LIFE SAVING SERVICE ON OCRACOKE ISLAND - Hyde County, NC - Misc. Submitted for use in the USGenWeb Project Archives by Hyde County NCGenWeb (jmack@bbs.carolina.net) ******************************************************************* USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is obtained from the contributor of the file. File submitted by Earl W. O誰eal Jr. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Return to the NCGenWeb Archives Table of Contents http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm#NC ******************************************************************* LIFE SAVING SERVICE ON OCRACOKE ISLAND [image: Remains of Carroll A. Deering wrecked 1921] http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/hyde/adeering.jpg By Earl W. O誰eal Jr. Many books and the Archives have chronicled the Life Saving Service along the Outer Banks of North Carolina. This story is dedicated to the native born residents of this small community who were part of the Life Saving Service and the establishment of the first U.S. Coast Guard on the Island of Ocracoke. The data or pictures found is for the use of genealogists and contains information found involving residents of Ocracoke from the late 1880's to January 28, 1915 when the Life Saving Service and the Revenue Cutter Service was combined to form the United States Coast Guard and through World War I in 1918. It is of note that all of the personnel were from the Island and even after 1918 they still got preference because of their knowledge of the waters and area. By the year 1883 many Life Saving Stations had been built along the Outer Banks, each Station had a keeper and a small number of Surfmen including the Hatteras Inlet Station which was called Ocracoke Station and constructed just West of the Inlet on Ocracoke. The name was changed to Hatteras Inlet Station in 1904 when an additional station was built in Ocracoke Village near Cockle Creek (Silver Lake). The original crews consisted of six Surfmen per station, who patrolled the beaches on foot to locate any ships that were in trouble or needed assistance. Later the number of crew members at each station increased to seven or eight and in addition a cook was hired under a separate contract. On Ocracoke the Surfmen patrolled the beaches on horseback. Each Surfman cut his own fire wood and was required to keep his box full along with a box of feed for his horse. The Station Keepers were also referred to as Captain. [Image: Hatteras Inlet Life Saving Station 1890 ] (Courtesy of the Ocracoke Preservation Society and Museum) Hatteras Inlet Station #186 - Commissioned in 1883" http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/hyde/bcolor.jpg [Image: see description below] http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/hyde/astatio2.jpg Above is the Life Saving Station constructed in 1904 within Ocracoke Village on the shore of Pamlico Sound near Cockle Creek (Silver Lake). It was located at the site just behind where the present abandoned U.S. Coast Guard Station stands in 1998. Unfortunately the 1890 Census was destroyed by fire at the county seat and is not available. There is a strong possibility that a few of the names may be missing during the period between 1883 and 1900. However, the Census of 1900 indicates the following residents as Surfmen at the Hatteras Inlet Station (Ocracoke): (Birth and death dates have been added for convience of the reader. Readers are encouraged to furnish any additional names that may have been overlooked. George Lafayette Fulcher, Jr.- B. 04-19-1844 D. 09-30-1908 George Lafayette Fulcher III - B. 1871 D. Unknown Robert W. Gaskill - B. 12-14-1846 D. 11-09-1918 James Wheeler Howard Sr. - B. 12-04-1874 D. 11-02-1940 Charlie S. McWilliams - B. 1871 D. Unknown George W. Simpson Sr. - B. 12-08-1842 D. 07-25-1912 James Hatton Wahab - B. 01-31-1861 D. 08-08-1913 David Williams - B. 03-27-1858 D. 04-05-1938 In the 1910 Census the following residents are listed as Surfman, St House. At this time, there were two Stations located on Ocracoke Island, one at Hatteras Inlet and the other near Cockle Creek (Silver Lake) in the Village of Ocracoke: (Birth and death dates have been added for convience of the reader.) Simon Garrish Jr. - B. 02-11-1865 D. 08-04-1935 Jessie T. Gray - B. Unknown D. Unknown (May have moved to Washington, NC) James Henry Garrish - B. 04-24-1877 D. 06-04-1947 Hatton Hoover Howard - B. 08-23-1880 D. 11-03-1942 James Wheeler Howard Sr. - B. 12-04-1874 D. 11-02-1940 Isaac Willis O誰eal (Big Ike) - B. 07-31-1865 D. 09-18-1954 Richard Farrow O誰eal - B. 02-25-1877 D. 02-10-1944 Stanley O誰eal - Cook - B. 05-11-1885 D. 01-01-1956 George W. Simpson Sr. - B. 12-08-1842 D. 07-25-1912 Julian Bell Styron - B. 04-23-1876 D. 10-10-1924 James Hatton Wahab - B. 01-31-1861 D. 08-08-1913 David Williams - Chief Life Saving St. - B. 03-27-1858 D. 04-05-1938 Horatio Jones Williams - B. 10-14-1877 D. 10-06-1968 Leonard David Williams - B. 03-25-1875 D. 11-21-1957 [Image: see description below] http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/hyde/alsaver1.jpg (Courtesy of the NC Division of Archives and History and Rodney Barfield痴 book, Seasoned by Salt.) The above photograph was taken in ca. 1903 of some Surfmen based at Hatteras Inlet Station, Left to Right: possibly Leonard David Williams, Julian Bell Styron, Isaac Willis O誰eal and William Henry Fulcher not listed above B. 10-22-1867 D. 12-11-1936. [Image: see description below] http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/hyde/alsaver2.jpg (Courtesy of the Cape Lookout National Seashore, National Park Service and Rodney Barfield痴 book, Seasoned by Salt.) Above photograph was posed for by a Portsmouth Island Lifesaving crew in their surfboat outside the Station in 1915, the year the service was merged into the U.S. Coast Guard. Captain Ike O誰eal originally from Ocracoke and stationed at Portsmouth commands the steering oar. Surfman Isaac Willis O誰eal - Following are excerpts from information given to his daughter Elizabeth Ann O誰eal Howard pertaining to his Life History on July 22, 1939. He was a member of the Life Saving Service from 1904 until 1917 when it was merged as part of the U.S. Coast Guard. He served at Hatteras Inlet Station as noted above and also at Portsmouth Island Station. Following are a couple of stories he related: Quote: I also helped land a crew of 444 persons from a ship which was wrecked on Ocracoke Bar. This ship was called the Vera Cruse. She was a square-rigged ship, and the Crew was colored, and hailed from Cape Verdi Island. The crew was smuggled and the ship was bound for New Bedford, Mass.. We started landing them in the afternoon and was until eleven o団lock getting them ashore. There were 20 girls on board. I failed to mention that this was before I joined the Life-Saving Service on May 14, 1902. The following confirming information located shows the ship was the Vera Cruz VII a 605 ton Brig that ran aground on Dry Shoal Point at Portsmouth Island in the Ocracoke Inlet at 2:00 P.M. May 8, 1903. Portsmouth Station Keeper Captain F. G. Terrell hired every local he could find with a skiff to assist in getting the people from the wreck ashore. Quote: While in the service at Hatteras Inlet Station, we had one very rough trip off Diamond Shoals trying to save the crew off of the Steamship Brewster which was lost on Diamond Shoals on November 29, 1909. When we reached the wrecked ship, we found that three of the crew had left in a life boat and went to the Light Ship safely. There were thirty-one members of the crew, so we took the remaining twenty-eight on our boat. On our way to the Diamond Shoals we had taken the crew off the Creedshill Lifeboat, which had sunk about four miles from shore, and had taken them with us to the wrecked steamship, making a boat full sure地uf. The ship cargo was bananas. It was about sunset when we got to shore. We towed the captains痴 boat to the beach and then transferred the 28 men to the Cape Point boat and then took them to the Cape Point Life Station. We then went back to Hatteras Inlet Station. My captain was Captain Dave Barnett. Following is information found in 1992 from old Life Saving Station Records: February 1914, Ocracoke Life Saving Station. Isaac O誰eal was absent from February 19 to February 26 (8 days) due to his own personal illness. He worked 20 days amount of pay was: Pay $46.43 Food & Rations $ 6.00 Total Pay $52.43 [Image] [Image] Above: Julian Bell Styron taken in Above: Horatio Jones Williams who 1914 at the Maritime Hospital in served both in the Life Saving Service Norfolk, Virginia. and then the U.S. Coast Guard with his wife Virginia Thomas O誰eal. Taken during World War I, about 1918. http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/hyde/ajstyron.jpg http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/hyde/ahjwms.jpg Ocracoke Station 187, Keeper, Captain David Williams as noted above, served both in the Life Saving Service and continued when the Station was put under the United States Coast Guard. Following is information from Captain Dave痴 logs and other books found by Sigma Van Willis when he was a young lad at the end of World War II when the Navy closed it痴 Base at Ocracoke and disposed of some of the records. [Image] http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/hyde/adavewms.jpg The above photograph is courtesy of the Ocracoke Preservation Society and Museum, Ocracoke, NC. This photograph was taken of Captain David Williams in the late 1800's before the Life Saving Service became part of the U.S. Coast Guard and resides in the museum which was his home. Letter from Keeper, David Williams, Station No. 187 to Superintendent, Seventh District, Navy Department, United States Coast Guard, Subject: Swimming tests and Discharges, dated December 17, 1918 - See letter attached. (Birth and death dates have been included for convience of the reader, and to indicate those members who were in the Life Saving Service and continued with the U.S. Coast Guard and includes any new personnel that served during World War I on Ocracoke Island. Also, attached is a typical payroll to give the reader a sense of the salaries in those years and a typical Station report during World War I. Horatio Jones Williams, Surfman No. 1 - B. 10-14-1877 D. 10-06-1968 Hatton Hoover Howard, Surfman No. 2 - B. 08-23-1880 D. 11-03-1942 Richard Farrow O誰eal, Surfman No. 3 - B. 02-25-1877 D. 02-10-1944 Benjamin G. O誰eal, Surfman No. 4 - B. 07-08-1878 D. 03-09-1944 Simon Garrish Jr., Surfman No. 5 - B. 02-11-1865 D. 08-04-1935 Homer Howard, Surfman No. 6 - B. 06-21-1868 D. 05-15-1947 Benjamin Joseph Garrish Jr., Surfman No. 7 - B. 08-06-1885 D. 01-11-1941 Guy M. Gaskill, Surfman No. 8 - B. Unknown D. Unknown (Do not believe he was from Ocracoke.) (Note: At present we do not have record of the personnel based at Hatteras Inlet Station in 1918.) [Image] http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/hyde/aletter.jpg Following is a typical report to headquarters from Station Keeper David Williams on March 31, 1918 during World War I. http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/hyde/areport.jpg [Image] Following is a Monthly Payroll for Station 187 on November 4, 1918. The salaries for the time appears to be very good - $1,400 per year for the Keeper plus Subsistence of $9.45 per month. The Surfmen received between $71 and $90 per month dependent on their pay grade plus Subsistence allowance. The Cook under separate contract got $52.40 per month plus Subsistence allowance. http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/hyde/apayroll.jpg [Image] Thanks to Earl W. O誰eal Jr. for this contribution. If anyone has additional information we would appreciate hearing from you. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright 1998