The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1954-07-23
STEAMER FLOATED AFTER TWO
MONTHS ON HATTERASSTRAND
COAST LOSES AN ATTRACTION
The HOnduran Freighter Omar Babun De-
parted Monday Morning after Being Pulled
Off by New Methods and the Help of People
of the Villages of the Outer Banks; Was
Drawing Card for Sightseers

RODANTHE, July 22-Three
transplanted mountaineers who
didn't know they couldn't do it
and who had the good sense to
hire the first native who told
them they couldn't do it, went
away from here shortly after
midnight Monday morning in the
Honduran freighter Omar Ba-
bun and laid course for Norfolk
and a profit for their ignorance
repeatedly well above hundred
thousand dollars.
Even as late as 10 o'clock Sun
! day morning anybody who had
dollar he wanted to bet could
find takers along Hatteras Is
land who would give odds that
even though she was floating
easily at the end of her tether,
the Omar Babun would never
leave here. 1t had just never
been done in the history of this
Island and when the Graveyard
of the Atlantic gets its hands on
ship it never lets 60.
But daylight today and the
Omar Babun was plumb past
Oregon Inlet, towed by tug but
with her own propellors lending
hand at progress and trium-
plant streamer of smoke flow
ing back out of her funnel. Also
aboard we're the three trans
planted mountaineers, too tired
and too sleepy to know whether
they felt triumphant or not.
These mountaineers are the
three Canipes, father, son and
grandson, ranging in age from
go for the grandfather down to
18 for the grandson who came
straight here from Edwards Mil
itary Institute when the family
decided to the undoable. The
Canipes left their foothills in
Cleveland County and around
Shelby ten years ago and when
the war was ended the whole
tribe was established at Have
lock where they took over the
Buick agency and became pur-
veyors of motor vehicles to the
U. S. Marine Corps.
Not one of them has had time
in the SO days they worked on
the Omar Babun to explain to
anybody how they ever got the
notion that they could do a piece
of salvage that had been turned
down by the professionals. They
came up within 48 hours after
the little West Indian freighter
hit the beach three miles north
of here at 4 am. of May 14th
and started wanting to know
why they couldn't get the job.
Nobody wanted the job because
it was hopeless. The Omar Ba-
bun would stay right there until
she broke up.
There was considerable invcl-
we'd. The boat itself, an ex-net
tender of 1850 tons, was insured
for $4,000. The cargo, mostly
heavy cement and sugar mill
machinery, was insured for an
other $4,000 After a weeks
dickering with the insurance
companies, the Canipes just
bought the boat, repeatedly for
$4,000 and made an arrangement
with the insurance company to
salvage the cargo. Details of that
arrangement have not been dis
closed.
Salvage people in Norfolk anc
to haul on the foundered vessel
with no promise that they woulc
get her off. That was too much
and the Canipes got their head:
together, hired Ray Austin a
Salvo and a dozen other Island
ers and went to work. They sum
moned fleet of bulldozers ano
trucks, bought some steel land
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