The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1953-07-24

schooner would nold togeIner
until morning, they decided to
wait until that time before
undertaking to- send out line.
The wind gradually moder-
ated after shutdown, veering to
the northward, and the temper
ature, although low, was not
quite down to the freezing point.
A fire was built, and keepers
Howard and Terrell remained
with their men on the beach.
All hands were awake, and care
full examinations of the surf
were made as often as every
half-hour with a view of launch
ing the yawl,' if possible. Keeper
Howard at one time wading up
to his hips in water in order to
more thoroughly satisfy his judg-
ment upon the matter. He found
that the sea was combing over
the entire hull and dashing
about it with such power and
dangerous confusion that, in his
opinion, even if the boat could
possibly have reached it, which
he did not believe, it would GER
tainly have swamped alongside.
When morning broke, the tide
had so far receded that the men
on the bowsprit were able to re-
turn to the topgallant forecastle,
where they were discovered by
the life-savers as soon as there
was sufficient light. The falling
tide and northwesterly wind had
somewhat reduced the force of
the breakers, but were still surg
ing heavily across the hull amid.
ships. The Lyle-gun was now
placed a little below high-water
mark (Which made the distance
to the wreck between two hun
dred and two hundred and fifty
YARDS and was fired at once,
landing the shot line across the
jib boom, whence, however, it
blew off into the water before
the men made any effort to
get it.
AS soon as this result was dis
covered the line was hauled
back to the shore, and the dry
end which had remained in the
taking box was bent to the pro-
jectile when the gun was again
fired aimed a little farther in
board. This shot was entirely
successful, laying the line across
the spring stay just abaft the
foremost, the blight of it dropp-
ing down close to the fore-rigg-
ing. It was observed that the
only two men were moving
about on the schooner, and it
was at once surmised that the
other was either disabled or
dead. One of the two who were
active soon obtained possession
of the shot-line, and both began
to haul upon it. The whip line
and tailblock were then bent to
the shore end, and after much
hard work the block was secur-
ed by the shipwrecked men who
proceeded to make it fast to the
foremost, but only a short dis
lance up. Keeper Howard made
repeated signals indicating that
it should be carried higher, but
the men were standing on the
gaff of the lowered foresail and
could reach no farther, so that
when finally made fast, the
block was found to be only
about ten feet above the top of
the forward house.
When this was accomplished,
which consumed considerable
time, the life-saving men bent
! one end of the hauser to the
whip line and promptly hauled
il off to the wreck where it was
properly fastened a little above
the tailblock. The shore end was
set, the hawser drawn as taut as
possible, sufficiently high to be
well clear of the surf, anC
when all was ready, the breecheS
buoy was attached to the whip
line, slung to the hawser, ano
sent, out to the wreck. Captain
Halves. the weaker of the twc
men Immediately got into the
buoy and signal was made tc
haul ashore. This was promptly
done and it so happened, with
the rolling of the vessel ano
unavoidable sag of the hawser
that the captain was, at the
lowest point, let into the water
nearly to his waist, of which
fact he complains in his testi.
mony.
At the same time he says that
it was impossible, as no doubt
it was, for him and his compan.
ion to fasten the hawser higher
up on the schooner, which cir.
cumstance sufficiently account:
for the misfortune of the men ir
being somewhat drenched while
passing from danger on the
wreck to safety on the shore
| Tl4 To,14o;x. ,x,oc .,Ao,I., l. o1~1zs,