The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1952-02-08
WRECK OF WALTER MASSEY
DIAMOND SHOALS, JAN, 1889

The barkentine Walter S.
Massey, of Philadelphia, from
Pernambuco, Brazil, on her way
to Hampton Roads, Virginia, for
orders, ran upon the Outer Dia-
mond Shoals off Cape Hatteras,
North Carolina, at half past four
o'clock January 10, 1889, during a
dense fog, and soon filed with
water.
She was valued at $4,000, car
ried a crew of ten men and a
valuable freight of sugar worth
$4,000, all total loss. AS the
accident occurred some nine miles
southeast of the Cape Hatteras
Station (Sixth District), the thick
weather prevented the vessels be-
ing seen until half past 10 o'clock,
when the fog lifting, the surfmen
on the lookout discovered her sit
uation. He at once notified the
keeper. The latter telephoned to
the neighboring stations Big
Kinnakeet on the one hand and
Creed's Hill and Durant's on the
other RI for assistance, then made
preparations to go to the rescue
as soon as the two surfmen. had
been sent on patrol because of the
storm, should return and give him
full crew. It was therefore
nearly noon before a start could
be made.
The keeper of the Durant's
Station soon arrived with the
Creed's Hill crew and boat, and the
force was shortly further increased
by the arrival of the Big Kinna-
keet crew with their boat. The
three surfboats were now launched
and pulled out through the heavy
surf, shipping several seas in the
attempt, but getting safely across
the bar. They proceeded toward
the wreck and upon reaching the
outer slew met the bark's crew
making for the shore in their own
boat. The station men hitched
their boats together and taking the
other in tow, set out on the return.
Getting inside the outer bar, five
of the sailors were taken into the
Cape Hatteras boat, the others
into the Big Kinnakeet boat, and
the third life-saving crew took
charge of the ships boat. The
landing through the surf was eff
fected shortly after dark without
greater mishap than the "over-
ending" of the empty boat, though
not without difficulty and danger.
The captain was sick and ex-
hausted and all the men were wet.
They were conducted to the sta
ton, provided with dry clothing
and made as comfortable as cir
cumstances permitted. The storm
continuing for several days, the
vessel went to pieces and became
with her cargo total loss. On
the goth the shipwrecked people
desiring to proceed to their homes
were put on board wrecking
steamer bound to Norfolk. The
Captain, before his departure on
January 20, wrote to the General
Superintendent of the Service as
follows:
"Sir: wish to tender my thanks
to Capt. B. B. Daley and crew,
of Cape Hatteras Station, Capt.
2. G. Burrus, of Durant's, the
surfmen of Creed's Hill, and Capt.
D. M. Pugh and crew, of Big Kin
nakeet, for their prompt assist
ance rendered to me and my crew
of nine wrecked on Hatteras
Shoals January 18th. We struck
the shoal at 4:30 am, the vessel
breaking up. 1t being thick, we
could not have been seen from the
shore. We had to leave ship in the
long-boat, and were taken up at
sea by the above-named life
saving crews, taken to the station,
cared for, and treated with great
est respect. We lost everything
we had, and without the assistance
of the life-savers it is more than
likely we would have been lost,
leaving no one to tell the tale;
but by their hard work our lives