The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1957-11-08

shipwreck in New Inlet four miles
north of Rodanthe. The steam
packet William Gibbons stranded
in the inlet, near where the Pea
Island Coast Guard station now
sits, at four o'clock Monday morn
ing October 10, 1886. The lao pas
sengers got ashore, 116 of them
that same day, and the rest having
to remain on the boat overnight
were mistreated and robbed by
drunken members of the crew.
| The passengers included 80 wom-
en- and IA children. They got refuge
in some fishing shacks on Pea Is
land. At that time the inhabitants
of Pea Island were the family of
Roger Meekins, ancestor of all the
Meekins families of Dare County,
some of whom migrated to Tyrrell.
Some of the crew members who
nistreated the passengers of the
William Gibbons were later
brought to trial, for we read on
November 14th. 1886 that Joshua
Andrews, first mate, went to Jail
in New York in default of $1,000
bond, on a charge of robbing the
passengers. On December 81, the
newspaper Beacon, of Norfolk re-
ported that the mate and three of
the seamen of this packet passed
through Norfolk in irons on their
way to Raleigh to stand trial.
In those days, before many peo-
pie had got to spelling their name
with G. instead of a Y in the
middle, there lived a man named
John Midget at what is now Ro-
danthe. This man was evidently a
justice of the peace. His residence
was in what was then a part of
Currituck County. He was an an
cestor of the families now known
as Midget at Rodanthe.
Complete Accounts of the Wreck
We are reprinting here some in
teresting articles dealing with the
loss of the steamer Gibbons as
printed in the Norfolk newspapers
of the day. The following is from
the Norfolk Beacon of October IS,
1886:
"The William Gibbons left New
York on Saturday afternoon, Octo-
Der 9Th, 1886, having on board 140
passengers, (among whom were 80
women and IA children) bound to
Charleston, and went ashore on
Monday morning following at 4
o'clock, on the South point Of
Boddy's Island, near New Inlet,
wind from N. E. after which they
attempted to back out, and sue
ceeded in getting the boat afloat,
but was driven by the breakers
across the Inlet, and grounded on
the South side, being the Northern
point of Chicamacomico Banks.
The passengers to the number of
116 got on shore that afternoon, in
safety, and found shelter during
the gale on Pea Island, where
there was fishing house, not in
habited, and where they remained
funtil Friday last. The rest of the
passengers remained on board the
William Gibbons.
"The sufferings of the passen-
gers were indescribable-they had
very little to subsist on, and were
without water, except that which
they caught during the rain.
"The above particular we OBJ
tanned from J. H. Vincent and N.
w. Holman, of Alabama, and Hugh
w. Holloway, of Augusta, Geo.
passengers in the William Gibbons.
and who chartered an oyster boat
to convey them from Chicama-
comico to Elizabeth City, where
they arrived Sunday morning, and
at Portsmouth, the same eve
ming
eve also understand from the
passengers. that the vessel is very
much damaged and will probably
be lost.
| capt. Halsey was, temporarily
in command, Capt. Spinney, her
commander, was taken sick on the
day of the departure
| "Oct. 10. The End Engineer and
| five of the deck hands of the steam
packet William Gibbons arrived
here (Baltimore) on Monday last,
in one of the boats of the packet
through the Canal. They left the
wreck on Thursday last, at which
time she had considerable water in
her cabin, and was nearly embed
ded in the sand. They had saved
nearly all the materials of the
boat. passengers baggage, etc.
The. passengers had nearly all left
the place, and the Captain had
gone off in one of the boats of the
packet, supposed for Charleston.
According to a statement given
to the editor of the Elizabeth City
Herald, and published in that
paper, the conduct of the crew of
the William Gibbons, to the pas
Isengers, was worse than that which