On April 26, 1898, Surfman E. S. Midgett from the Chicamacomico LifeSaving Station spotted a schooner about eight miles off shore and watched as she slowly made her way towards the shoreline before anchoring about four miles northeast of the station. She had obvious damage with both her foremast damaged and her main topmast missing and her sails were pieced together. At this time, the weather was calm but her condition could land her in a dangerous position should the weather change. The surfmen watched diligently for a signal for assistance but none ever came. Keeper L. B. Midgett, from the lookout of the station, even set code flags inquiring if she wanted aid and received no response. As the evening progressed, the wind started to increase and the crew feared for her safety so they began making preparations so they would be able to respond instantly if trouble arose. They kept watch overnight but the schooner held her own during the rough water and still showed no indication that aid was needed. Around 8:30 in the morning, it became evident that her cable lines had broken and she was drifting towards the beach. Immediately, the crew started towards her with the beach apparatus and arrived on scene only minutes after she struck the sandbar about 250 yards from shore. Keeper Midgett had telephoned his sister stations of New Inlet and Gull Shoal and they arrived with moments after the CLSS crew. The schooner’s crew gathered on the deck but were forced to climb the jib boom because of the relentless waves crashing over the deck. Immediately the Lyle Gun was set into position and the first shot landed within reach of the sailors. They started pulling the whip line and block aboard but their precarious position in the riggings made it a difficult process. They were making good progress but unfortunately ran out of time as their schooner imploded beneath them throwing the entire crew into the surf. Two were killed almost instantly by pieces of the wreckage striking them but four others struggled in the water. The surfmen teams were equipped with heaving lines and when the vessel came apart, they immediately scattered southward following where the current would carry the swimmers. They entered the rough breakers as far as possible without losing their own footing so when one of the men would be within possible reach, they could either catch him in their arms or throw him a line to pull him within reach. The crews were joined in the water by two locals, C. P. and A. F. Midgett, and between them all, they pulled three from the water with the last man being pulled to shore a mile south of the wreck. The survivors of the George L. Fessenden remained at the station for several days where they were provided with clothing from the supply provided by the Women’s National Relief Association. When they were ready to depart, the three responding crews in addition to the Little Kinnakeet and Cape Hatteras stations supplied the sailors with the money necessary to secure transportation. The Fessenden’s captain had been swept overboard when the schooner first struck the sandbar so no one knew why he hadn’t requested assistance or showed a willingness to receive aid before it was too late. However, the remaining crew sent a letter to the General Superintendent’s office stating the loss of their shipmates was at no fault of the LifeSaving crews but instead calling their vessel “as rotten as a pear and was a wreck before we ran ashore.” They commended the work of the LifeSaving Stations along the “dreadful coast” expressing the sentiment, “the men are experts in the heroic performance of saving life and property.”
All in a Day’s Work
Sometimes it’s about being there for your community: On April 1, 1916, the Caffey’s Inlet Coast Guard Station crew was involved in firefighting efforts in their neighborhood. First, they saved some furniture from a burning house and then prevented the fire from spreading to adjacent buildings.
For more stories like these, visit the Chicamacomico LifeSaving Station where history is alive.