The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1957-01-18

ected. Then the Lyle gun was
ired with a 6-ounce charge of
powder and a No. z line. The
projectile fell Is or 20 feet short,
however, and a second shot was
no more successful, but the third
with a No. 8 line and 6-ounce
charge, landed fairly in the midst
of the sailors in the mizzen break
ing off about 90 feet above the
deck, crushing the skull of the
steward, John Chalky, and seri-
ously injuring two other men;
Chalky's body fell overheard, while
the others landed on the top of
the house-men, mast, topmast
and rigging tangled together.
The vessel began to break up
within half an hour after she
struck, and disintegrated rapidly.
First the fore-to. mast fell, then
the forward house and deck load
went overheard, then the bow and
the stern were torn off, the gen.
eral ruin being finally completed
by the falling of all the masts with
crash audible far along the
shore. The top of the after-house
or cabin, was the only place for
refuge, and lying there the five
sailors struggled for their lives,
with only a precarious handhold
on the skylight coamings. Mean
time, the life-savers quickly fired
another line which fell almost into
the hands of the shipwrecked men,
who as quickly as they could, pull
ed off the whip line and made fast
the tail block to the stump of the
mizzenmast, but, while the surf
men were engaged in sending off
the hawser, a heavy sea tore off
the top of the cabin on which the
sailors were gathered and carried
them with it into the breakers.
A Terrifying Trip
The passage of these unfortu
nate men to the beach was a
frightful spectacle, even to the
surf-shore people to whom ship
wreck in it's most narrowing form
is no novelty. Lying flat upon the
top of the cabin they thrust their
arms through the windows of the
skylight and desperately hung on.
Two We're sorely injured and the
other three assisted them as best
they could.
"At times, says the keeper, "all
must have been ten feet under the
water" when their grasp would al
most fail, and even when they rose
to the surface the break of the
waves would nearly smoother them
again. At last one lost his hold and
seemed sure to drown, but the life.
savers went far out into the surf
in spite of the wreckage and dead
ly undertow and saved him-luck-
lily themselves escaping great in
jury or death which was liable to
follow single blow from the
heavy timbers thrust to and fro
with terrific force. "The rescued
man" says the keeper, "was more
dead than alive when taken from
the water" The other four still
held on and as soon as they were
near enough the surfmen again
went out into the breakers and
dragged the poor fellows to the
beach. The second mate who was
badly hurt by the falling mizzen-
mast, and a sailor who had flesh
wounds and severe bruises, could
not stand, and had to be carried
to the station in a wagon. The
three others were practically help
less, but though bruised and sore
were not wounded. None of the
five could have held out much
longer, nor any have saved them
selves had they lost their places on
the piece of wreckage which sus-
tanned them. All were at once
taken to the station, where they
were stripped of their wet cloth
ing, wrapped in blankets. furnish
ed with proper stimulants, and
placed in bed. After two days they
were sent to Beaufort.
1t is much to be regretted that
Keeper Gaskill was not allowed to
shift the Thurlow to a better an
chorage, since it appears in the
testimony that the schooner War
rem Adams safely rode out the gale
in a berth selected by him. The
thanks of the Service are due to
the Keeper and two assistants of
the Point Lookout lighthouse and
to several fishermen, for their
voluntary"and efficient aid in res
cuing the shipwrecked men. The
following letter was received from
the latter by the General Superin-
tendent:
Cape Lookout, North Carolina
December Z, 1902.
ave, the crew of the barkentine
Olive Thurlow, which went ashore
December 5, at A am, and became
a total wreck in Lookout Bay, we
wish to thank Captain Gaskill and