The coastland times with which is combined the pilot and herald of Belhaven and Swan Quarter., 1962-01-19
Gallant Deeds Of By-Gone
iears in The Walter
Raleigh Coasfland.
NATHANIEL LANK

NATHANIEL LANK
The tragic death of her Captain
near Gull Shoal occurred on January
%, 1891, at the wreck Of the three
masted schooner, Nathaniel Lank
of Wilmington, Delaware. Her Cap
tain, N. j. Simple, of Frederick
Delaware, was drowned. The Lank
was a craft of two hundred and
eighty-eight tons register, with a
crew of eight men. She stranded or
the coast of Dare County, about
three and half miles north of the
Gull Shoal Station. fSixth Districtl,
at 4 o'clock am, while on her way
to the Delaware Breakwater fol
orders, with a cargo of sugar from
st. Thomas, West Indies.
The weather was thick and
rainy, ACCOMPANIED by a fresh gale
from the south southeast. and the
sea was running high and rough
She struck about two hundred
yards from the beach. a little south
of the halfway point between the
Chicamicomico and Gull Shoal Sta
ton, inst within the latter's pre-
clint. She was quickly discovered by
two patrols, who at once hurried tc
their respective stations with the
alarm. and, after a brief consulta
ton between the two keepers b,
telephones, as to what appliances
each should take with the view O
working in concert. they set ou
with their men to the scene of tn,
wreck. the Gull Shoal crew taking
their surfboat on its carriage, ant
the Chicamicomico their beaci
apparatus as agreed upon.
Before setting out. Keeper Da.
vid M. Pugh of Gull Shoal, sent ul
two rockets for the twofold purposs
of calling his south patrol and sig
mailing to the people on the STRANDED
schooner that aid was coming. L
was about $50 o'clock when HI
started. and fully an hour was con
sumed in reaching the place of op.
erations, the tide being high ant
soft and yielding sand.
Two Crews at Once
The two crews arrived on the
ground at almost the same time. II
was seen at a glance that the surf
was too high for boat service. Keep.
er Joe Wescott therefore turned his
beach apparatus over to Capt. Pugh
and placed himself and his
under Pugh's direction and with
this understanding to start with
the two crews worked skilful.
ly and harmoniously together until
the end for which they had assem-.
bled had been accomplished.
When all was N readiness the
first shot from the gun carried the
line over the spring stay between
the main and mizzen masts. The
crew were grouped on the fore.
castle and bowsprit, and apparently
made no effort to get aft to reach
this line, so when the beachmer
observed this as the day dawnec
they put another shot line into use
and threw it within easy grasp o.
the men.
The whip was then bent on anc
the sailors began hauling it off
but when they had pulled it hall
way to the schooner it snapped il
two and communication was sever
ed. But this mishap delayed opera
tions only a short time. as a thirc
shot was fired with the dry of.
shore end of the broken line at
tached, and this caught on the en-,
of he flying jib boom and wa,
quickly secured by the sailors.
Greater caution was now observ
ed by the latter in hauling the whir
off, and being aided in this as muci
as possible by the surfman VIII,
would walk with both parts of i
along the beach to windward t,
offset the current, and then sud
denly slack out they finally sue
ceeded in getting the block int,
their hands and making it fast t,
the flying jib boom.
The hawser quickly followed, am
IN due season the arrangement O
the lines between the schooner ant
the shore was complete.
Schooner's Captain Made Error
OF Judgment.
The work of rescue was not begun
by sending off the breeches buoy
There were seven men in sight a
this time at the bow Of the vessel
the eighth man. who it appear
was the captain. having rome AFT Il