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
Gallant Deeds Of By-Gons
Fears in The Waller
Rsisish coasiland.
WRECK or SCHOONER
JOHN SHAY. ON
APRIL ". 1897

APNiI Coy
A great loss of life was that of
the entire crew of the schooner
John Shay, which was wrecked on
the North Carolina coast in the
vicinity Of the Cape Hatteras Sta
ton (sixth District) April II, 1889.
The vessel valued at $4,000 hailed
from Port jefferson, New York,
and was bound from Hastings, in
that State to Washington, District
of Columbia, with a cargo of stone
and a crew of six men all told. 1t
win be seen from the narrative that
the fatal results could not, by any
effort Of the Life Saving Service,
have been averted.
The vessel was discovered by the
keeper of the Big Kinnakeet Sta
ton at about noon Of the date men,
toned. She was a short distance
offshore, coming straight for the
beach, flying q signal Of distress,
A strong wind had been blowing
from the eastward almost contin-
ously for several days and had
made up q tremendous sea. Throug-
out this period the weather had
been thick, with occasional showers
and during the forenoon Of the day
in question q strict patrol had been
maintained north and south of the
station. AS soon as the schooner
was sighted the life savers took it
for granted that she was about to
be beached and active preparations
were made to start at once for the
scene with the beaches buou APP
pratus.
The adjacent stations were noti-
fled by telephone Of the situation.
Hardly had this been done when the
vessel was seen to anchor, about
three quarters Of a mile off; she
swung broadside to and at intervals
the sea broke completely over her.
The fury Of the inrushing breakers,
which formed an impassable wall
of surf. precluded the use of boat.
In q little while a two flag Inter-
national Code signal was hoisted
ON the vessel, but its meaning could
not be made out from the shore.
Nevertheless, the keeper endeaver-
ed to open communication, but, for
a time, Intellectually, doubtless be-
cause the signal could not be dis
tinguished by those on board. At
last the weather lighted up some
what and signal asking for tug
was read by the station men and
Immediately answered. Word was
at once telephoned to the Signal
Service operator at Cape Hatteras,
but a reply soon came back that the
telegraph wires were down beyond
that point and a telegram could not
be forwarded.
The, keeper, after signaling the
master of the vessel to this effect,
telephoned to the next station north
with instructions to the life saving
men to transmit the message quick
" as possible along the coast over
the Service telephone wires, in the
hope that it might possibly get to
Norfolk. Nothing more was shown
on the vessel. The surfmen, after
brief wait, ran up the code signal
L M ,("The berth you are now in
il not safety This was done be-
cause It would take at least fifteen
or twenty hours for tug to arrive,
and with night approaching and no
indication Of q favorable change in
the weather, it was unsafe for the
schooner to remain where she was.
Il was advisable for her to seek an
anchorage farther offshore.
The vessel was all the while
closely watched, but owing TO the
rain the station men, even with the
Aid of glasses, could not make out
what was taking place on board.
The wind meantime had drawn Oft
shore to the west of north. Shortly
after four o'clock the craft was seen
10 hoist her mainsail part way up,
slim her cables and stand off the
land. She soon set her jibs, and
afterwards lowered the mainsail
and headed down the beach. The
keeper at once had horses hitched
- the mortar cart and notified the
station to the south( Cape Hat
terasl that the schooner had got
underway and was running down
the coast, and that he and his crew
were about to follow with the ap.
paratus. The beach was soft ana
covered with water and when some
two miles on the way, good pro-
eress having been made, one OF th'|
axles Of the cart became heated
causing a halt. Efforts were made
in various ways to remedy the
trouble. and number of citizens
Of the neighborhood who had ac-
companied the surfmen aided IN the
work. but it was found IMPOSSIBLE
10 net the cart in running order
until the axle could cool.
Sought the Inner Slue.
II may be well to state, in order
-