The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1952-03-21

to haul off the hawser. The twist
extended the entire distance from
the ship to shore, and nothing
could be done from either end to-
ward getting it Strengthened out.
Seeing it would be impossible to
untangle the whip, Captain Har-
ris signaled to the sailors to cut
the tackle loose, but they failed to
understand what he wanted them
to do, and did nothing.
The keeper now sent two of his
men back to the station for another
whip line, and while waiting for it
the life-savers carried the shore
end of the twisted line down the
beach so that it would be clear of
wreckage and staked it fast that
it might later be recovered.
When the sailors found that the
line would not work, all hands, ex-
cept the cook, who was still in the
yawl boat, went aloft, the captain
taking refuge on the spanker gait
and the others in their former po-
sition. BY this time the deck load
had torn away the rigging to wind
ward, so that the piles on the side,
aided by the rolling of the schoon-
er, were pushing over to windward
the three masts previously men,
toned. This meant that these
masts would soon go by the board
Perceiving the danger that threat
ened, Captain Hunter from his po-
sition on the spanker gaff, called
to his men to come down, himself
suiting the action to the word by
descending to the starboard quar-
terdeck to windward of all wreck
age that would fall. The sailors
did not hear him at first owing to
the confusion. Had they done so,
what followed might not have re-
suited fatally to one of their num-
Der. Shortly, the mainmast cracked
and the sailors then started down.
They were not quick enough, how
ever, for the three masts went over
while two Of the men, Julgen and
Helgesen, were still aloft, and
these two went along overheard.
Neither man was apparently injur-
ed by the fall. Helgesen succeeded
in crawling up on some wreckage
hanging over the side of the
schooner and getting hold of the
flyrail. Here he held for a while
only to be swept back and to dis
appear in the threshing debris "a
longside. The other sailor, Julgen,
was more fortunate. He managed
to get astride spar in the water,
where he remained for fifteen or
twenty minutes, and then climbed
back on board with the help of
shot line that had fallen near him.
After the masts went over, his
crew tried to launch the yawl boat,
first making the cook get out of it.
1t filled, however, as soon as it
struck the water, and turned over,
and sea bore it away as previous
ly stated. 1t was afterward found
down the beach, badly damaged as
was also the schooner's dinghy,
which had been washed from the
top of the cabin soon after the YES
sci fetched up. The sea that took
the yawl boat away was the same
one that carried off the cook and
broke Helgesen's hold on the fly
rail. The engineer says in his tes-
timony that he saw the cook after
. he went overheard, crawl upon the
end of pile, hold on for a moment
and then go under as the timber
rolled. The bodies were not after
ward recovered, and it was the
general opinion of those who wit
messed the rescue operations that
they were ground to pieces among
the piles alongside the vessel.
When the masts came down
: Keeper Harris sent Surfman Scar
borough to the station with 5 men
, for the surfboat, that they might
, have it at hand ready for an at
tempt to get to the schooner in
J case the breaches buoy should fail
/ him. Meantime, the extra whiI
Z line had come. and he fired an
, other shot with a ounces of pow.
, der. laying No. 9 line where the
/ first one fell--just forward of the
/ stump of the spanker mast around
! which the sailors were huddled
The ships crew tried to haul Of