medal
Lifesaving Medal
The Gold Lifesaving Medal and Silver Lifesaving Medal are civil and military decorations of the United States Coast Guard which was first established by Act of Congress, 20 June 1874; later authorized by Title 14 of the United States Code Section 500-501...

for the rescue of nine men from the schooner Gertrude Abbott on December 25, 1888

Massachusetts Humane Society Awards

Bronze Life-Saving Medal from the Massachusetts Humane Society for the rescue of the crews of the Delaware and L'Essai on Toddy Rocks on April 1, 1850.
Special Silver Life-Saving Medal: 1886 from the Massachusetts Humane Society for, "brave and faithful service of more than 40 years". During this time he assisted in saving over 100 lives.
Gold Life-Saving Medal from the Massachusetts Humane Society for the rescue of 29 persons from five different vessels during the period of November 25 through 26th 1888.
Silver Life-Saving Medal from the Massachusetts Humane Society for the rescue of the crew from the schooner Ulrica on December 16, 1896

Offices

1876, appointed keeper of 4 Massachusetts Humane Society life-boats at Stony Beach, Point Allerton, Nantasket Beach, Gun Rock Cove and a mortar station at Gun Rock Cove.

October 22, 1889, Joshua James took the oath of office as keeper of the U.S. Life-Saving Station at Point Allerton.

At 62 Joshua passed all of the physical examinations with no difficulty and eleven years later at 73, he repeated the act. During the thirteen years he was keeper of the Point Allerton station, he and his crew saved 540 lives and $1,203,435.00 worth of estimated value of ships and cargo.

Family and children

In 1859, when he was 32, Joshua married his 16-year-old fourth cousin, Louisa Lucihe, of Hingham. Six of their ten children reached adulthood; three girls and one boy died in infancy. Their surviving son, Osceola James, born in 1865, became a sailor and master of the steamer Myles Standish. As captain of the Hull volunteer life-savers, Osceola received a gold lifesaving medal and achieved a record of saving lives approaching his father's.

Osceola F. James: Hull, Massachusetts, born November 1865.
Bertha Coleta James: Hull, Massachusetts, born March 1870.
Rosella Francesca James: Hull, Massachusetts, born March 1873.
Genevieve Endola James: Hull, Massachusetts, born October 1879.
Edith Gertrude James: Hull, Massachusetts, birthdate unknown
Louisa Julette James: Hull, Massachusetts, birthdate unknown

Footnotes

External links

Sumner Kimball. Joshua James, Life-Saver. Boston: American Unitarian Association, 1909
Hull Lifesaving Museum (accessed May 9, 2011)
U.S. Coast Guard Historian (accessed April 17, 2011)
Boston Shipwrecks
Massachusetts Humane Society
Nautical Chart 13270, Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor and Approaches(accessed June 21, 2011)
Coast Pilot 1 Chart 13270 - (Chapter 11)(accessed April 21, 2011)
The American Coast Pilot, Third Edition – 1800; Written by Capt. Lawrence Furlong;(accessed April 21, 2011)
U.S. Life-Saving Service Heritage Association

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Lifesaving career

Appointment as U.S. Life-Saving Service Keeper

Hurricane of 1888

Hurricane of 1898

The Schooner Ulrica

Death

Remembered today

Known Rescues

Possible Rescues

United States Awards

Massachusetts Humane Society Awards

Offices

Family and children

Footnotes

See also

External links