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

saving station. He was at the tim,
standing the 2:30 to 6 a. m. beacl
watch near the station. About $50
as it was coming daybreak, he saw
her off to the east-south-east. HI
watched her for a few moments
and then set a stake in the san,
near the watchhouse and took /;
range to determine in which di
rection she was moving. He saw
that she was falling off toward thu
beach. Scarborough says that HI
wasn't sure she would come ashore
but that he knew she was where
she should not be in weather sucl
as prevailed at that time. While
he was watching the vessel. Surf.
man Paul D. Beals, the No. 8 mar
at the same station came in from
the south patrol, and at Scar
borough's request kept an eye or
the ship while Scarborough went
to the station some 200 yards away
to inform the keeper of his dis
covery.
Keeper Thomas Harris and crew
of Paul Gamiels Hill Station were
soon on their way to the vessel with
the Beach apparatus, hauled by the
station team, arriving abreast of
her even before she stuck. Before
setting out he had telephoned to
Captain Tillet of the Kitty Hawk
Station, six miles South, 10 come
with his men, and to Captain Snow
of the Caffey's Inlet Station, six
miles north, to hold himself and his
crew in readiness for a call. Both
keepers came with their crews be-
fore the work of rescue was con-
cluded and rendered valuable SER
vice,
When Keeper Harris and his
crew arrived abreast of the schoon-
er the wind was blowing strong
from the northeast and it was
raining. The vessel lay broadside to
the beach and was pounding heavi-
ly, with the seas almost hiding her
from view. Within fifteen minutes
the Lyle gun was fired with 5
ounces of powder, laying a No. Q
line across the vessel just forward
of her spanker mast. After the
sailors had taken refuge on the
quarterback, six of them, it APP
pears, climbed into the spanker
rigging. When the line fell they all
came down and, together with the
master, who had remained on top
of the cabin, got hold of it and be-
gan to haul in. They hauled the
tail block on board and secured it
to the spanker mast. but in spite
of the efforts of the life-savers
to keep the two parts of the whip
the tremendous current
that swept down the beach twisted
the line so that it would not run
through the block when they tried
to haul off the hawser. The twist
extended the entire distance from
the ship to shore, and nothing could
be done from either end toward
getting it Strengthened out.
Seeing it would be impossible to
untangle the whip, Captain Harris
signaled to the sailors to cut the
tackle loose, but they failed to
understand what he wanted them
to do, and did nothing.
The keeper now sent two of his
men back to the station for another
whip line, and while waiting for il
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 gait
and the others in their former
position. By this time the deck loaC
had torn away the rigging to wind.
ward the three masts previously
mentioned. This meant that these
ened, Captain Hunter from his
masts would soon go by the board
Perceiving the danger that threat
position on the spanker gaff, called
to his men to come down, himseli
suiting the action to the word by
descending to the starboard quar-
terdeck to windward of all wreck
age that would fall. The sailors die
not hear him at first owing to the
confusion. Had they done so, wha
followed might not have resulted
fatally to one of their number
Shortly, the mainmast cracked ant
the sailors then started down. The!
were not quick enough, however
for the three masts went owe
while two of the men, Julgen ant
Helgen, were still aloft, and thes'
two went along overheard. Neithe,
man was apparently injured by tn,
fall. Hengesen succeeded in crawl
ing up on some wreckage hangins
over the side of the schooner ant
getting hold of the flyrail. Here h
held for a while only to be swep