The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1961-03-17

Il
the smaller No. 4 line, as he had
been instructed to do in such emer-
gencies. Suafmen Ayres and Stone
had now come up with the boat
and preparations were made to 60
off. This was at IL o'clock in the
day.
Belanga picked the following
men from the two crews as oars
men, viz: George w. Stone, John
Frank Tedford, of his own Sta
ton, and Joseph Spratley and
James E. Belanga, of the Dam Neck
Mills Station. The latter was his
own brother, while Spartley and
Tedford were related to him by
marriage (brothers-in-law). AL
though the tide had fallen off the
sea was still bad; yet for all this
there seemed an excellent prospect
of a successful outcome to the
hazardous undertaking. The boat
got away from the beach in hand
some style and was headed we'll to
the windward in order to stem the
current alongshore, and the crew
responding with a will to the
keepers CHEEKY "Drive her, boys!
drive her!" the ship was soon
reached. The German, both with its
human freight, still lay in the po-
sition in which it was first seen at
early dawn, the rope which held it
being attached to the ships quar-
ter.
Scarcely a word was spoken as the
two crews met, Belanga was the
first to break the silence by hailing
Captain Halberstadt with the in
quiry, "How many men have you "
The Captain replied, Twenty-Five"
The keeper then called for seven
sailors to jump into the surfboat,
intending, doubtless, to land them
all in three trips. 1t is said that the
Germans were disposed to spring
into the surf-boat pell-mell, but a
few words of restraint from the
officers were sufficient, so excel
lent was the discipline, and but
seven men as called for, including
the Captain, were transferred to
the station boat.
These were Immediately supplied
with life-presevers carried for
that purpose, and Belanga was on
the point of turning his craft shore
ward when suddenly an immense
wave swept around the rear of the
ship, combed over the two boats
which had tailed somewhat astern
with out the notice of the surfmen,
swamped them and turned them
over and over.
Thus in a moment every man was
thrown into the sea, the long boat
remained attached by its painter to
the ship while the surf-boat drifted
away, bottom up, to the southwark
along the surf.
20 Men Struggling For Life
The scene at this time was ap-
paaling. Twenty-rine men were
struggling for life in the storm
dashed icy waters and the people
on shore unable to do aught for
their deliverance. Those with life
preservers on had no difficulty in
keeping afloat, and quite a number
succeeded in gaining the bottom of
the drifting boat. A few managed
to reach the long-boat; others were
carried seward beyond the break
ers and quickly drowned. A like
fate ere long befell those who had
chung to the ships boat, as they one
by one succumbed to the intense
cold and We're washed off.
With the temperature below the
freezing point the struggle for life
was an unequal one for the strong
est, and before many minutes had
elapsed more than half the men
had disappeared. A few of the Ger
mans, the two Belanga Brothers,
and one of the other ife-saving
crew maintained their position
upon the drifting boat until it was
nearly half mile from the ship
and we'll inside the heaviest line of
breakers when they also began
dropping off from exposure and ex-
haustion, some to sink out of sight,
the others with what little strength
they had left feebly striking out for
the shore. Surfnlan Tedford, one
of the survivors, says that he chung
to the boat as long as possible,
when feeling that he must soon
perish, he loosened his, grip and
swan for the beach.
1t will be wondered what the
party on shore We're doing while
this was happening: 1t was not
much, it is true, but they appear to
have done their best under the cir
cumstances. Unfortunately there
was no other boat on hand; but no
such accident as this had been an
ticipated. Barco and his men were
standing in readiness to aid the
surf boat in landing its first load
when they were Mortified at be-
holding the two boats capsize.
T.. n. 4. A