Tombstone epitaph., 1890-03-29
HERO OF A B0WSPRIT.

On April 12, 1877, one of the most ter. rife storms that ever visited the North Carolina coast began and lasted for three days, culminating on the 10th off Cape Fear. It was fearfully destructive to life and property, wrecking many ships with their crews and cargOes, and Durying them beneath the waves. One large three masted vessel broke up, and parts of her lrifted into Smithville bay, prize for the wreckers. which not only illustrated the force of the storm, but was curiosity in the strength of it's structure.
 ''All her bolts, " said one who examined pieces of the wreck, ''are brass, four, six nuI even eight feet long; the knees are solid iron, and the outside planking six inches through, and of stout pine"
 There were two Smithvilie pilot boats the Mary K. s5prunt and the Uriah Tim mons-crusng off the co;tst ut the time the storm commenced, and finding it i'm possible to make a harbor they were com- pelleG; to stand off and try to weather it out. The Mary K. Sprunt had d crew of five men, viz: Christopher Primer, Robert Walker, Charles Dasher, Jr., Thomas Grissom and Lawrence Gillespie. the cook. They were brave and skillful men, but after desperate struggle, in which all that the most skillful seaman ship could accomplish had been exhausted. she went down with all on board.
 On the 18th the body of Tom Grissom was found by the pilot boat H. Wester- mann floating at sea, about nine miles ont, and the pilots also found the Mary K. Sprunt lying on the botcem, in eleven anl n half fathoms, her white sails, torn into ribbons, shining up through the blue depths and undulating with the motion of the restless,>ea.
 The Urial.N Na'immons had crew of four men--C. c. Morse, Julius Weeks, Joseph Thompson, IT,, and Joseph Arnold-and of these Arnold was the youngest, hardly 20 years of age. Every precaution was taken upon the approach of the storm, and, with only enough canvas to steer by, sIe faced it. All day and night of the 18th sine leaped and rolled and dived like cork on the waves, while the storm in- creased in fury every lear. Day dimly dIwned on the 18th over Il bowling waste of waters, whose pillows heaved her sky ward, leaving great chasms, down whose sides she rushed heaiiIong as if to certain destruction. A gray mist shrouded sky and sea, and the storm tiend shrieked with thu: unearthly voice which, once heard, is never forgotten. Covering before the blast. licked from stem to stern by the tongue of the hungry sea, grooming and sobbing as she strained up the watery heights or slid down the hissing gulfS, the little ship drove on. Although carrying but thirteen yards of canvas, the jaw of the boom was eating into the foremast like famished animal. With the ad- vancing day the fury of the gale increased. It seemed aS if the spirit of an angry god walked the waters and lashed the ele- mcnts in bls wrath. A mountainous wave, leading the host of pillows, would rush toward the little vessel, and, top bling as if to fall upon and crush her, would lower its crest, and, gi.ding beneath her trembling timbers, lift her almost clear in air and toss her. toy like, to an- other huge pillow, while the multitudi- nous ocean roared with rage.
 The crew of the TimmOns, brave and hardy mariners as they were, and accus- toned to storms on the broad water from childhood, stood appalled, at the surpass- ing terrors of this awful scene. L;Ished ill the cockpit, with wise like grip upon the wheel and drenched to the skin. sat Julius Weeks, who had been there thir- teen hours. At last, toward afternoon, to the utter dismay of all on board, the jib halyard parted, and, flying down the stay, the jib hung. bag like, below the bowsprit, and instantly the sen, like a ravenous beast, fell upon it and held it down as if devOuring it. The brave boat struggled hard to lift her bow, thus weighted, from the waves, and with mighty effort succeeded. Again the sea seized and held the bellying jib,and again the gallant boat, struggled, raised it clear, but with weakening power. The plots now realized that, unless immediately re- leased from this new and frightful dan ger, the Timmons could not hold her head un, but must founder after n few more struggles; but, feeling assured th:t an attempt to reach the jib stay would result in certain death. as no man could ever remain on the bowsprit even if he could reach it, they were stricken with despair
 ''We are lost" exclaimed one; "unless we can cut that jibstay we are certainly gone. man can't live there, but it is our only hope :"
 Who should do the desperate deeds They hurriedly agreed to decide the mat ter by lot, and were about to proceed to OO SO, WueU Joe ATUOlu, MIIO WuS uOW uI the wheel, shouted.
 ''Ilold on, men! You are all married and have families; am single man; let he try it, and if go overload it will be all right;" and, surrendering the wheel the brave boy drew his sheath knife, and putting it between his teeth started for ward.
 It was impossible to keep his footing, and so he crawled cautiously along the ,leck (there is no railing to Il pilot boatl, holding on as best he could. His com panions watched him with the eagerness of men whose only hope of life hung on his steadiness of nerve and physical strength. If he reached the bowsprit in Safety, the sea would certainly beat him off. for every time the little craft plunged the waves seemed 10 leap up to meet her. For the first time since childhood ftrvent prayers rose to the lips of some of those men who had followed the sea" all their days without thinking of him whose presence they now realized as they had never realized it before, and tears flowed freely down their bronzed faces.
 Joe reached the foreinast, and just then the Timmons rolled nearly on her beam ends. H. throw kis arm around the mast