The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1962-02-23

alreauy been thrown were still II
the surf and yfor the reason also
that the cabin had drifted nearer
the shore while the bulk of wreck.
age had worked farther off and be-
yond range. The line fell to lee
ward Of the house and had to be
hauled in and fired again. It this
time fell just out of the mans
reach. g
It must be borne in mind that
much of the time the cabin, which
was but a small portion of the
schooner, was entirely hid from
view by the furious seas which
constantly swept over it. The
gathering darkness and the varying
force Of the wind also added to the
difficulty Of accurately firing the
| line. Furthermore the object was
SO small that the line had to fall
within very narrow limits to insure
the mans getting it. The wonder
is that any line at all was success
fully thrown within its reach. The
house being unable to long resist
the heavy seas was quickly demol-
ished on entering the inner break
ers. It is doubtful whether the man
was seen after the cabin went to
pieces. One of the surfmen, never
theless, hastily buckled on a cork
jacket and fastening a line around
his waist plunged into the surf to
his rescue, but the heroic effort
proved futile. The wreckage of the
cabin was carefully examined after
it reached the shore but no trace
of the man could be found. Mean
while the rest of the drifting
wreckage had been swept to sea
and out of sight.
The keeper and crew Of the
Creed's Hill Station (six miles to
the westward Of Cape Hatteras
Station) had arrived during the
operations and joined in the work.
Darkness had now shut down and
nothing remained but to watch the
shore. An effective patrol was
maintained throughout the night
and the following two days, but
nothing came on the beach.
Many persons of the vicin-
lily had rendered willing and
efficient aid in the efforts to rescue
the ships wreckage, and number
of them remained far into the night
keeping vigil with the life-savers.
On the 10Th the sea had gone down
sufficiently to enable the station
men, together with a party of
wreckers, to go off in boat to
the wreck. The stern of the vessel
which was found fast to the debris
was cut loose and towed ashore. BY
saving out some of the planks, her
name was ascertained.
From careful investigation of
this case, in which exhaustive testi-
mony was taken, there can be
drawn no other conclusion than that
the Service did all in their power
to save life. The continued blow
from the east and northeast had
produced fearful sea and surf,
the latter being almost if not quite
as dangerous as any time before
experienced on this exposed portion
of the coast. It was utterly i'm
possible for an open boat to live.
or even to be successfully launched
from the beach, and so there was
no way by which the surfmen could
reach the schooner when she first
came to anchor off the Big Kinna-
keet Station.
The diligence of the crews in
their efforts to reach a position
abreast of the schooner when she
was beached is unquestionable.
The accident to the cart belonging
to the Big Kinnakeet Station, as
subsequent events proved, did not
affect the results in any way. The
men put forth their strongest en-
deavors and acted with great
promptness and judgement, and the
sad loss of life was due to no fail
ure in effort or error in execu-
ton. The vessel broke up so quickly
that had they been abreast of her
when she struck they could not in
the limited time at their disposal
have effectually set up and worked
the beach apparatus.
Three of the bodies, without
marks of Identification, one Of
which was supposed to be the Cap
tain's were subsequently found on
the beach between the Big Kinna-
keet and Cape Hatteras Stations.
They were decently buried by the
life saving men.