The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-04-06
WRECK OF THE COAL
BARGE OCEAN BELLE

On Saturday, the 10th of Oc-
tober, 1908, the schooner-rigged
coal barge Ocean Belle, of New
York, bound from Newport News,
Virginia, to Beverly, Mass, with
a cargo of 2,605 tons of coal, and
carrying a crew of men all told,
was wrecked l mile offshore and
215 miles north of the Virginia
Beach Life-Saving Station, and
George H. Adams, master, and
Charles Peters, seaman, were
drowned. The Ocean Belle and the
Georgia, another barge of like de-
scription, left Newport News in
tow of the ,ocean-going tug Rich
mond on the morning of Thursday,
October 8, and experienced fair
weather in the early part of that
day, but in the afternoon the con-
ditions became threatening, and by
900 pm. the wind was blowing a
gale from the northwest, having
a velocity of so miles an hour. At
that time Winter Quarter Shoal
!ightship bore abeam, and the tug,
being unable to steam against the
gale and heavy sea, was gradual
ly forced astern, still holding to
the barges.
So passed the night until 900
am. Friday, October 9, when the
Cape Charles lightship bore north
east 6 miles, and the tug signaled
to the barges to haul in their
hawsers and come to anchor.
Throughout the remainder of the
day they rode to their anchors in
safety, the tug lying by, but some
time during the following night
the Georgia broke adrift, and the
tug went to her assistance leav-
ing the master of the Ocean Belle
to his own resources. 1t appears
that the tug was able to take off
the crew of the Georgia, which
then drifted southwark and the
next morning stranded on the
Virginia shore in the vicinity of
the Virginia Beach Station.
The Ocean Belle continued to
hold on where she was until the
morning of Saturday, the 10th,
when the wind had increased to
IA miles, and at 1890 the, cables
parted and she at once fell off into
the trough of the sea, where she
was subjected to the full force of
the mountainous waves which con-
tinually boarded her and soon
stove in the matches. At that time
the pump showed 5 feet of water
in the hold. Fully realizing his
peril, the master promptly gave
orders to wear ship, and after
much difficulty the vessel was put
before the wind, standing on a,
south-by-west course. Most .unfor-
tunately, however, about half an
hour afterwards the steering gear
was carried away and the vessel
again lay helpless, broadside to
the sea. Now entirely unable to
take care of herself, she was
forced steadily toward the beach,
slowly settling at the same time
by reason of the leak, which could
not be stopped.
Seeing that the vessel was
doomed, the crew provided them
selves with life-belts and sought
refuge in the fore rigging. She
soon took the bottom, nearly or
quite mile offshore, and began
to break up. In less than an hour
after she struck three of the masts
had gone, the deck-house, boat,
and decks were washed away, the
foremost, where the crew had
congregated, alone remaining,
and the rigging had become so
slack that the men held on with
extreme difficulty. When they
went into the shrouds the captain
as cheerfully as possible wished
them all good luck, telling them
he could do nothing and that each
must now look out for himself. A
heavy lurch almost instantly fol-
lowing caused him, first of all, to
lose his hold and fall into the
waves, now full of wreckage,
where he was last seen struggling
in vain to reach the beach, the
outline of which could be occa-
sionally dimly perceived in the
distance.
1t soon became evident to the
men remaining in the rigging that
to stay there longer meant certain
death, as the mast was likely to
give way at any moment. The
chances of reaching the beach,
however, seemed equally adverse,
but after talking the matter over
they decided that was the only ex-
pedient way left them, and there
fore one after another let 60 his
hold, dropped into the sea, and
struck out for land. Manuel Pima,
very powerful swimmer, succeed
ed after hard struggle in reach
ing the shore. and Charles Peters.