The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1961-02-17
TRAGEDY
Continued from Page Four)

wreck, and In some places piled sew
eral feet high. There was no re-
covery Of bodies this morning
(Feb. p. The rapidity with which
the vessel broke up is strikingly
evident from the fact that a bar of
railroad iron came ashore on por-
tions of the wrecks.
The oldest residents of the beach
say they have never known more
complete wreck. It was criminal to
send her to sea as the debris
shows how rotten the timbers were.
Mr.. w. A. Powers who has had
large experience in breaking up
vessels of all kinds, says that he
never saw such rottenness, and the
general opinion expressed is that
the lives were sacrifice to crlmi-
nal negligence wholly unpardon-
able"
"The wretcfedness and misery of
the rescued, their pitiable plight and
appearance could not be portrayed
Huddled together, almost naked,
many wounded and bruised, all IN
need of clothing +. The story is
one Of horror, it is one that speaks
with no mincing words. It is one
that will cause an indignation
righteous and just against those
who put at the mercy of the ocean
waves nearly $50 lives in a vessel
that was in every respect unsea-
worthy-that was as rotten as punk
and that could be ikened to death
trap.
"While deep censure should be
put upon the guilty parties who
were responsible for sending the
hulk of the Metropolis to sea-. a
like censure Is due the Government
for the miserable apology of what
is termed life saving stations. To
think of it, on a coast like that of
Currituck, Kitty Hawk and Hat
teras, a coast that is strewn with
milestones of wrecks, dismal graves
of disaster, that stations are pro-
vided some Is and 20 miles apart,
stations with only a crew of seven
men to each, this force to patrol a
beach of the length stated, with no
appliances in the shape of horses
or teams to move with CELEBRITY the
life saving apparatus that is to give
aid to the wrecked, is a crime I'M
pardonable - a crime that cries
aloud for redress"
It is ever thus. The comforts that
we enjoy today, the measures of
safety that are provided for our
security, the things that make for
our happiness and welfare, have
come to us through the wretched-
ness, misfortune and misery of
others who went before us, or upon
the labor and SORROWS of unnamed
and unknown mulGtudes whose suf-
ferings we cannot know. America
owes much today to the memory
of those humble laborers, on the
Metropolis, whose little children
were left alone to fare as best they
might and to wait for the ship that
never returned.
NOTE: 1t will be of further in
terest to read the following refer
ence to the circumstances of the
Huron as published in Col. Creecy's
Economist at Elizabeth City under
date of March 10, 1878.
The report of Capt. ]. H. Merry
man of the U. S. Revenue Marine
and Inspection of Life Saving Serv-
ice in reference to the loss of the
steamer Metropolis, made to th'
Secretary of the Treasury, entirely
exonerates the citizens of the
neighborhood of the wreck from all
the vile charges that have been
made by some of the Northern
papers. Captain Merryman says:
"The survivors were distributed
among the neighboring dwellings,
the life saving stations being too
far away to be reached in their
exhausted condition. The citizen
fed and clothed them to the full
extent of their means, and their
generous hospitality is worthy of
all praise. In this regard, the light
house keeper, Mr.. Burrus and
Messrs. T. ]. Poyner deserve par
ticular notice.
"Mr. N. G. Burrus, the keeper
of the Currituck Lighthouse, in his
affidavit says: 4 furnished food
and shelter for 81 persons that
night, and for about 76 with break
fast and dinner, also sheltered them
that night and gave them break