The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1952-02-29


ment suggested could not be made.
The keeper, however, had not the
slightest doubt of its feasibility
and Furthermore, it appears that
the tug Atlantic went alongside
the Thurlow and proposed to tow
her to safe water and convey the
master to Beaufort because Cap
tain Hayes would not agree to the
terms offered. When the keeper
left the vessel she was riding to
only 25 or 80 fathoms of chain,
and although this was subsequent
ly increased to so fathoms on one
anchor, the second mate in his tes-
timony asserts the wreck to have
been due to the fact that more
scope was not given.
The Life-Saving station kept
strict watch on the Thurlow from
the time she anchored until her
fate was sealed. AS soon as her
crew was convinced that she was
certain to strand they fired two
Coston signals, which Surfman
Yeomans, on the north patrol ans
wered instantly. The life-savers
got out their beach apparatus cart
quickly, and since they knew that
the beach was in very bad condi-
ton for travelling, they divided the
heavy load by placing a part of it
in the driving cart. Then they set
out with both vehicles on their toll
some journey of two and a half
miles through the soft wet sand,
with the wind blowing at the rate
of 20 or 80 miles an hour, and, not
withstanding all the difficulties,
reached the necessary position OPP
posite the wreck within an hour
from the burning of the distress
signal on board
All Men In The Rigging
The doomed vessel was then
lying broadside to the beach about
450 yards distance, and the sea
was making a clean breach over
her. All the men had taken to the
lee mizzen rigging, and the bust
ness of Keeper Gaskill was to cast
shot line as nearly as possible
into their hands. The wreck was
gradually working to the westward
and therefore the sand anchor had
to be moved some so yards from
the position first selected. Then
the Lyle gun was fired with a g.
ounce charge of powder and No.
7 line. The projectile fell Is or
25 feet short, however, and sec
ond shot was no more successful,
but the third with No. 8 line and
a 6-ounce charge, landed fairly in
the midst of the sailors in the miz-
zen breaking off about 20 feet
above the deck, crushing the skull
of the steward, John Chalky, and
seriously injuring two other men.
Chalky's body fell overheard, while
the others landed on the top of the
house-men, mast, topmast, and
rigging tangled together.
The vessel began to break up
within half an hour after she
struck, and disintegrated rapidly.
First the fore-to-mast fell, then
the forward house and deck load
went overheard, then the bow and
the stern were torn off, the gen.
eral ruin being finally completed
by the falling of all the masts with
crash audible far along the shore.
The top of the afterhouse. or cab
in, was the only place of refuge,
and lying there the five sailors
struggled for their lives, with only
precarious handhold on the sky
light coamings. Meantime, the life
savers quickly fired another line
which fell almost into the hands of
the shipwrecked men, who as
quickly as they could, pulled off
the whip line and made fast the
tail block to the stump of the miz-
zenmast, but, while the sulfmen
were engaged in sending off the
hawser, a heavy sea tore off the
top of the cabin on which the sail
ors were gathered and carried
them with it into the breakers.
| A Terrifying Trip