The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-04-20

the heavy load by placing part
of it in the driving cart. Then they
set out with both vehicles on their
toilsome journey of 21k miles
through the soft, wet sand, with
the wind blowing at the rate of
20 or 80 miles an hour, and, not
withstanding all the difficulties,
reached the necessary position OPP
posite the wreck within an hour
from the burning of the distress
signal on board.
The doomed vessel was then ly-
ing broadside to the beach about
$50 yards distant, and the sea was
making clean breach over her.
All the men had taken to the lee
mizzen rigging, and the business
of Keeper Gaskill was to cast
shot line as nearly as possible into
their hands. The wreck was grad
ually working to the westward,
and therefore the sand anchor had
to be moved some so yards from
the position first selected. Then
the Lyle gun was fired with a g.
ounce charge of powder and a No.
z line. The projectile fell 10 or 20
feet short, however, and a second
shot was no more successful, but
the third, with No. 9 line and
six-ounce charge, landed fairly in
the midst of the sailors in the
mizzen shrouds. At that very in
slant the masts went down, the
mizzen breaking off about 20 feet
above the deck, crushing the skull
of the steward, John Chalkly, and
seriously injuring two other men.
Chalkly's body fell overheard,
while the others landed on the top
of the house-men, mast, topmast,
and rigging tangled together.
The vessel began to break up
within half an hour after she
struck, and disintegrated rapidly.
First the fore-topmast fell, then
the forward house and deck load
went overheard, then the bow and
the stern were torn off, the general
ruin being finally completed by
the falling of all the masts with a
crash audible far along the shore.
The top of the after-house, or
cabin, was the only place of re-
fuge, and lying there the five
sailors struggled for their lives,
with only a precarious handhold
on the skylight coamings. Mean
time the life-savers quickly fired
another line which fell almost into
the hands of the shipwrecked men,
who as quickly as they could
pulled off the whip line and made
fast the tail block to the stump
of the mizzenmast, but, while the
surfmen were engaged in sending
out the hawser, a heavy sea tore
off the top of the cabin on which
the sailors were gathered and car
ried them with it into the break
ers.
The passage of these unfortun-
ate men to the beach was fright
full spectacle, even to the surf
shore people, to whom shipwreck
in it's most narrowing form is no
novelty. Lying fiat upon the top
of the cabin they thrust their arms
through the windows of the sky
light and desperately hung on.
Two were sorely injured, and the
other three assisted them as best
they could. "At times" says the
keeper, "all must have been 10
feet under the water" when their
grasp would almost fail, and even
! when they rose to the surface the
break of the waves would nearly
smother them again. At last one
lost his hold and seemed sure to
drown, but the life-savers went
far out into the surf in spite of
the wreckage and deadly under
tow and saved him-luckily them
selves escaping great injury or
death, which was liable to follow
a single blow from the heavy
| timbers thrust to and fro with
terrific force. "The rescued man."
says the keeper, twas more dead
than alive when taken from the
water" The other four still held
on, and as soon as they were near
enough the surfmen again went
out into the breakers and dragged
the poor fellows to the beach. The
second mate, who was badly hurt
by the falling mizzenmast, and a
sailor who had several flesh
wounds and severe bruises, could
not stand, and had to be carried
to the station in a wagon. The
three others were pra ic ally
helpless, but though bruised and
sore were not wounded. None of
the five could have held out much
longer, nor any have saved them
selves had they lost their places
| on the piece of wreckage which
sustained them. All We're at once
taken to the station, where they
were stripped of their wet cloth
ing, wrapped in blankets, furnished
with proper stimulants, and placed