Our Sister Service: Wreck of the Coal Barge Wadena and Capsize of the Surfboat from the Monomoy Life-Saving Station

By far the most distressing calamity to the Life-Saving Service during many years, and one unequaled by more than two or three in its history was that which occurred on the 17th of March, 1902, near the eastern end of Shovelful Shoal, coast of Massachusetts, and resulted in the drowning of 12 persons, 5 from the stranded coal barge Wadena and 7 from the crew of the Monomoy Life-Saving Station. The circumstances of this lamentable loss of the shipwrecked and sacrifice of the life-saving men appear from the testimony of all the witnesses to have been substantially as follows.