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

captain was almost exhausted
by the 1abors of the previous
day and the exposure of the
night, so that he had not half
his normal strength left when
they entered upon the weari-
some task of hauling out the
life-saving lines, and was ex-
tremely weak when he entered
the breeches bouy.
The Steward Was Dead.
The third member of the crew,
Sylvester H. Chase, the steward,
was left on the vessel, dead.
During the previous forenoon,
while they were trying to haul
the yawl back to the schooner,
he fell, as before stated, from
the quarterback to the main
deck below, and suffered injury
of such gravity that he was not
able to do any more work, and
spent the remainder of the day
holding on to the forestry, evil
IDENTIFY in great distress. When
the breakers, swollen and accel-
Grated by the flood tide, began
to sweep over the topgallant
forecastle, he was assisted py
his shlpmates to the fore stay
sail boom, and when later they
were obliged to take refuge on
the end of the bowsprit (the
hull being wholly submergeO
they persuaded him, though not
without much argument, to &C
company them. At nightfall all
three were huddled together,
making themselves as secure and
comfortable as possible under
the shelter of the jib, which
they had managed to draw
around them.
About midnight, or perhaps a
half-hour earlier, the tide had
again run down so far that they
were able to return to the top
gallant forecastle, which was
more desirable place, although
the sea, says the captain, was
breaking over them "the greater
part of the time" In the course
of an hour, Chase gave up hope,
lay down, and went to sleep.
The captain says that they could
not rouse him from the fatal
lethargy, and by two o'clock he
was dead. His body was lashed
to the capstan, so that the waves
could not dash it board,
and was left there when the
captain and surviving sailor
were again driven to the bow
spirit by the next flood tide. A
boat containing Keepers Howard
and Terrell was pulled out to
the wreck about midday after
the rescue for the purpose of
recovering the body, but al
though the storm was much
abated, they found it absolutely
impossible to board the schooner.
The Inspectors Observations.
Whether the loss of this mans
life is chargeable to the keepers
is to be determined by the de-
cision of three plain questions:
First, could the shipwrecked men
have been rescued by Keeper
Terrell with the schooner's yawl
or with his own boat during the
afternoon? Plainly they could
not, because no crew could be
got to man a boat, even assum-
ing that the boat service was
practicable. The testimony prov
es that Keeper Terrell exerted
every influence at his command,
persistently and by all possible
means, to persuade the bystand-
ers to join with him and Mason
in making up a crew. Only one
] individual agreed to go, and the
evidence, if evidence is needed,
clearly establishes the fact that
three men could not possibly
handle the boat. Indeed, it was
the general opinion on the beach
that the reason why the many
competent persons standing by
refused to go was because they
did not believe that either boat,
with any number of men, could
make the trip.
At all events, the keeper did
everything in his power to Sc
cure the aid necessary for q
trial. Second, could the ship.
wrecked men have been saved
in the early evening if line
had been fired as soon as the
life-saving crew arrived from
the Ocracoke Station? Almost
conclusively, no. The situation Of
the men as already discussed =
lashed to the bowsprit with nc
standing room or facilities what
ever for manipulating the line =
proves that their rescue at thai
time by means of the breeche:
bouy was not feasible. Third