The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1951-11-09

/, the gloom by one of the patrolmen
of the Durant's Station to warn
the vessel off. The surfman had
just been over his beat, and was
standing on the shore nearly OPP
posite the station when the lights
of the schooner suddenly came into
view. The captain, supposing he
was well offshore, did not at first
understand the signal but when
the next moment breakers were
reporte dby the lookout, and he
felt the vessels keel CRATE harshiy
upon the sand, he fully realized
what the signal meant. 1t was
then too late; he was helpless.
In the smoky condition Of the
atmosphere the powerful light
house at Cape Hatteras had not
been sighted, although not more
than seven or eight miles distant,
and thus unsuspicious of the dam
ger which awaited her, the schoon-
/ err had approached too near the
land for the patrol to see her in
time for his signal to be needed
and the course changed offshore.
The vessel had grounded about six
hundred yards to the eastward of
the station, and four hundred from
the beach. She struck at dead low
water.
The surfman Immediately dash
ed into the station with the alarm,
and in less than fifteen minutes
from the time he sighted the craft,
the Durant's crew weer on the
scene with the beach apparatus,
the surf being too heavy to use the
boat.
The vessel had swung around
broadsida to the beach almost the
instant she took the bottom, and
the seas came leaping on board
fore. and aft. This started the deck
load and made it so dangerous to
life and limb that the men were
quickly forced to fly to the near
est rigging and seek refuge aloft,
some to the main, and others to
the mizzen, their cries for help
were distinctly heard on the shore.
1t appears from the captains
account that Sanders the man lost,
who was upwards of seventy years
old, after coming on deck when
the schooner struck, ran below for
some extra clothing, and the last
seen of him was when he emerged
from the cabin and climbed into
the rigging. AS the vessel was
great distance off-a dark object
just visible against the scarcely
less dark expanse of sky-and it
was apparent that under the great
pressure of the wind, the sea and
the current she was steadily work.
ing along the bar to the eastward,
Keeper Fora Burrus concluded to
wait until she stopped moving be-
fore he attempted the rescue, as
he felt certain that with the ris-
ing tide she would come closer in.
In the meantime Capt. Eugene H.
Peele, the keeper, and his crew of
the Creed's Hill Station had arriv-
ed in response to the request of
Capt. Burrus by telephone, trans
mitted as soon as he received the
news, and while his men were tum-
bling out of their beds. Upon being
thus reinforced, Capt. Burrus de-
tailed four men to proceed up the
beach to the eastward to watch
for, and give aid to the ship
wrecked people in case they at.
tempted to land in their own boat,
as in the event of such an effort be-
ing made the current would nee
essarily impel them in that direc-
ton. In less than half an hour the
men returned with the informa-
ton that the schooner's yawI had
washed ashore empty. 1t had been
swept from the vessel almost as
soon as she struck the bar. Large
quantities of lumber were also re-
ported drifting in.
By two o'clock in the morning
the wreck was much nearer the
beach, and the gun was therefore
trained and fired in an attempt to
establish communication by line.
The shot, however, fell short, the
distance being yet too great. After
a brief interval a second shot was
fired, and later on third, but
every time the line parted. These
efforts were really more for the
sake of encouraging the people to
hold on, than from an expectation
of accomplishing anything before
daylight, by which time it was
thought the vessel would be driven
in close enough for effective work.
Four shots in all were fred in
the darkness, but none reached the
vessel. They had the hoped-for eff
feet, however, for the sailors after
wards told their rescuers that they
felt sure that if the schooner only
held together until daybreak they
would be safely landed. They said
Furthermore that even if the line
had reached the craft it would not