The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1959-01-30

OtLCI whip ll1iC, oiA0 WAAAS eateAh6
for it the life-savers carried the
shore end of the twisted line down
the beach SO that it would be clear
of wreckage and staked it fast
that it might later be recovered.
When the sailors found that the
line would not work, all hands, ex-
cept the cook, who was still in the
yawl boat, went aloft, the captain
taking refuge on the spanker gaff
and the others in their former
position. By this time the deck
load had torn away the rigging
to windward, so that the piles on
the side, aided by the rolling of
the schooner, were pushing over
to windward the three masts prev
iously mentioned. This meant that
these masts would soon go by the
board. Perceiving the danger that
threatened, Captain Hunter from
his position on the spanker gait,
called to his men to come down,
himself suiting the action to the
word by descending to the star
board quarterback to windward of
all wreckage that would fall. The
sailors did not hear him at first
owing to the confusion. Had they
done so, what followed might not
have resulted fatally to one of
their number. Shortly, the main
mast cracked and the sailors then
started down. They were not quick
enough, however, for the three
masts went over while two of the
men, Julgen and Helgesen, were
still aloft, and these two went
along overheard. neither man was
apparently injured by the fall.
Helgesen succeeded in crawling up
on some wreckage hanging over
the side of the schooner and get
ting hold of the fly-rail. Here he
held for while only to be swept
back and to disappear in the
threshing debris alongside. The
other sailor, Julgen, was more for
tunate. He managed to get astride
a spar in the water, where he re-
manned for fifteen or twenty min
utes, and then climbed back on
board with the help of a shot line
that had fallen near him.
After the masts went over his
crew tried to launch the yawl boat,
making the cook get out of it. 1t
filled, however, as soon as it
struck the water, and turned over,
and a sea bore it away as prev
iously stated. 1t was afterward
found down the beach, badly dam
aged as was also the schooner's
dinghy, which has been washed
from the top of the cabin soon
after the vessel fetched up. The
sea that took the yawl boat away
was the same one that carried off
the cook and broke Helgesen's
hold on the flyrail. The engineer
says in his testimony that he saw
the cook after he went overheard,
crawl up on the end of a pile,
hold on for a moment and then go
under as the timber rolled. The
bodies were not afterward recover
ed, and it was the general opinion
of those who witnessed the rescue
operations that they were ground
to pieces among the piles along
side the vessel.
When the masts came down
Keeper Harris sent Surfman Scar
borough to the station with men
for the surfboat, that they might
have it at hand ready for an at
tempt to get to the schooner in
case the breeches buoy should fail
him. Meantime, the extra whip
lire had come, and he fired an
other shot with A ounces of pow
der, laying No. 9 line where the
first one fell-just forward of the
stump of the spanker mast around
which the sailors were huddled.
The ships crew tried to haul off
the whip, in which effort they fail
ed, owing to the fact that the shot
line had fouled the wreckage. Al
though this line could not be used
as intended, it at least served the
good purpose, as was already
shown, of helping Julgen get back
on the ship. Keeper Harris stated
that he tried to send this second
shot within reach of Julgen, SC
that in case the men on the
schooner did not succeed in getting
it, he (Julgen) would be able to
lay hold of it, and the life-savers
could then haul him ashore. The
line doubtless saved the sailors
life, although not in the manner
the keeper had considered possible
Failing the second time in theil
efforts to get the apparatus il
operation, the sailors returned tt
the stump of the spanker mast
around which they chung, some Of
them lashing themselves fast. Sew
eral of the life-savers who were
present on the beach testified thai
while the sailors were in this posi-
ton the seas repeatedly buried