The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1959-12-18
WRECK
Continued from Page One)

LlUtle ulu UloSe TWO uream OF the
futures in enterprise and military
service that lay ahead of them.
Heart of the settlement was of
course the station itself, shingled
building of one large room with
beds for the men, a smaller room
for the Keeper, a. kitchen and al
mess hall, and most Importantly
the tower, where someone kept
watch day and night. There was the
home of the Keeper, James How
ard, with its little parlor, two small
bedrooms, and kitchen. There was
the duplex home where the McWil-
iamses and the Fulchers lived.
Captain Howard had been Keeper
since July 1883 at a salary of $500
per annum. His daily Journal en-
tries had to give the direction and
force of the wind and the state of
the weather and surf at midnight
at sunrise, at noon, and at sunset.
They also logged the number of
passing ships sighted, with their
type of rig. They recorded that at
intervals an Inspector" visited the
Station and drilled the men with
the surf boat, with resuscitation,
and with the beach apparatus. A
daily exercise was the attempt to
throw a rope as to a vessel offshore
235 yards; the extent of accom-
plishment was always noted in the
Journal. Evidently the Keeper had
to play the part of doctor. Gone Of
the crew of this station was taken
sick suddenly. l gave him from the
medicine chest an ounce of castor
oil and a half ounce of whisky
Of course the Journal recorded the
wrecks, and they We're frequent
enough in those days: the S. A.
Reudolph on October 6, 1883, the
Sarah J. on November 80, 1883, the
J. w. Parker on January II, 1854,
the Glassalt on May &c, 1884, the
Richard S. Spofford on December
q, 1884 and so on and on
through the years.
The year 1899 had been normal,
Keeper Howard had as usual taken
his own vacation from n1id-July to
mid-August, being replaced by his
Assistant, Dave Williams. During
the summer months the Keeper and
his Assistant could handle the
needs of the Station by themselves,
but in the fall and winter addition
al men were required. 1t was late
in August that the Keeper and
the others with their families, had
moved to Cedar Hammock. This
gave a patrol of six men. Their
duties consisted during the night
of fonr-hour "tricks"-patrols or
watches. During the day they work
ed at filling in around the Station
and kept regular drills going. Just
routine.
On December 23rd Stacy and
John had gone off duck hunting;
Clifton, Needham, and Milton were
out in a sailboat on the Sound;
Stanley and Ira were riding their
ponies up and down the beach,
hoping to sight some valuable OBJ
ject washed ashore from a passing
ship. Lola, Maggie, and Massey
were playing house" in the parlor,
having been told by their mother
not to bother her while she was
baking Christmas pies. Her hus-
band, Hatton, had remarked earli-
er: "who in the world are you bak-
ing all those pies for?" and her
reply had been: maybe for folks
from overseas, who knows?" Elsie
was playing the organ in the How
ard home.
Supper came early and the chill
dren, as we said, were tucked into
bed about eight o'clock, and were
quite unaware of the drama I'M
folding off-shore. Keeper Howard
had noted the rising wind and the
rough waters and had admonished
the beach patrols and the tower
watch to keep a sharp lookout
toward the sea. 1t was the patrols
riding old "Lou" and "Sal" about
three miles south from the Station
that first caught the glimmer of
flares from the wreck off-shore.
Captain Baines had been sudden
ly awakened by the ringing of a
bell. He hurried to the deck, meet
ing the First Mate on the way.
When they reached the bridge he
noticed that his ship was entirely
surrounded by "white water. She
was aground, no question. Where?
Probably on the Diamond Shoals
off Hatteras. Hep starboard boats
had been swept away by the heavy
seas. It seemed best to launch the
port side boats at once, and the
Captain ordered this done. 1t was
his big mistake; had the crew stay
ed with the ship, all might have
been saved. Eleven men boarded
one of the boats, with instructions
to "get away and clear and then
lie by until daylight" Fifteen
others climbed into the remaining
boat. The Captain and another