The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1959-02-27
WRECK OF SCHOONER NATHAN EsTERBROOK. JR.
FEBRUARY 2q 1893

FEBRUAF
At about 1 o'clock on the morn
ing of February 20, 1898, the surf
man having the patrol to tn,
northward from the Little Kinna
keet Station, (then the Sixth Dis
trict), North Carolina, discovered
large vessel, which proved to b.
the schooner Nathan Esterbrook
Jr., of New Haven, Connecticut
ashore two and one-half mile.
north-northeast of the life-savins
station, and about three hundred
and seventy-five yards from the
shore. This point is some foul
miles northward of the town Of
Avon.
The vessel was of seven hundred
and thirty-one tons burden, hav.
ing on board a cargo of guano val.
ued at $4,000, and was on voy.
age from New York City to Savan.
nah, Georgia, carrying a crew Of
nine men all told. The wind was
from the southwest, and although
strong, was favored for the schoon-
er, and while it was intensely dark
the weather was not stormy, but
the master had in some way missed
his calculations and almost before
he was aware of his peril, ran hard
aground as stated above. The tide
was falling and the surf was
heavy.
The patrolman no sooner saw
the lights of the schooner than he
knew she was stranded, and he
therefore made his way with all
possible haste to the life-saving
station, where the crew were
aroused and at once prepared to go
to the wreck. While the appara-
tus cart was being run out, and
some extra articles that the keeper
thought might be found necessary
were being loaded into a horse
cart belonging to him, he tele-
phoned to the Gull Shoal Station,
some five miles to the north of his
own, and also to Big Kinnakeet,
some six miles to the southwark,
informing them of the stranding
and requesting their presence at
the scene. Then he went to the top
of the lookout and burned red
signal to let the ship-wrecked men
know that preparations were in
hand for their rescue. The life
saving crew then harnessed them
selves to the apparatus cart and
started off, the keeper going ahead
and making faster time with his
own cart loaded with the medicine
chest, blankets, life belts, extra
shot lines, etc. Not long afterwards
he met the Gull Shoal crew and
sent some of them with horse to
assist his men who We're behind
with the apparatus cart. No time
was unnecessarily consumed, but
extreme darkness of the night and
the condition of the beach were
such that a considerable period was
required to get abreast of the
wreck with the apparatus, which
was not accomplished until nearly
3 o'clock.
The Lyle life gun was immedi-
ately brought into requisition,
carefully sighted by the lights of
the schooner which were still burn
ing, and moment later it's friend
ly shot went whizzing through the
air toward the mark. The distance
was great, and the darkness so i'm
penetrable that the eye could not
follow the flight of the projectile,
but the fact subsequently appeared
that Notwithstanding the Difficult
ties of the situation both the keep
er and gun had done their work
well.
1t is true the shot did not rest
on board the vessel, but it reached
her fairly and would have proved
entirely successful had it not hap
pened to strike the heavy forestry
and rebound into the water. After
waiting a sufficient length of time
to find that the line was not being
hauled aboard, the keeper knew
the shot had failed, and promptly
prepared to try again. The second