The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1953-06-05
400 PERSONS SURVIVED
AS VERA CRUZ STRANDED
OFF COAST, MAY 9, 1903
BY AYcocK BROWN

L
Carolina coast from which more
than 400 persons survived passed
un-noticed during the past week.
Yet there has never been a
wreck along the States coast |
which cast so many. persons
ashore. Even the newspapers Of,
so years ago hardly gave the in-s|
cident more than casual notice.
The old New Bern Daily
Journal in its Wednesday, May
Is issue carried the story which
follows: s .S1.c4. NJ II
"The U. S. Cutter Boutwell,
arrived here yesterday !, at, 1880
p. m. with the shipwrecked VIC
Tins of the barkentine Vera Cruz
which was cast on the beach at
Portsmouth Island on Saturday
night. The cutter had 400 passen-
gers, negros from the Cape Verde
Islands who were bound for New
| Bedford. There were % women
and three children in the load.
i The youngest child was two
i years old, the second three and
the third seven years old. The
oldest man was As years old. .,
The landing of the survivors
in New Bern was four days after
the Vera Cruz II, a Portuguese
vessel had floundered under very
suspicious circumstances on Sand
Island in Ocracoke Inlet on May
8 and 8.
Here is the story one hears
along the Outer Banks today
about the wreck, especially, in
Ocracoke Village and Ports
mouth where a few of the old.
timers still recall the event.
Actually, and this was proven
by the fact that most of the
passengers aboard had no pass
ports or entry papers to this
country, the skipper of the ship
Captain Julius M. Fernandez was
attempting to smuggle them into
the country. When the barken-
tine had shown up off Ocracoke
early in May with her pilots
flag up, many of the islanders
raced to the ships, because pilot
ing was a lucrative business in
those days. Capt. Bill Gaskill
was employed to pilot the ship
inside the inlet and the vessels
skipper claimed that it was
fresh water he needed.
When Captain Gaskill at the
wheel of the ship got into an
argument with Fernandez about
the location of the channel and
was urged to make a hard turn
to the port, which almost inn
mediately put the Vera Cruz II
high and dry on a sand bar. She
was stuck fast and the next prob
lem was to get the passengers
and crew ashore safely. There
was no Life Saving Station in
Ocracoke Village at the time but
on nearby Portsmouth Keeper
F. G. Terrell and his crew of
Portsmouth Lifesaving Station
rescued a total of 421 persons.
One of the passengers had died
and he was buried in the island. |
Portsmouth is a small village
today, the total population being |
only about IS persons. In those
days there were a hundred or
more residents and since there |
lwere not facilities enough at the
life saving station, it was nee
essary to quarter some Of the
survivors in local homes. Of the
416 persons cared for ON the
island, a total of 1,248 meals |
were eaten according to Capt.
Terrells report. David Stick in
his Graveyard of the Atlantic"
states ITO give an idea Of the
size of this undertaking Of feed
ing 421 survivors, it took four
and a half barrels of flour to
make bread for them"
In the meantime, as the. sur
vivors awaited the Revenue
Cutter Boutwell," Captain Terri
ell pulled a slick one, (and all of |
this may have been in his ORR
ginal plans.) On Ocracoke Island
he secured the services of Capt. |
Lum Gaskill to take him to Bel |
haven, where in those days the |
nearest telegraph office was 10
Gated. Fernandez claimed that he |
wanted to wire his agents in |
Boston or New Bedford for in
structions. The skipper of the
immigrant ship was careful to
carry all of his important papers
of Identification along with him
on the trip to BelhavenD and also
most of the valuables of his pas
sengers which had been entrust-
ed in his care.
In Belhaven, Fernandez, slipp-
ed away. Capt. Gaskill never
saw him again although, he had |