The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-09-21

SIdFU6u W uIdS anu AAoAAAy AAS LIN
ledge, all of which time terrific
winds were blowing of near-hurri-
cane force.
Pilot John Hicks had come
aboard when rising wind and seas
made it impossible for the pil)t
boat to get him off and capsized a
life boat which tried to reach the
ship. When the Lawson began to
drag despite the bite of her big
anchors and the tons of chain he
told Capt. Dow: "You haven't got
a chance now. You're going to hit. "
She hit Hellweather Reef broad
side, Rowe says, and broke in half
about l am. in the morning of
December 14th, splitting between
numbers six and seven masts. On
the after part were Mr.. Rowe, Cap
tain Dow, the pilot and some 9TH
ers, and both sections turned over
and sank fast into dep water. Most
of the crew were in the shrouds as
she hit.
Chung To Ledge
The next thing Rowe knew he
was holding onto a broken piece Of
bulkhead timber, completely dous-
ed in heavy oil and buffeted about
by crashing combers. Later on in
the night-how long he doesn't
krow-he was thrown onto jag
ged ledge over which the waves
were continuously breaking.
Somehow, he managed to cling
after the break of a dirty gray
dawn say Capt. Dow clinging, half
to the jagged rock and shortly
conscious, to piece of wreckage
near by. Despite a broken knee
cap, he crawled down the rock and
helped the skipper secure {. foot
hold. Capt. Dow was seriously in
Jured with broken arm and ribs.
A few hours later they were
rescued from the rock by a party
of Islanders who had come off in
small boat to see what wreckage
they could salvage from the sunk
en- ship.
One other man, an English sea-
man named George Allen, surviv-
ed the sinking.
The financier for whom the big
ship was named wrote as her
epitaph: "She was the grandest
seabird that ever foated." Capt.
Crowley and his associates lost
several hundred thousand dollars
as result of the disaster.
Mast Names
In the many stories written
about this ship, there have been
various and often purely fanciful
descriptions as to how her seven
masts were named. According to
deck engineer Rowe, the masts
were respectively, the foremost,
main, mizzen, jigger, pusher, for
Ger and spanker. First mate Larsen
varies this somewhat by descrih-
ing them as the fore, main, mizzen,
jigger, driver, chaser and spanker,
but the nomenclature is almost
the same and contradicts the as
seration by many writer's that they
were named after the seven days
of the week.
While working ship, however, the
masts were often referred to by
number, according to Rowe, and
Larsen. This was made necessary
by the fact that the schooner, asu-
ally carried new hands on every
trip, so the numbering was used to
avoid confusion.
In her earlier days the Lawson
also carried five topmast stay sails,
but they were not often used and
during her career as tanker were
not in use at all. Her lower masts
were of iron and topmasts of wood.
Mast hoops being made of iron,
they made quite clatter when the
ship was wallowing in beam sea.
Such a large vessel under sail
was sure to have many peculiar
arities ,one of which was shat,
with her high bow, it was often
impossible to tack ship and she was
forced to wear around or anchor.
Close Calls
Twice the Lawson had near dis
asters. While being converted into
tanker at the Newport News
Shipbuilding Co. her wooden bulk
heads were being given water
test when the water somehow leak
ed through, the weight shifted, and
the schooner started to roll ever.
Her wire spring lines held her up,
however and disaster was ayerted.
Later she turned over at Sabine
Pass, Texas, and Mr.. Rowe was
sent down by the owners to help
right her. Wrong ballasting did
the damage, for she carried a huge
amount of ballast in her double
bottoms and someone had forgot
ten this fact while loading oil INTO
her tanks.
AS a tanker the Lawson was
used in the oil trade between Mar
Gus Hook, Delaware, and Sabine
Pass, Texas, in tow of the Dig tug
Paul Jones. On one trip the tug