The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-12-21


er them ''the greater part of the
time" In the course of an hour,
Chase gave up hope, lay down, and
went to sleep. The captain says
that they could not rouse him from
the fatal lethargy, and by two
o'clock he was dead. His body was
dashed to the capstan, so that the
waves could not dash it overheard,
and was left there when the cap
tain and surviving sailor We're
again driven to the bowsprit by
the next food tide. A boat con-
tanning Keepers Howard and Ter
rell was pulled out to the wre&
about midday after the rescue for
the purpose of recovering the
body, but although the storm was
much abated, they found it abso-
lutely impossible to board the
schooner.
The Inspectors Observations
Whether the loss of this mans
life is chargeable to the keepers
is to be determined by the decis-
ion of three plain questions: First,
could the shipwrecked men have
been rescued by Keeper Terrell
with the schooner's yawl or with
his own boat during the after
noon? Plainly they could not, be-
cause, no crew could be got to man
a boat, even assuming that the boat
service was practicable. The testi-
mony proves that Keeper Terrell
exerted every influence at his COM
mand, persistently and by all pos
sible means, to persuade the by
ISLANDERS to join with him and Ma
son in making up a crew. Only one
individual agreed to go, and the
evidence, if evidence is needed,
clearly establishes the fact that
three men could not possibly han
die the boat. Indeed, it was the
general opinion on the beach that
the reason why the many compe-
tent persons standing by refused to
go was because they did not be-
lieve that either boat, with any
number of men, could make the
trip.
At all events, the keeper did
everything in his power to secure
the aid necessary for a trial. Sec
ond, could the shipwrecked men
have been saved in the early even
ing if a line had been fired as soon
as the life-saving crew arrived
from the Ocracoke Station? AL
most conclusively, no. The situa-
ton of the men as already discuss
ed-lashed to the bowsprit with nc
standing room or facilities what
ever for manipulating the line
proves that their rescue at that
time by means of the breeches- bu-
oy was not feasible. Third, could
a rescue have been effected about
midnight, as Captain Halves
claims, when they returned for a
little while to the surf-swept top
gallant forecastle? Upon this ques-
ton there is a bare possibility OF
room for difference of opinion, but
the judgment of the witnesses is
almost unanimous in the negative
and in the light of all the facts
subsequently ascertained, it is vir-
tually certain that an attmept to
set up the beach apparatus at that
time would have been utterly flu
tile. AS for poor Chase, he could
lend no aid, for he was already dis
abled. The situation on the forcas-
tie, as stated by Capt. Halves, was
extremely perilous, and there does
not appear to be any likelihood that
he and one sailor could at that
time have hauled out the gear if a
line could happily have been placed
in their vicinity. Nor, in view a
the condition of the captain wher
he reached the shore, is it at all
probable that Chase could have
survived the trip even if he could
have been placed in the buoy
which, is exceedingly doubtful. In
fact, he was practically life-less
before the gear could have beer
set up if all had been done as the
captain then desired, and without
delay or mishap.
The circumstances of this disas.
ter and the conduct of the life.
Saving men with reference to it
were investigated in the most ex.
haustive manner by Assistant In
spector F. H. Newcomb, one of the
most competent officers of the
Revenue Cutter Service, who ex-
pressed the opinion that the keep
ers in no wise failed in an intelli-
gent and commendable perfor-
nance of their whole duty. While
the General Superintendent found
no reason to differ with this opin-
ion, he reached the conclusion that
! it would have been effected, but