The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter. [volume] (Manteo, N.C.) 1959-1973, 1962-03-16

about 2ya miles northeasterly from
the Cape Lookout Life-Saving Sta
ton. The weather was then thick
and rainy with moderate gale
from the southwark.
On the morning of the 4th the
Captain, who had now been suf-
fering intensely for three DAYS with
a broken leg, naturally desired to
get ashore where he could receive
surgical attention. and he there
fore ordered distress signal to be
set in the rigging. 1.-TWO minutes
later" as he says in his testimony,
he saw the answering pennant OF
the life saving station, "and twenty
minutes later the life savers were
aboard" He was taken ashore,
whence he was sent to Beaufort
without delay. and in closing his
affidavit regarding the disaster he
states that he received all possible
attention and was under many obi
cations to the keeper and crew"
Before leaving the vessel. Keeper
Gaskill informed Captain HAYES
that a very severe gale was JIM
minent from the southwest, that
the vessel was in a perilous posi-
ton, and therefore he wished to be
allowed to take her to good an
chorage in comparatively smooth
water. This request the captain re-
fused on the ground that she would
not "head in and could not be put
In stays"-that is, that the move
ment suggested could not be made.
The keeper, however, had not the
slightest doubt Of its feasibility and
furthermore, it appears that the
tug Atlantic went alongside the
Thurlow and proposed to tow her
to safe water and convey the mas
ter to Beaufort because Captain
Hayes would not agree to the terms
offered. When the keeper left the
vessel she was riding to only 25
or 80 fathams of chains, and al
though this was subsequently in
creased to 80 fathoms on one an
Choir, the second made in his testi-
mony asserts the wreck to have
been due to the fact that more
scope was not given.
The Life-Saving station kept o
strict watch on the Thurlow from
the time she anchored until her fate
was sealed. As soon as her crew
was convinced that she was certain
to strand they fired two Coston
signals, which surfman Yeomans,
on the north patrol answered in
stantly. The life-savers got out
their beach apparatus cart quickly,
and since they knew that the beach
was in very bad condition for
travelling, they divided the heavy
load by placing part of it in the
driving cart. Then they set out
with both vehicles on their toll
some journey Of a 292 mile through
the soft wet sand, with the wind
blowing at the rate of 20 or 80
miles an hour, and, notwithstand-
ing all the difficulties, reached the
necessary position opposite the
wreck within an hour from the
burning of the distress signal on
board.
ALI Men In The Rigging
The doomed vessel was then ly-
ing broadside to the beach about
45O yards distance, and the sea was
making a clean breach over her.
All the men had taken to the lee
mizzen rigging, and the business
of Keeper Gaskill was to cast a
short line as nearly as possible
into their hands. The wreck was
gradually working to the westward
and therefore the sand anchor had
to be moved some 80 yards from the
position first selected. Then the
Lyle gun was fired with a 6-ounce
charge of powder and a No. 2 line.
The projectile fell Is or 20 feet
short, however, and a second shot
was no more successful, but the
third with a No. 9 line and a g.
ounce charge, landed fairly in the
midst of the sailors in the nlizzen
breaking off about 20 feet above the
deck, crushing the skull of the stew
ard, John Chalky, and seriously
injuring two other men. Chalky's
body fell overheard. While the
others landed on the top OF the
housemen, mast, topmast, and
rigging tangled together.
The vessel began to break Up
within half an hour after she
struck, and disintegrated rapidly
First the fore-to-mast fell, then the
forward house and deck load went
overheard, then the bow and the
stern were torn off, the general
ruin being finally completed by the
falling Of all the masts with 9
crash audible far along the shore
The top Of the afterhouse, or cabin
was the only place or refuge, ant
living there the five sailors strug'
rled for their lives, with only Q
! ,,,-ac.,;c,.s handhold on the sky