On December 11, 1890 a small yawl found herself in trouble about a mile off shore near the Oregon Inlet Station. The four man crew of the Mollie J. Saunders was brought safely to shore due to the prompt response of the Keeper Samuel J. Payne and the rest of the lifesavers. As a thank you, the master of the late vessel, James L. Davis wrote a letter to the USLSS Superintendent’s Office expressing his gratitude for both the speedy and efficient actions of the station crew as well as the kindness that was shown to the survivors when they arrived to the station. It was his opinion that the Oregon Inlet crew was worthy of all commendations and needed to be favorably recognized by the department. When the USLSS Annual Report came out in June 1891, Master Davis’s letter was included in the documents that were sent to all stations in the twelve districts stretching the coastlines and waterways.
All in a Day’s Work
Sometimes it’s all about the right attitude: On a foggy afternoon, on January 27,1922, the south patrolman of the Chicamacomico Coast Guard Station spotted a stranded steamer about 600 yards from shore and hurried back to the station to report his findings. Captain John A. Midgett, Jr. called the Gull Shoal station for an assist and then lead the crew out into the misty weather pulling the beach apparatus cart through the sand fighting the waves and rainwater now covering the beach. Less than an hour after the initial spotting, the Gull Shoal crew was on scene with the Chicamacomico crew only minutes behind. However, the steamer was no longer able to be seen in the thick fog. For almost two hours, the crews waited on the shoreline hoping the fog would lift. Eventually, it cleared just enough for the realization that the steamer was no longer stranded and had floated off the sandbar. Nearly six hours after heading out into the thick fog, both station crews returned to their respective stations.