The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1954-02-26
NEGRO, SOLE SURVIVOR,
LIVED FOUR DAYS IN
RIGGING DURING STORM
Seven Men Lost in Tragic Wreck of Henry P. Simmons
in $780, Many Vessels Uttered Beach; Negro Caught
Rainwater in Sail, But Had No Food.

from the rigging of the wreck
was a wild and terrifying one
The wind still ragged and the
waves broke into surf as far off
shore as the eye could see
through the pelting rain and
spume drift, while to the lee
ward lay the low sand hills
which ever and anon came into
sight and were then hidden by
the towering pillows that madly
chased one another shoreward
and were there scattered with
thunderous roar into a smother
of foam and spray upon the des-
olate beach.
Tide on Station Floors.
The first intimation the Wash
Woods crew had of there being
a craft in the offing was after
midnight, when the incoming
patrolman from the north beat
reported a faint white light,
apparently some distance off.
This he had answered with his
Coston danger-signal. 1t should
be stated here that the storm tide
had risen so high that it swept
completely across the lower
floors of the stations. Under these
conditions patrol duty was at
tended with the greatest diff
Guilty and danger, the men hav-
ing in places to wade hip-deep
and being frequently driven to
the knobs for safety. The next
patrol upon returning at day.
light brought news that a vessel
had sunk during the night well
off shore; the masts at that time
showing above water about two
thirds of their length, while the
end of the jib boom was just
visible between the seas. The
vessel lay with her head shore
ward. AS it was scarcely light
when the patrolman passed her,
he saw nothing of the crew.
Another surfman was at once
dispatched up the beach to OBJ
tain more definite information,
and returned with the report that
he could see several men in the
rigging. 1t was impossible to
handle the beach apparatus just
then, by reason of the condition
of the beach, but as soon as the
water fell off on the ebb tide the
men set out with the long-range
gear and after hard tug reached
the scene at about 10 o'clock in
the forenoon. In the meantime,
at about 8 o'clock, according to
Garnett's statement, the second
mate had been swept from the
rigging and another man shared
like fate an hour or so later.
Thus but five men were in the
rigging when the station crew
arrived, and shortly afterwards
another fell into the sea. An
attempt to reach the craft with
line thrown from the wreck-gun
failed utterly, the shot dropping
into the water about half way.
1t was thus demonstrated that,
owing to the great distance, the
beach apparatus was practically
usless, the officer detailed to in
vestigate the affair reporting
very emphatically that the
schooner was at least one thou
sand yards off. Indeed the pur-
pose of the keeper in firing the
gun was more to reassure and en-
courage the poor fellows than
from any hope of reaching them
with the line. At the same time
the surf was so high and danger
Gus that no human power could
have forced a boat through it.
The hands of the beachmen were
practically tied. They could do
nothing but watch and wait for
the storm to abate and the sea
to run down, and the outlook for
this was not promising.
Here, on the one hand, was a
sunken vessel with her crew in
the rigging, looking imploringly
to the shore for help, and, on the
other, a band of sturdy men
skilled in the handling of boats
in the surf and equipped with the
most approved appliances for the
saving of human life from the
perils Of the sea, but withal
powerless to save. Yet this was
the exact situation.
At noon the party on the
beach was reinforced by the ar
rival of the False Cape crew
from the north. They would
doubtless have come earlier, for
they had seen the vessels spars
soon after daybreak, but sup
posed she was at anchor, she
appeared so far out. But their
coming did no good, since the
storm continued with undated
violence all day, and absolutely
nothing could be done. With the
approach of darkness driftwood
fires were lighted and kept blaz-