NORTH CAROLINA MARITIME MUSEUM
Beaufort, NC
www.ncmaritimemuseum.org
The 2-masted schooner, Lizzie S. James stranded at Hatteras bar March 12, 1900. Gale force winds were blowing when the vessel broke in two near her main mast. The 173-ton ship had been carrying a load of lumber with a crew of five on board. Commanded by Captain Howard, the ship was bound for New Bern to New York. Due to high seas and the distance the ship was to shore, it made it impossible to reach her with the shot line. Hatteras and Ocracoke Life-Saving crews launched their boats in tumultuous seas. Due to waves breaking over the deck of Lizzie S. James the crew took to the riggings. The lifesavers weren't able to make it to the vessel. A number of Hatteras watermen, including Captain Ira Stowe, set out in a pilot boat to save the stranded sailors. They came within fifty yards of the schooner and signaled for the crew to leap into the sea. The crew jumped into the icy water and were able to grab a life line and were pulled to the pilot boat. They lost everything except the clothes they had on their backs. The survivors were tended to at Durants Hill Life-Saving Station. The ship and its cargo were a total loss. Lizzie S. James home port was in Philadelphia. She was built in 1883 in Milford, Delaware. It took a total of eight hours to save her crew. The photograph is an example of a two-masted schooner.
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The Raleigh Times, March 12, 1900
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