The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1960-07-22
Gallant Deeds Of By-Gone
Years in The Walter
Raleigh Coasfland.
WRECK OF SCHOONER
CHARLES S. HIRSIl

'wned by the Hirsch Lumber Com
amy of New York. She left Bruins
wick, Ga. on the morning of Octo-
,er 10, 1908, bound for Baltimore,
Nd, with a cargo of 318 Georgia
line piling, consigned to Hodgkins
lumber Company. She was wreck
ID near Paul Gamiels Hill, 81 years
go.
On this trip she carried a crew of
light men, including the Captain,
IS follows: Frank Wall Hunter,
faster, Charles o. Olson, mate,
red l. Hoffses, engineer; Edward
Christensen, Albin Julgen. Tor
les Gunderson, Ludwig Helgesen,
earnetl, and the cook, Helgesen and
he cook lost their lives in the dis
Lster here described. No one of the
rev inte1rogated by the officer
Who Investigated the disaster could
i've the name Of the cook. All that
ould be learned about the cook was
hat he was an Englishman and
hat he had shipped at Brunswick,
he port from which the schooner
lad sailed. The Captain stated that
his name was on the ships papers
which were lost with the vessel.
The piling the schooner carried
consisted of sticks from 80 to 80
Feet long and measuring from 18
10 20 inches through their largest
ends. They were slowed heads and
butts. The deck load Of 116 timbers
filled up all the space amidships,
being. stacked well up under the
main and mizzen masts, leaving
free only the space forward &C.
Eupied by the forecastle and that
lft taken up by the cabin and
quarterback. The piling was Sc
Furely dashed by wire and chains.
Eight Knots In 81 Hours.
According to the testimony of
Captain Hunter, the schooner had
Fair weather until October 20, when
The encountered a northeast gale,
which lasted until the 22nd. After
hat she had variable winds and
aims, there being days when she
would not log more than eight
Knots in the whole twenty-four
hours. There was a nasty sea all
his time, says the master, and the
conditions seemed to indicate that
storm was brewing. About 2:30
b. m. of October 90, when the vessel
was doubtless somewhere off the
Kill Devil Hills life-saving station,
She lay becalmed. The Captain had
not been able to take an obser-
vation for thirty-eight hours, and
Hid not know more than approXi-
nately where he was. The crew had
been taking soundings since 500
pf the proceeding morning, and at
the time stated, 2:30 a. M, the lead
showed Is fathoms. About 3:15 a
light wind sprang up from the
northwald, which within an hour,
freshened to or a knots. At this
time the schooner was heading
north-northwest in Is fathoms. The
Captain was on deck all the while
assisting in taking soundings.
ASKED if he saw any lights at any
time, he replied that somewhere be-
tween IL and 200 a. m. of the goth
he picked up two on the starboard
bow which he at first took to be
shore lights, but on looking at them
Through his glasses he found they
|were steamers.
At 400 the port watch came on
deck to relieve the Captain, who
was keeping the starboard watch
hut the later still remained on deck
to look after the soundings. For
some time after 400 the vessel
ran along in IL and 10 fathoms
When she made Is fathoms the
captain told the mate that they
would soon wear ship, meaning
that they would swing the schooner
clear around to port, making loop
as it were, and head out seaward or
the port tack almost at right angle;
TO the direction in which they were
going. This vancouver was neces'
sary in order to get out far enough
to go again on the starboard tack
for Cape Henry, inside of which the
Captain says he wanted to make
refuge.
Just before the necessary orders
were given for bringing the vesse
around, a sounding was taker
which showed IL fathoms. The
captain states that he had then ne
idea that he would go on the beach
He simply thought that they WEEK
getting as close in shore as wa!
up again on the starboard tack. Thu
prudent and that the time had ar
rived to get off in order to come
necessity for wearing ship, he ex
plains, was the direction of tn,
wind, which was blowing from tn
northeast. In the opinion of SOM
of the life-savers, if the wind hat
been point farther eastward, !
would not have been necessary Il
wear the schooner around, and sh