Chapter XXXII: Section 2: And be it further resolved, That the Secretary of (1)

the Treasury be, and he is hereby, directed to cause to be
prepared and presented to the said George F. Robinson a gold
medal with appropriate devices and inscriptions, commemorative of
the heroic conduct of the said Robinson on the fourteenth day of
April, eighteen hundred and sixty-five, in saving the life of the
Honorable William H. Seward, then secretary of State of the
United States, the expense of said medal to be paid out of any
money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated.

Approved March 1st, 1871.

_The Committee on Foreign Affairs, to whom were referred the (p. 432) resolutions of the legislature of the State of Maine, declaring that the heroic conduct of George F. Robinson, late a private in the Eighth Regiment of Maine Volunteers, in saving the life of Secretary Seward from the knife of an assassin, at the imminent peril of his own life, and at the expense of permanent wounds, should receive public recognition by the Congress of the United States, to the end that his noble deeds may be known and remembered by the American People, and that provision may be made for his future welfare such as right and justice demand, and the generous impulse of a grateful people require, respectfully submit the following report:_[125]

[Footnote 125: Reported by Mr. Porter Sheldon, of
the Committee on Foreign Affairs.]

That on the 15th day of August, 1863, George F. Robinson enlisted
in the Eighth Regiment of Maine Volunteers. On the 20th day of
May, 1864, at an attack at Bermuda Hundred, made on General
Butler's lines by the rebels, Robinson was wounded very severely
in the leg by a canister shot. He was sent to Douglas Hospital in
this city, where he lay nearly a year undergoing great suffering
from his wound. On the memorable 14th day of April, 1865,
although his wound was not then entirely healed, he was detailed
from the hospital to act as nurse to Mr. Seward, the Secretary of
State, who, it will be remembered, was confined to his bed by
serious injuries--a broken arm and jaw. At 10 o'clock that night
Robinson was on duty in Mr. Seward's room, when the assassin,
Payne, sought that room to murder the feeble, wounded, helpless
Secretary, in pursuance of the great conspiracy which ended with
filling the whole civilized world with horror. The Secretary was
sleeping; the room was darkened. Robinson hearing a disturbance
in the hall opened the door; a flood of light streamed on him
from the hall. On the threshold stood the athletic assassin, a
revolver in one hand and a huge bowie knife in the other. He saw
against the wall the wounded, crazed Assistant Secretary, with
blood pouring from his wound. He caught the gleam of that
terrible knife aimed at his throat; instinctively he struck up at
the assassin's arm to ward off the knife, partially succeeded,
but received the blow upon his head, and was prostrated to the
floor. Bounding over him, Payne rushed on to the bed, and
commenced wildly striking with the knife at the throat of the
Secretary. Already he had cut the flesh off from one cheek to the
bone, and the blood gushed in torrents over the pillow. This
soldier, just from the hospital, with his wounded leg not yet
healed, enfeebled from his year of suffering and pain, just
prostrated to the floor by a blow from that terrible knife,
springs to his feet, and without one moment's hesitation, without
one moment's thought for himself, save, as he swears, the thought
that he must die to save the Secretary; without a weapon of any
description, with a bravery never surpassed in the annals of any
country, he opposed his naked hands, his wounded and enfeebled
body, to the terrible knife of the gigantic and desperate
murderer. He seized the assassin just as the deadly knife was
about to bury itself in the throat of the Secretary, and then
commenced an unequal struggle which seemingly can only end in the
death of the brave soldier. Having succeeded in dragging Payne
from off the bed, he receives over his shoulder two deep wounds
down his back, inflicting injuries from which one side of (p. 433)
his face and two fingers of one hand are still partially
paralyzed. He received two more wounds under his left shoulder
blade, which proved nearly fatal, and received blows about the
head and face from the revolver. At last Payne, probably becoming
alarmed for his own safety should he spend more time in the
house, wrenched himself loose and fled, stabbing a messenger from
the State Department on his way down stairs. Disregarding his own
desperate wounds, the blood from which was filling his shoes,
with the help of Mr. Seward's daughter Robinson placed the
insensible and mangled form of the Secretary on the bed from
which he had fallen, and re-covering the gashed cheek with its
flesh, he placed his fingers on the wounded artery from which Mr.
Seward's life was fast passing, and with the same coolness, the
same utter self-abandonment, he kept his position, though
scarcely able to stand, and believing himself fatally wounded,
until relieved by the arrival of the Surgeon-General. After the
Secretary's wounds were dressed his own were attended to, and he
was the same night carried back to the hospital.

On the 17th day of May following Robinson was honorably
discharged from the service. Finding himself unable to labor on a
farm, by reason of his wounds, he was obliged to sell his little
place for some $1,200, and sought employment as a Government
clerk. He is now a clerk in the Quartermaster General's
Department, at a salary of $1,200 per year, and has no other
means of supporting himself, his wife, and boy, except a pension
of $8 per month for wounds received on the field of battle.
Robinson is a modest man, of excellent character, and a faithful
and efficient clerk.

The committee unanimously recommend the passage of the
accompanying joint resolution.

No. 81. (p. 434) PLATE LXXXI.

_August 31, 1872._

By Resolution of Congress February 24, 1873.

LOSS OF THE STEAMER METIS.

[_For Courage and Humanity._]

A man standing in a boat, a coil of rope under his left arm, directs oarsmen with his right hand to pull for the wreck of the Metis. One of the men is lifting a woman from the sea into the boat. To the right, in the background, a light-house.

BY RESOLUTION OF CONGRESS FEBRUARY 24, 1873. Within a wreath of Oak: TO[126] FOR COURAGE AND HUMANITY IN THE SAVING OF LIFE FROM THE WRECK OF THE STEAMER METIS ON LONG ISLAND SOUND AUGUST 31, 1872. W. & C. BARBER.

[Footnote 126: Blank space for name.]

CHARLES E. BARBER, son of William Barber, chief engraver to the United States Mint, Philadelphia, was born in London, England, in 1840. He came to America with his parents when very young and studied the fine arts in the city of New York. He engraved for the Government of the United States the Metis and John Horn medals.

_____

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.

_Resolution of Congress Voting Medals to Captain Crandall and others._

_Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States in Congress assembled_: That the President of the
United States is hereby authorized and requested to cause to be
made and presented to each of the following persons such
suitable and appropriate medals, as in his judgment shall (p. 435)
express the high estimation in which Congress hold the
respective merits and services of Captain Jared S. Crandall,
Albert Crandall, Daniel F. Larkin, Frank Larkin, Byron Green,
John D. Harvey, Courtland Gavitt, Eugene Nash, Edwin Nash and
William Nash of the town of Westerly, State of Rhode Island, who
so gallantly volunteered to man the life-boat and a fishing boat,
and saved the lives of thirty-two persons from the wreck of the
steamer "Metis," on the waters of Long Island Sound, on the
thirty-first day of August, one thousand eight hundred and
seventy-two.

Approved February 24, 1873.

_____

_Captain David Ritchie to the Secretary of the Navy._

United States Revenue Steamer Mocassin,
To the Honorable Newport, Rhode Island, September 1st, 1872.
George S. BOUTWELL,
Secretary of the Treasury,
Washington, District of Columbia.

Sir: I have the honor to submit the following report of the
services rendered by this vessel, her officers and crew to the
passengers and crew of the wrecked steamer Metis on the morning
of August 30th, 1872.

On the evening of August 29th, while cruising to the westward,
weather threatening, ran in for a harbor behind the Stonington
breakwater, where we anchored. My glass falling and there being
every indication of a storm, I prepared my vessel for it.

At 8 P.M. the gale began, and continued to increase throughout
the night from southeast with heavy sea and blinding rain.

At daylight the gale moderated and it stopped raining, the wind
hauling by south to westward.

At 9.20 A.M. the first officer of the steamer "Stonington" of
the New York and Stonington Line, came alongside, and reported
that the steamer "Metis" of the New York and Providence Line, was
wrecked off Watch Hill, Rhode Island, the fate of which, together
with her one hundred and fifty passengers and crew, was unknown.

I ordered steam as quickly as possible, and at 10.15 A.M. got
under way and proceeded to the scene of the disaster, stationing
lookouts aloft and upon the house.

I soon descried two boats loaded with helpless men, women and
children, near the edge of the surf at Watch Hill Light House,
and with great difficulty and danger, on account of the heavy
sea, succeeded in getting them on board of the "Mocassin."

I then stood down for the wreck, lowered boats and picked up the
living and dead, continuing this sad duty until 3.45 P.M., when
night coming on and medical aid being required for those of the
rescued who were exhausted, I put the vessel back for Stonington,
the nearest port, having no hope of finding any more living
persons and seeing no dead bodies remaining afloat. I reached
Stonington at 6 P.M. with forty-two rescued persons and (p. 436)
seventeen dead bodies which we had recovered from the deep.

Being a stranger in Stonington, I was at a loss to know what I
should do with my precious cargo, but at the wharf I met with
unexpected aid in the person of Mr. J. P. Bigelow, chief of the
Loan Division of the Treasury Department, who, upon my wants
being made known to him, procured proper relief, obtaining
through Mrs. Bigelow and ladies in the town, clothing and proper
care for five women who were rescued in a state of entire nudity.
The men rescued were taken charge of by the citizens, who did all
in their power to relieve their distress. All the rescued were
greatly exhausted, having been in the water several hours.

I take great pleasure in informing the Department of the noble
and untiring exertions of 1st Lieutenant Joseph Irish, 2d
Lieutenant A. D. Littlefield, Chief Engineer Whittaker, Pilot
Joseph Case, Boatswain E. F. R. Denison, and each of the crew in
saving life, recovering bodies of the drowned and caring for the
sick and wounded.

In the cases of several of the shipwrecked life was apparently
extinct, but by the efforts of those on board they were
resuscitated. The women were rolled in blankets, and all in our
power was done to make them comfortable. Many of the rescued were
very weak, and I doubted my ability to get them into port alive.

I was ably seconded in my work of boating by Captain Crandall,
light house keeper at Watch Hill, and his noble crew, they having
picked up fourteen living and dead.

After the last body had been taken on board a sea caught their
boat under this vessel's quarter and split her open.

The boat was the private property of Captain Crandall, who, on
beholding her destruction, simply remarked, "She has well paid
for herself."

Five of the dead bodies were identified by those saved on board,
and when the living women were clothed and brought to identify
their friends, a sad scene presented itself, one recognizing a
lost husband, another a sister, two men their wives, and one man
his two children.

The corpses were all numbered, and together with a description
list, were delivered to the authorities of Stonington, a copy of
said list being retained on board.

On the morning of the 31st ultimo at daylight, kindly accompanied
by J. P. Bigelow, Captain George B. Hull, Superintendent of New
York and Providence Steamship Company (one of the rescued), and
John McGuire to assist my worn-out officers and men, I again
stood for the scene of the wreck and cruised in that vicinity,
with lookouts stationed aloft, extending my cruise as far as
Block Island. The wind was blowing strong from the northwest and
constantly increasing, with a heavy cross sea from the southeast,
breaking over and completely covering this vessel.

There being no signs of any bodies floating about, with decks
full of water, I stood for Point Judith. Still finding no signs
of the wreck, and the sea getting too heavy to lower a boat, I
stood for Newport and anchored.

Having found a jewel and pocket-book on board (the property of
one of the dead), I turned the same over to Mr. Bigelow, to take
them to Stonington for the purpose of identifying corpse marked
No. 4.

Trusting that the conduct of the Mocassin, under my command, (p. 437)
and the acts of her officers and crew may meet the approval
of the Department,

I remain, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
David RITCHIE,
_Captain United States Revenue Marine_.

_____

_Resolution of Congress Voting Thanks to Captain Ritchie._

_Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States in Congress assembled_: That the thanks of Congress
are due, and are hereby tendered to Captain David Ritchie,
commanding the revenue steamer Mocassin, and to the officers and
men under his command, for their heroic and humane action in
saving the lives of forty-two persons from the wreck of the
steamer "Metis" on the waters of Long Island Sound, on the
morning of the thirty-first of August, eighteen hundred and
seventy-two.

Approved January 24, 1873.

No. 82. (p. 438) PLATE LXXXII.

_1876._

These United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and
independent States. [Rx]. In commemoration of the hundredth
anniversary, etc.

CENTENNIAL MEDAL.

[_Hundredth Anniversary of American Independence._]

THESE UNITED COLONIES ARE, AND OF RIGHT OUGHT TO BE, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES.[127] A female figure, personifying the United Colonies, is kneeling, with a sword in her right hand, while she points with her left to a constellation of thirteen stars, emblematical of the thirteen original United States. Exergue: 1776.

[Footnote 127: These words occur in the following
resolution of the Continental Congress:

IN CONGRESS.

_Resolved_: That the consideration of the first
resolution be postponed to Monday, the first day of
July next, and in the meanwhile, that no time be
lost in case the Congress agree thereto, that a
committee be appointed to prepare a declaration to
the effect of the said first resolution, which is
in these words: "That these United Colonies are,
and of right ought to be, Free and Independent
States, that they are absolved from all allegiance
to the British Crown; and that all political
connection between them and the State of Great
Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved."

Monday, June 10th, 1776.]

IN COMMEMORATION OF THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE. ACT OF CONGRESS JUNE 1874. America personified as a maiden, coiffed with the Phrygian cap of liberty, girt with a sword, and with the shield of the United States of America by her side, is crowning with laurels two female figures representing Manufactures and Arts. On the platform, 1876.

This medal, though not signed, is by William Barber.

_____

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. (p. 439)

_Act of Congress Authorizing Centennial Medals._

_Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States in Congress assembled_: That medals with
appropriate devices, emblems and inscriptions, commemorative of
the Centennial Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, be
prepared at the mint at Philadelphia for the Centennial Board of
Finance, subject to the provisions of the fifty-second section of
the coinage act of eighteen hundred and seventy-three, upon the
payment of a sum not less than the cost thereof, and all the
provisions whether penal or otherwise of said coinage act against
the counterfeiting or imitating of coins of the United States
shall apply to the medals struck and issued under the provisions
of this act.

Approved June 16, 1874.

_____

_Official Notice Promulgated by the Centennial Board of Finance._

United States Centennial Board of Finance,
Philadelphia, March 24, 1875.

It being deemed essential "that medals, with appropriate devices,
emblems, and inscriptions, commemorative of the centennial
anniversary of the Declaration of Independence," should be
officially issued, the Congress of the United States, by special
act, approved June 16, 1874, directed the same to be prepared at
the Mint for the Centennial Board of Finance, subject to the
provisions of the fifty-second section of the coinage act of
1873, upon the payment of a sum not less than the cost thereof,
and all the provisions, whether penal or otherwise, of said
coinage act against the counterfeiting or imitation of coins of
the United States shall apply to the medals struck and issued
under the provisions of this act. These medals having been
prepared and issued are now being sold by the Centennial Board of
Finance and its agents, and the profits arising therefrom
strictly applied in aid of the preparation for the celebration of
the anniversary which the medals commemorate. They are the only
medals relating to the great events of 1876, officially issued,
and may be readily distinguished from any of the tokens styled
Centennial medals and issued by private parties for their
individual profit, from the fact that in addition to the designs
and other wording, the larger medals have stamped upon them "Act
of Congress, June, 1874," and the others, "By authority of the
Congress of the U. S."

These official medals are of four kinds: small gilt at $1; large
bronze at $2; coin silver at $3; large gilt at $5, or all
inclosed in one case at $11. Cautionary notice is hereby given
that the Centennial Board of Finance intends to avail itself of
the protection and privilege granted by the acts of Congress
above mentioned, and that the highly penal provisions for
publishing, counterfeiting, or imitating the authorized official
medals will be strictly enforced against all infringement and
violation.

John WELSH,
_President Centennial Board of Finance_.

Frederick FRALEY, _Secretary_.

No. 83. (p. 440) PLATE LXXXIII.

_1876._

These United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and
independent States. [Rx]. By authority of the Congress, etc.

CENTENNIAL MEDAL.

[_Hundredth Anniversary of American Independence._]

THESE UNITED COLONIES ARE, AND OF RIGHT OUGHT TO BE, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES.[128] A female figure, personifying the United Colonies, is kneeling, with a sword in her right hand, while she points with her left to a constellation of thirteen stars, emblematical of the thirteen original United States. Exergue: 1776.

[Footnote 128: See note 1 under No. 82, page 438.]

BY AUTHORITY OF THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES 1876. Within a wreath of laurel, IN COMMEMORATION OF THE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE.[129]

[Footnote 129: The act of Congress in relation to
the Centennial Medals, and an official notice
promulgated by the Centennial Board of Finance, are
given under No. 82, page 438.]

This medal, though not signed, is by William Barber.

No. 84. (p. 441) PLATE LXXXIV.

_June 20, 1874._

Life Saving medal of the first class. United States of America.
[Rx]. In testimony of heroic deeds, etc.

LIFE SAVING MEDAL OF THE FIRST CLASS.

[_Saving Life from the Perils of the Sea._]

LIFE SAVING MEDAL OF THE FIRST CLASS · UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. · Three men in a boat in a heavy sea. One is rescuing a person who has hold of a spar, at the end of which is a block with its sheet. Another is standing, casting a rope, and a third is seated and rowing. In the distance, to the left, is the wreck of a large vessel. PAQUET. F. (_fecit_).

IN TESTIMONY OF HEROIC DEEDS IN SAVING LIFE FROM THE PERILS OF THE SEA. A female figure, standing, holds in her left hand a wreath of oak, and with her right is preparing to inscribe the name of the recipient on a monument which is surmounted by the American eagle, and to the right of which are a mast, a yard with its sail bent, an anchor, a sextant, and a branch of laurel. Exergue: ACT OF CONGRESS JUNE 20th 1874. PAQUET.

_____

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS. (p. 442)

_Act of Congress Instituting Life Saving Medals._

_Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled_: That the
Secretary of the Treasury is hereby directed to cause to be
prepared medals of honor, with suitable devices, to be
distinguished as Life-Saving Medals of the first and second
class, which shall be bestowed upon any persons who shall
hereafter endanger their own lives in saving, or endeavoring to
save lives from perils of the sea, within the United States, or
upon any American vessel: _Provided_, That the medal of the first
class shall be confined to cases of extreme and heroic daring,
and that the medal of the second class shall be given in cases
not sufficiently distinguished to deserve the medal of the first
class: _Provided also_, That no award of either medal shall be
made to any person until sufficient evidence of his deserving
shall have been filed with the Secretary of the Treasury and
entered upon the records of the Department.

Approved June 20, 1874.

_____

_Lucien M. Clemons, A. J. Clemons, and Hubbard M. Clemons, of Marblehead, Ohio, for rescuing two men from wreck of Schooner "Consuello," in Lake Erie, May 1, 1875. Awarded June 19th, 1876._

Treasury Department, Office of the Secretary,
Washington, D. C., June 30th, 1876.
To
Lucien M. CLEMONS, Esq.,[130]
Marblehead, Ohio.

[Footnote 130: Similar letters were written to A.
J. Clemons and Hubbard M. Clemons.]

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a life-saving medal of
the first-class, which has been awarded to you under authority of
the provisions of the seventh section of the Act of Congress,
approved June 20, 1874, for the extreme and heroic daring
manifested by you in the rescue, under circumstances of peculiar
peril and difficulty, of two men from the wreck of the schooner
"Consuello," near Marblehead, Ohio, on the 1st of May, 1875.

In sending you this medal it is remarked that it and the two
others respectively awarded to your associates in the hazardous
undertaking referred to, are the first that have been issued
under the provisions of the act above named, and the Department
is gratified that the law should commence its operations by
honoring and commemorating an action of such distinguished
gallantry.

I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant,
Charles F. CONANT,
_Acting Secretary_.

_____

_Hugh Beard, James Conley, William Gregory, Charles Danslow, (p. 443) John Dolman, George Lee, Philip Murphy, James Munday, James Martin, William Ruffler, Samuel Richards, and William Stewart, members of the crew of the Mersey Docks and Harbor Board; and E. Crabtree, Charles Eddington, William Griffith, James Godfrey, W. Jones, John Dean, James Duncan, James Harvey, Robert Lucas, Thomas Maloney, Charles McKenzie, John Powell, John Robinson, R. J. Thomas, and Henry Williams, members of the crew of the "Royal National Life-Boat Institution," at New Brighton, England, for rescuing persons at the wreck of the American Ship "Ellen Southard" September 27, 1875, at the mouth of River Mersey, Liverpool, England. Awarded February 27, 1877._

Treasury Department, Office of The Secretary,
Washington, D. C. March 3d, 1877.
To
Mr. James MARTIN,[131]
Master of the Mersey Docks
and Harbor Board Life Boat, Liverpool, England.

[Footnote 131: Similar letters were sent to Hugh
Beard, James Conley, William Gregory, Charles
Danslow, John Dolman, George Lee, Philip Murphy,
James Munday, William Ruffler, Samuel Richards, and
William Stewart.]

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a life-saving medal of
the first class, which has been awarded to you, under the
authority of the provisions of the seventh section of the Act of
the Congress of the United States, approved June 20, 1874, for
the extreme and heroic daring manifested by you in the rescue,
under circumstances of peculiar danger and difficulty, of
seventeen persons from the wreck of the American ship "Ellen
Southard," on the 27th of September, 1875, at the mouth of the
river Mersey, near Liverpool.

It is the first time this nation has had an opportunity to offer
to other than its own citizens the medal of the life-saving
service, and it is a matter of congratulation that the occasion
is more than worthy of the token. No words, it is felt, can do
justice to the conduct of the men of the Liverpool life-boat upon
the scene of the wreck of the "Ellen Southard," and the fatal
disaster which followed the rescue, whereby nine persons
belonging to the ship and three of your gallant comrades
perished, while it saddens the glory of the deliverance, yet
throws into bolder relief the noble courage of the life-boat crew
by disclosing the dreadful hazards they dared to encounter. Upon
you, as upon each of the survivors, it is my privilege to bestow,
in behalf of the United States, this medal, provided by law in
grateful recognition of such deeds, and I beg you will accept it
with this expression of the appreciation of the gallant conduct
it commemorates.

I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant,
Charles F. CONANT,
_Acting Secretary of the Treasury_.

_____

To Treasury Department, Office of the Secretary, (p. 444)
Mr. John DEAN,[132] Washington, D. C., March 3, 1877
Member of the crew of the Life-Boat
of the Royal National Life-Boat Institution
at New Brighton, England.

[Footnote 132: Similar letters of the same date
were sent to E. Crabtree, Charles Eddington,
William Griffith, James Godfrey, W. Jones, James
Duncan, James Harvey, Robert Lucas, Thomas Maloney,
Charles McKenzie, John Powell, John Robinson, R. J.
Thomas, and Henry Williams.]

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a life-saving medal of
the first class which has been awarded to you, under the
authority of the provisions of the seventh section of the Act of
the Congress of the United States, approved June 20, 1874, for
the extreme and heroic daring manifested by you in the rescue,
under circumstances of peculiar danger and difficulty, of eight
persons from the wreck of the American ship "Ellen Southard," at
the mouth of the river Mersey, near Liverpool.

In transmitting this offering to you, as to each member of the
crew of the Life-Boat of the Royal National Life-Boat Institution
stationed at New Brighton, it is proper to remark that it is the
first time an opportunity has arisen for bestowing the medal of
the life-saving service of this country upon subjects of a
foreign nation. It was the fortune of your crew to arrive upon
the scene of disaster after the Liverpool life-boat men had
effected a deliverance, and been in turn subjected to a dreadful
casualty, whereby nine of the persons they had rescued and three
of their own number were drowned: and the remaining eight persons
from the vessel and the twelve men of the Liverpool crew,
clinging to the capsized boat in a fearful sea, owe their lives
to you and your comrades. The extreme jeopardy and hardships you
encountered upon the occasion of their rescue are deeply
appreciated, and, in behalf of the United States, I beg you to
accept this testimonial, provided by law in recognition of such
deeds of bravery and compassion. In sending it, allow me to add
the expression of the sense of the gallantry and the devotion to
high human duty which marked the conduct of yourself and of your
comrades upon the occasion under notice, and of the assurance
that each member of your crew, in his own person, by this deed of
valor and mercy, confers fresh and just honor upon the great name
of England.

I have the honor to be, Sir, your obedient servant,
Charles F. CONANT,
_Acting Secretary of the Treasury_.

_____

_Report of the United States Life-Saving Service._

Treasury Department,
To the Honorable United States Life-Saving Service,
LOT M. MORRILL, Washington, D. C., November 30, 1876.
Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, D. C.

Sir:
- - - - -

AWARDS OF MEDALS.

During the year three life-saving medals of the first class and
two of the second class have been awarded under the provisions of
the act of June 20, 1874. The medals of the first class were (p. 445)
bestowed upon Messrs. Lucien M. Clemons, Hubbard M. Clemons,
and A. J. Clemons, of Marblehead, Ohio, three brothers, who
displayed the most signal gallantry in saving two men from the
wreck of the schooner Consuelo, about two miles north of that
place, on May 1, 1875. It appears from the evidence of the
transaction that the schooner, which was heavily laden with
blocks of stone, was seen by a number of spectators on the shore
laboring in apparent distress in the passage between Kelley's
Island and Marblehead, the sea at the time being tremendous and
the wind blowing a gale from the northeast, when her cargo of
stone blocks, which had been left upon rollers, thereby causing
the disaster, suddenly shifted, and the vessel at once capsized
and went down. Five of her crew immediately perished; but the
remaining two succeeded in getting a hold in the cross-trees of
the mainmast, which were above water, where they clung for nearly
an hour. It was then that the three heroic brothers took a small
flat-bottomed skiff, twelve feet long, three feet wide, and
fifteen inches deep, the only boat available on the coast, and
leaving their weeping wives and children, who formed a part of
the watching group of forty or fifty persons on the shore, went
out in this frail shell to the rescue. The venture was, in the
judgment of the lookers-on, several of them old sailors,
hazardous in the extreme, but after nearly an hour's hard
struggle with the waves, the Clemons brothers gained the wreck
and delivered the two exhausted men from their perilous position
in the rigging. With the added burden in their skiff they were
then unable to make the shore, but remained for a long time
tossing about upon the high sea in momentary danger of
destruction, when fortunately they were descried by a steam-tug
at Kelley's Island, which came to their assistance. Under these
circumstances the medals of honor awarded them must be considered
justly due to their self-forgetful heroism.

The medals of the second class were given to Messrs. Otis N.
Wheeler and John O. Philbrick, in recognition of their services
in saving the lives of two men wrecked on Watts' Ledge, on the
coast of Maine, on Tuesday, the 30th of November, 1875. It
appears that Mr. Wheeler happened to see at 9 o'clock in the
morning, from the window of a house on Richmond Island, a man
standing on the ledge, which is about a quarter of a mile
distant, waving his hat as a signal of distress, and called on
Mr. Philbrick, the only other man on the island, to assist in
rescuing him. The wind was blowing a gale from the northwest, the
ocean was rough and covered with vapor, and the weather was very
cold, being at sunrise 16° below zero. The two life-savers went
out in a dory, one rowing and the other making thole-pins for the
pull back, there being but one pair. Arrived at the ledge, they
found there two men, one lying at length on his side, where he
had resigned himself to death, and got them with considerable
difficulty into the dory, great care being necessary to prevent
the boat being stove on the sharp rocks on account of the dashing
of the sea upon the ledge. The return was effected with two pairs
of oars, the second set of thole-pins being finished, and
involved a hard pull dead to windward.

The men saved were badly frozen. They had been on the ledge since
9 o'clock of the night preceding, and at high tide, which was
during the night, had stood in a foot and a half of water, which
is the height to which the sea rises at that time over the
highest point of the rock. When they were taken off they were
almost helpless, and probably could not have survived an hour
longer. Their boots had to be cut off; their feet and hands (p. 446)
kept for hours in cold water; great blisters which puffed up
two and three inches high on their extremities were opened
with a knife, and they were put to bed in a forlorn condition.
Mr. Wheeler then took the dory and rowed two miles dead to
windward with extreme difficulty, the wind blowing very hard, and
the sea feather-white with foam, till he reached Cape Elizabeth,
where he purchased rum, liniment, corn-meal and coffee. He got
back to the island about dark, bringing with him Mr. Andrew J.
Wheeler. The rescued men were then in great suffering; and rum,
gruel and coffee were administered to them, and their feet,
hands, and heads bathed in liniment and rum. They were constantly
and tenderly cared for by Messrs. Wheeler and Philbrick, assisted
by Mr. Andrew J. Wheeler, until Thursday noon following, when
they were taken off the island by the revenue-cutter Dallas.

The active and steadfast humanity of Messrs. Wheeler and
Philbrick, involving such marked labors, hardships and sacrifices
in the interest of two poor castaways, can only be recognized,
not recompensed, by the medals of honor bestowed upon them. It
appears that they also, together with Mr. John N. Wheeler, of
Cape Elizabeth, were subjected to considerable pecuniary loss on
account of supplies and medicaments furnished these unfortunate
men, clothing and bedding spoiled by the ichor from their sores,
and journeys by team to Portland, to notify the Collector of
their situation and necessities; and it is matter for deep regret
that there is no appropriation available under the law to satisfy
claims so intrinsically just, and arising under such
circumstances.

Correspondence has been received from the Honorable the Secretary
of State in relation to aid rendered by English life-boat crews
to the crew of the American ship Ellen Southard, including a
dispatch from the American consul at Liverpool, dated October 16,
1875, recommending recognition of the gallantry of these crews
upon that occasion, and suggesting that this might take the form
of a medal for each one of the members thereof. It appears that
the Ellen Southard was wrecked by stranding on Sunday, the 26th
of September, 1875, in a furious gale and frightful sea, at the
mouth of the river Mersey. The ship soon began to break up, and
unavailing efforts to construct a raft were made by her officers
and men, who remained in extreme peril during the whole night.
The next morning, news of the disaster having reached Liverpool,
the life-boat belonging to the Mersey Docks and Harbor Board, and
the life-boat stationed at New Brighton, of the Royal National
Life-boat Institution, came to the rescue. The Liverpool boat
arrived in advance of the other, and, after much difficulty and
danger, succeeded in taking off all the persons on the wreck,
seventeen in number, including the pilot. A few moments after,
while all on board were congratulating themselves upon the
fortunate escape, a terrific wave, which appeared, as averred by
the deposition of some of the survivors, to be as high as a
house, threw the life-boat entirely over, and eight of those
belonging to the ship, including the captain and his wife, the
pilot, and three of the fifteen life-boat men, making twelve
persons in all, were drowned. The life-boat, which appears not to
have been of the self-righting variety, remained bottom upward,
and after struggling in the water for a considerable time, the
survivors, being twelve of the life-boat crew and eight of the
crew of the ship, managed to get on to her, where they clung for
about an hour in great peril, when the New Brighton life-boat
arrived and took them on board.

This melancholy disaster sets in the strongest relief the (p. 447)
gallant devotion of the crews of the two English life-boats,
all the members of which risked their lives, while three of them
died in the brave effort to save our countrymen. The sorrow that
must be felt for those who perished in this manly endeavor is
tempered with satisfaction that the terms of the law permit us to
bestow upon their living comrades in the enterprise the fitting
tokens of our appreciation; and gold medals of the first class
have been awarded to the twenty-seven survivors, and will be
struck as soon as possible.

- - - - -
I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
S. I. KIMBALL,
_In charge of life-Saving Service_.

_____

_Colonel J. S. Crosby, U. S. Consul at Florence, Italy, for rescuing the life of Miss Edith May, and endeavoring to rescue the late Miss Adele Hunter, and Mr. W. T. Garner and his wife, at the sinking of the Yacht "Mohawk," in New York Harbor, July 20, 1876. Awarded June 8, 1877._

To Treasury Department, Office of the Secretary,
COLONEL J. SCHUYLER CROSBY, Washington, D. C., June 30, 1877.
United States Consul, Florence, Italy.

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a life-saving medal of
the first class, and which has been awarded to you, under
authority of the provisions of the seventh section of the Act of
Congress approved June 20, 1874, for the extreme and heroic
daring manifested by you in saving the life of Miss Edith May,
and endeavoring to rescue the late Miss Adele Hunter and Mr.
William T. Garner and his wife, under the circumstances of
peculiar peril and difficulty which attended the sinking of the
yacht "Mohawk," on the 20th of July, 1876.

The sorrowful catastrophe of that day will not soon be forgotten,
and will be all the more remembered for the noble manhood it
called into action. The vessel sank within four minutes. In that
brief time you saved one life from the sinking cabin. There you
re-entered, and remained until submerged, engaged in the
desperate and heroic efforts to save the others, escaping
yourself finally only by swimming upward through the broken
sky-light, guided by the faint light shed from the above through
the water. In sending you this medal, the highest recognition of
your conduct which the Government can give, it is felt that no
words can add distinction to the splendid gallantry which the
token seeks to commemorate and honor.

I have the honor to be, Sir, very respectfully,
John SHERMAN,
_Secretary_.

_____

_Carl Fosberg, for endeavoring to save the late Miss Adele Hunter (p. 448) and Mr. William T. Garner and his wife, at the sinking of the Yacht "Mohawk," in New York Harbor, July 20, 1876. Awarded June 8, 1877._

To Treasury Department, Office of the Secretary,
Mr. CARL FOSBERG, Washington, D. C., September 22, 1877.
Quartermaster, Yacht "Madeleine,"
Care of Commodore John S. Dickerson,
No. 29 Cliff Street, New York.

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a life-saving medal of
the first class, which has been awarded to you, under authority
of the provisions of the seventh section of the Act of Congress
approved June 20, 1874, for the extreme and heroic daring
manifested by you in endeavoring to rescue the late Miss Adele
Hunter and Mr. William T. Garner and his wife, under
circumstances of peculiar peril and difficulty, which attended
the sudden sinking of the yacht "Mohawk," on the 20th of July,
1876.

It is regretted that, owing to the inability of the Department to
discover your address, the medal could not sooner be forwarded.
In now sending it to you I recur to the circumstances of the
conduct it is intended to recognize and commemorate. The record
shows that the "Mohawk" sank within four minutes. During that
time and when the vessel was on her beam ends, you rushed down
into her cabin, where Colonel Crosby was already, and remained
there with him until the cabin was almost filled with water,
engaged in devoted though unavailing efforts to extricate the
unfortunate ladies from the furniture which had fallen upon them,
and escaping finally only by swimming upward through the broken
skylight, guided by the faint light which penetrated the water.
It must be noted that you were not bound by any tie of friendship
or kindred to those you tried to rescue, and that you were not
impelled by any consideration of reward, but solely by the
gallant instincts of manhood. Language has no power to add
distinction to heroism like yours, but in sending you this medal,
which is the highest tribute to your conduct that the Government
can bestow, it is a satisfaction to be able to express the
feeling that in men like you the traditional nobility of the
sailor is preserved.

Very respectfully,
John SHERMAN,
_Secretary_.

_____

_Report of the United States Life-Saving Service._

Treasury Department,
To the Honorable United States Life-Saving Service,
John SHERMAN, Washington, D. C., November 29, 1877.
Secretary of the Treasury, Washington, D. C.

Sir:

- - - - -
AWARDS OF MEDALS.

Two life-saving medals of the first class, and six life-saving
medals of the second class, have been awarded during the year
under the provisions of the act of June 20, 1874.

The medals of the first class were awarded to Colonel J. (p. 449)
Schuyler Crosby, of New York, at this date the American consul at
Florence, and Carl Fosberg, a seaman belonging to the yacht
Mohawk, in recognition of their extraordinary gallantry upon the
occasion of the sudden sinking of that vessel in New York Harbor
on the afternoon of the 20th of July, 1876. The horror which this
dreadful catastrophe diffused for days through New York and its
environs was only relieved by their action, which revealed some
of the noblest traits of the human soul. The Mohawk was the
largest and costliest of the fleet of pleasure vessels belonging
to the New York Yacht Club. She was the property of Mr. William
T. Garner, a wealthy merchant of New York, residing near New
Brighton, Staten Island, and was sumptuously furnished and
appointed. On Thursday afternoon (July 20, 1876) she lay at her
anchorage in New York Bay, off Stapleton, Staten Island. At about
half past three o'clock Mr. Garner arrived on board with a party
of friends, consisting of Mr. Gardiner G. Howland, Mr. Louis B.
Montant, Colonel J. Schuyler Crosby, Mr. Frost Thorne, together
with Mrs. Garner, Miss Adele Hunter, and Miss Edith May,
arrangements having been made for a sail down the bay. The day
had been somewhat dark and cloudy, with occasional squalls and
showers, and at the time of the company coming on board a
thunder-storm was rising in the southwest, of which no other
notice was taken by the guests than to retreat into the cabin
from the already dropping rain. The order had been given by Mr.
Garner to get under way, and under the direction of the
sailing-master, Rowland, the anchor had been lifted from the
bottom, but was still in the water, and all the working sails
were set except the flying-jib. The neighboring craft, of which
there was a number, had all taken in sail, and the men upon the
decks waited to see how the Mohawk would behave in the coming
squall. At that moment although there was hardly a breath on
deck, a wind smote the upper sails, and the sailing-master gave
orders to let go the fore-sheet, the jib-sheets, and the
fore-topsail. The order had only been obeyed in respect to the
fore-topsail, when the squall struck the yacht with such fury
that she careened, and lurched violently to port.

There was an instant tumult of cries, and the gentlemen rushed up
on deck from the cabin. In a moment the vessel was on her side
with the water pouring over the rail. While she was going over,
Mr. Garner and Colonel Crosby hurried back into the cabin to save
the ladies. Miss May was far over on the port side as they
entered, and Colonel Crosby, calling to her to get out as quickly
as possible, met her half way as she came across, got her to the
companion-way, where he pushed her up to Mr. Howland and Mr.
Montant, and sprang back into the cabin. The bravery of this
action will be realized when it is stated that the water was then
pouring down the companion-way in a steady stream. To enter the
filling cabin down this narrow way, in a vessel keeled over on
her side and rapidly sinking, seemed certain death. This Colonel
Crosby did, and with equal courage, the seaman Fosberg rushed in
with him. The scene in the cabin was frightful. The rich and
heavy furniture had shifted, and Mrs. Garner and Miss Hunter were
caught and pinioned by it against the sideboard. Mrs. Garner was
screaming and her husband was making frantic efforts to release
her and her companion, by throwing off the heavy articles which
held them down. In these endeavors Colonel Crosby and Carl
Fosberg desperately joined, pulling away the furniture and
handing it up to Mr. Montant and Mr. Howland, who threw in (p. 450)
out on deck. The water, meanwhile, continued to pour in and
the cabin rapidly filled. Although nearly submerged, the three
men never stopped their perilous work while it could be
continued. Their labors were, however, ineffectual, and were
ended by the sinking of the vessel. It was only four minutes from
the moment she capsized till she went down. Mr. Garner was
drowned, clinging to his wife, whom he would not leave. Colonel
Crosby and Carl Fosberg, toiling to the last second, were
engulfed, and nearly lost their lives. Swallowed by the flood in
the cabin, they only escaped by swimming upward, guided by the
faint light shed through the water from the broken skylight. The
aperture was fortunately large enough to enable them to pass
through, and they reached the surface, and were picked up by one
of the many boats which at once began to gather around the sunken
vessel.

The yacht sank so rapidly that Miss May, after being saved by
Colonel Crosby from the cabin, was again placed in the greatest
danger. She had not instantly quitted the vessel, being advised
to remain by Mr. Montant, who, with Mr. Howland, was engaged in
throwing the cabin furniture out on deck from the companion-way.
Consequently, when the vessel went down, they were all three
caught between the companion-way and the furniture, which was now
washed back into the cabin, and were completely covered by the
rushing flood. Fortunately, Miss May had her arm outside the
companion-way, which prevented her from being swept back into the
cabin, and Mr. Montant, in his struggles, losing hold of her, she
was enabled to swim, and with a few strokes gained the surface of
the water, coming up near Mr. Howland, who supported her till
they were picked up by a boat from a neighboring yacht. Mr.
Montant also escaped, though unhappily he did not long survive
the shock of the disaster.

The gold medals of the life-saving service have never been
awarded more deservedly than in this instance. It was no common
courage and humanity that impelled these two brave men to plunge
within the sinking vessel, where in the half darkness, amidst the
confusion of huddled furniture and rushing water, they strove for
the lives of the unfortunate victims. The perfect behavior of the
one in his manful efforts for his friends is matched by the
action of the other in imperilling his life for strangers.
Writing of him to the department, Colonel Crosby expresses a true
feeling, the utterance of which adds new honor to his own
conduct, in these words: "Too much cannot be said in favor of
this man, who was governed simply by his own brave instincts
rather than the hope of any reward. Nor did he have friendly or
loyal considerations to prompt him to risk his own life, which he
did by remaining to the last moment on board."

It deserves to be stated in this connection that Mr. Carl Fosberg
completed his gallantry by his modesty. After the affair in which
he behaved so well, he kept out of the way. When reporters sought
him he hid. It was with difficulty, and after some time, that he
could be found to give him the medal to which his conduct had
entitled him.

The life-saving medals of the second class were bestowed upon six
men who, at the risk of their own lives, saved a crew of nine
persons from the wreck of the bark Tanner. This vessel, bound for
Buffalo with a cargo of wheat, stranded about ten o'clock (p. 451)
on the night of September 9, 1875, on the beach south of the
harbor of Milwaukee. A severe northeast gale was prevailing,
and the vessel being submerged in about 20 feet of water, her
captain and crew were forced to take to the rigging, where they
remained all night, with the heavy sea breaking over them. At
daylight the captain jumped into the sea, and in the effort to
gain the shore was drowned. The unfortunate crew remained in the
utmost peril, one of the masts of the sunken vessel having
fallen, and the vessel herself fast going to pieces. Their rescue
was ineffectually attempted by the revenue-steamer Johnson, aided
by the tug F. C. Maxon. It was finally accomplished toward noon
of that day (September 10, 1875) by the following contrivance: A
scow held by a long line from a steam-tug was allowed to drift
down near the wreck, and a yawl-boat, similarly held to the scow,
was let down still nearer. The men in the rigging then dropped
one by one into the water and were picked up by those in the
yawl, which was then drawn up with its burden to the scow, which
in turn was drawn to shore. The six men referred to manned the
yawl and scow, volunteering for this difficult and hazardous
duty. Their names were Henry M. Lee, N. A. Petersen, Barnt
Oleson, Anton Oleson, Henry Spark, and John McKenna. The skill
and daring they displayed in the task of deliverance won hearty
applause from many spectators, and fully entitled them to the
recognition expressed by the medals awarded them.

The twenty-seven gold medals, mentioned in the last report as
having been awarded to the crew of the life-boat of the Royal
National Institution, and the twelve survivors of the crew of the
Mersey Docks and Harbor Board life-boat, in recognition of their
efforts to rescue the persons on board of the American ship Ellen
Southard, wrecked at the mouth of the river Mersey, near
Liverpool, on September 26, 1875, efforts which cost three of the
life-boatmen their lives, have since been struck, and delivered
to the members of the respective crews. The presentation took
place on the 16th of April, 1877, at the Town Hall, in Liverpool,
the proceedings being attended by a large number of corporation
officials, officers of mercantile associations, the principal
American merchants in Liverpool, and most of the masters of
American ships in port. The deputy mayor of Liverpool presided,
and the affair assumed the gratifying character of an ovation to
the brave recipients of the medals, and was also the occasion for
cordial and enthusiastic references, on the part of the
distinguished gentlemen at the meeting, to the action of our
government in the matter, which met with a suitable response from
General Fairchild, the American consul at Liverpool, who was also
present. The same cordial spirit appeared in the comments which
the occasion elicited from the English press.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,
S. I. KIMBALL,
_General Superintendent_.

_____

_Philip C. Bleil, of the Metropolitan Police force of New York (p. 452) City, for rescuing, at different times, several persons from drowning, from November, 1876, to June, 1877. Awarded January 4. 1878._

To Treasury Department, Office of the Secretary,
Mr. PHILIP C. BLEIL, Washington, D. C., January 15, 1878.
Patrolman, New York Metropolitan Police,
New York City.

Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a life-saving medal of
the first class, which has been awarded to you under authority of
the Act of Congress approved June 20, 1874, in recognition of
your services in rescuing from drowning, at the peril of your own
life, six persons, on as many occasions, since 1875.