During a gale in January 1884, a life and death drama was playing out on the LBI beach. The barkentine Elmina, from Salscombe, England, had grounded on the bar just offshore. Keeper James Sprague and his crew from the Long Beach life saving service station had hauled the life-saving equipment to the site and were attempting to shoot a line to the ship.
The New York Times of Jan. 12 reported, “Red light was constantly burned by the life saving crew to let the imperiled sailors in the rigging know…
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