The first intimation that Mayo and Mallows had that a terrible tragedy had been enacted within a short distance of them was when the overturned life-boat, with the sole survivor of the Monomoy life-saving crew, Surfman Ellis, clinging to it, was seen drifting out over the shoals.
At the sight of the life-boat with a surfman clinging to it, both Mayo and Mallows knew that a terrible disaster had happened. Mayo in an instant threw off all his clothing except his underclothes, and while Mallows entreated him not to go, telling him he believed that to attempt to reach the overturned life-boat would cost him his life, Mayo grabbed the dory, threw it into the raging sea, and slid down a rope from the barge into the frail craft.
FOURTEEN-FOOT DORY USED BY CAPT. ELMER F. MAYO, IN RESCUING SURFMAN ELLIS.
With the improvised thole pins and the long oars, with handles so large that he could hardly grasp them, Mayo had a fearful struggle in preventing the dory from being swamped by the seas.
With a strong and steady stroke, and energy born of desperation, he kept the little boat head to the sea, sending her along with marvelous speed. Within a short time he was within hailing distance of the man on the bottom of the life-boat. Surfman Ellis saw the boat as it was thrown from the barge, but in the fog had lost sight of it. Mayo, however, had kept the overturned life-boat within sight all the time, and as soon as he got within hailing distance he shouted to Ellis, whom he then recognized, to hold on!
It was a hazardous task to take Ellis from the bottom of the life-boat, but both Mayo and Ellis were skilled in that kind of work, and it was successfully accomplished. To land on the beach through the surf would be attended with greater peril, but Mayo knew that Ellis must have immediate treatment, and after placing him in the bottom of the boat, he headed the dory straight for the shore. The fog still hung over the waters, and it was solely from his thorough knowledge of the waters about that region that Mayo was able to avoid the myriads of shoals and rips, and guide the boat to a point on the beach where it would be possible to land. Surfman Bloomer, of the Monomoy Station, who had walked down the beach, saw the boat headed for the beach, and running down, got there just in time to assist Mayo in landing.
THE MONOMOY SURF-BOAT.
Both the United States Government and the Massachusetts Humane Society recognized this great heroic act of Captain Mayo, and awarded him medals. The committee having charge of the Monomoy Fund also presented him with a portion of the money received by them, in recognition of his heroism in rescuing Surfman Ellis from a watery grave.