f-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 deg. 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