#Graveyard keeper river sand plus

The seas were now described in the official report as “mountainous high.” The captain decided to “let the anchors go” (drop them) in hopes of stopping the drift towards the even more dreaded Diamond Shoals where the ship would surely break apart. 21.Įven worse, the Ephraim Williams, and the Gulf Stream, had brought the storm with them. They would walk in opposite directions, heading towards their neighboring station.īecause of this strict dut y, the lifesavers on beach patrol from the United States Life-Saving Service Stations of Durant’s (Hatteras Village), Creed’s Hill (Frisco), and Cape Hatteras (Buxton) first spotted the wounded barkentine three days after the storm had crippled it on Dec. Two surfmen from each station were sent to the beach all at the same time. This obviously did not work at night nor on days with visibility obscured by fog, rain, or storms. How did they do this? Every station had a watch tower, usually a separate tower on the highest level above the roof. It might take them hours to get there, but they knew of it and took action immediately. If a shipwreck occurred, a station would know about it within minutes, even in these extremely isolated locations. Lucky for the vulnerable Ephraim Williams, the United States Life-Saving Service by then had established 22 Life-Saving Stations along the North Carolina coast, ranging from the southern-most 1883 Cape Fear Station to the northern-most 1878 Deals Island Station (later renamed Wash Woods).ĭue to the rigorous standards and training of these stations, the North Carolina beaches were covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which was a monumental task. Then the agonizing “intermission” between the beginning and the end of a foregone conclusion. Those same winds and currents carried it up the coast from Wilmington towards the worst place to be in such poor condition: Cape Hatteras. The pounding of the storm had waterlogged the vessel, becoming totally unmanageable and therefore at the mercy of the winds and currents. The third mistake: The Williams stayed out of port when it encountered a ferocious storm off the dreaded Frying Pan Shoals. These shoals form a very large hazard to navigation created by silt and sand deposits from the Cape Fear River near Wilmington, North Carolina. Life-Saving Service called “the storm season.” The Williams first encounter was with the Frying Pan Shoals off Cape Fear. Unfortunately, it had scheduled this trip during a time the U.S. This meant leaving Savannah and proceeding north, it would have to navigate and negotiate all three Capes: Fear, then Lookout, then Hatteras. The next mistake was the vessel was a 491-ton barkentine carrying a cargo of lumber leaving Savannah, Georgia, and bound for its homeport of Providence, Rhode Island, in the winter of 1884. Ephraim Williams was dangerously beyond that. Wooden sailing ships thus had a life of approximately 20 years.

#Graveyard keeper river sand plus

The basic equation has always been: wood plus water equals rot. While it is true that some wood is much better than others for this purpose, no wood is waterproof. Ships at this time were built from local wood and sealed with tar, which was the only available waterproofing. By the time the Ephraim Williams set sail in 1884, it was considered old that should have been retired long ago – possibly contributing to the events to come. This is where our story ends but it began far away.īuilt in 1857, the Barkentine Ephraim Williams was 125 feet long, 27 feet wide, and had a depth of 11 feet.

the 300 miles of barrier islands affording no safe port and the big one: storms!.

the captain’s choice of saving time by going close to shore versus the safety of sailing the longer route out and around.

the conflicting directions of prevailing seasonal winds.

the 20 miles of deadly and shallow Diamond Shoals.

the power generated when those two currents clash at Cape Point.The discordant directions of the Labrador Current and the Gulf Stream.Why so much here? Because here is the confluence of a number of factors, that, put together, make an almost unique situation: Jennett, Surfman Charles FulcherĮven casual readers of North Carolina maritime matters know the dreadful reputation of Cape Hatteras for shipwrecks. Jennett, Surfman Thomas Gray, Surfman John H. 22, Sixth District) and Cape Hatteras Life-Saving Station, North Carolina (Station 23, Sixth District). The above is the Coast Guard’s official account of awarding the Gold Life Saving Medals to Creed's Hill Life-Saving Station, North Carolina (Station No. Etheridge, they rescued the nine men composing the crew of the barkentine Ephraim Williams.” Under the leadership of Keeper Benjamin B. “On 22 December 1884 the crew of the Cape Hatteras Station performed one of the most heroic feats in the annals of the Life-Saving Service.