Hulk Fred Walton ~ 17 August 1899

Annual Report of the Operations of the Unitd States Life-Saving Service for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1900:

Parted its moorings and driven on Hog Shoal, 2 miles ENE. Of station, by the fierce hurricane which was raging. Owing to thick weather, the surfmen did not discover the casualty until 5.25 p.m. on the 18th, when they made out the hulk, which is used as a lay boat off Ocracoke by the Norfolk and Southern steamers, flying a signal of distress. Surfmen pulled out to it and found it broken in two and full of water. They took the ship keeper and his wife, who were the only ones on board, into the surf boat and landed them at Ocracoke.

Wreck of the Fred Walton & the Lydia A. Willis
During the Storm of August 1899

On the morning of August 16, 1899, it became apparent that a large scale storm was in the making. The wind had shifted and was steadily increasing. By noon it had reached 50 miles per hour and by dark it was blowing full hurricane force. Two local families arrived at the station by boat, seeking shelter. They had been driven from their homes by the extremely high tides. It became necessary for the keeper to "scuttle" the station to keep it from floating away. On the following morning the full force of the storm struck with plus 100 mile perhour winds. There was nothing they could do but ride out the storm.

By late afternoon on the 18th the storm had subsided enough for the lookout, Surfman William T. Willis, to see something which looked like a vessel. He called for Keeper Terrell, who "... went in lookout, took glasses and spied, just then it cleared up, we could see that she had distress signals." They left immediately in the surfboat, arriving at the wreck at 6:15 p.m. The vessel proved to be the unrigged Fred Walton, which was used by the Norfolk and Southern Railroad as a lay-boat off Ocracoke. "She had parted her moorings and drifted down on Hog Shoal (two miles ENE of the station), broke into and filled up, we took the ship's keeper and his wife (Captain and Mrs. W.D. Gaskill) ashore to Ocracoke, where they lived." At 8 a.m. on the 19th the Portsmouth station crew left Ocracoke to take the agent of the Walton to the wreck to look for money which was left on board. The keeper reported:

"... on our way we saw colors aboard Sch. LYDIA A. WILLIS. She had parted her chain thursday morning and drifted on Dry Shoal Point (three miles east of the station). We had past her Friday afternoon when we went to Lay boat FRED WALTON but could see nothing that looked like life abord. The Captain said they was all to the lee of house and did not think to set colors until saterday morning. There was four men abord had been six but two had been swept off Thursday in the Hurricane. They wanted to be carried to Ocracoke ware there friends was. One was very bad off. We used bottles of hot water and heated bricks to his limbs and soles of his feet. We stade with them all night and brought them out all right. Put them aboard Steamer OCRACOKE, Sunday morning which they took for thear homes, Washington, N.C."

The rescued men, all of Washington, were: Captain Robert Griffin; Benj. Griffin; A.S. Kelley; and John Rors. Those swept away by the hurricane, also from Washington, were George L. Buckman and Henry Blango.

The lifesavers had left the station at about 5:30 p.m. on the 18th and didn't return until 1:05 p.m. on the 20th. Both vessels were complete losses.

SAN CIRIACO HURRICANE ~ August 1899

The strongest hurricane to hit North Carolina during the official record was the San Ciriaco Hurricane of 1899, which struck the state with winds of 120 mph. See individual record ship records for details.

• Big Kinnakeet, schooner Florence Randall, 16 August
• Gull Shoal, schooner Aaron Reppard, 16 August
• Cape Hatteras, 17 August ~ Several families were driven from their homes by the high water during the terrible hurricane which was raging, and were sheltered at the station until the storm abated on the 19th instant. The houses of the keeper and a surfman were washed down, the station stables demolished, and the boathouse carried from its foundation during this storm.
• Creeds Hill, Diamond Shoals Lightship #69, 17 August
• Gull Shoal, barkentine Priscilla, 17 August ~ Of all the wrecks and rescues, one of the most dramatic was that of the Priscilla. This 643 ton American cargo vessel was commanded by Captain Benjamin E. Springsteen and was bound from its home port of Baltimore to Rio de Janiero, Brazil. See the expanded post for this ship.
• Little Kinnakeet, schooner Robert W. Dasey, 17 August
• Portsmouth, 17 August ~ Surfmen took two families who had been driven from their homes by the high water during the prevailing hurricane, to the station in a boat and sheltered them until the storm ceased. It was necessary for the keeper to scuttle the station during this storm to prevent it floating away.
• Portsmouth, schooner Lydia A. Willis, 17 August
• Portsmouth, hulk Fred Walton, 17 August
• Chicamacomico, schooner Minnie Bergen, 18 August
• Oregon Inlet, 18 August ~ A camp containing 5 fishermen became separated from the main beach by an inlet which had been cut through by the sea during the violent storm of the previous day. Surfmen managed to throw a heaving stick to the men, and, with a line, hauled them safely across the Inlet, taking them to station and providing them with dry clothing from the supplies of the Women’s National Relief Association.
• Durants, 18 August ~ Station patrol found a body of a man among some wreckage cast up by the sea. Found nothing to identify the wreckage except a plank with the name Agnes upon it, which supposed to be the name of the vessel lost. Surfmen gave the body decent burial.
• Gull Shoal, 19 August ~ A body, which was identified as that of the cook of the wrecked schooner Aaron Reppard, was found on the beach and buried by the surfmen.
• Creeds Hill, 21 August ~ The evening patrol found the body of a man on the beach, where it had been washed up by the sa. Its height was 5 feet 7 inches, its weight about 140 pounds, and it had dark hair. Surfmen wrapped it in a blanket and buried it.
• Gull Shoal, 23 August ~ The body of a man, about 6 feet tall and having light hair, was found 1 mile NNW. Of station and given decent burial by the surfmen.
• Cape Hatteras, 25 August ~ The station patrol from midnight to 4 a.m. found a man’s body on the beach and hauled it up clear of the tide. At daylight the surfmen measured it, finding it 5 feet 2 inches in height, then wrapping it in a blanket they buried it decently.
• Pea Island, 28 August ~ Surfmen saved a quantity of lumber and railroad ties which had washed ashore within the patrol limits of station and turned them over to the commissioner of wrecks.

Disappeared without a trace:

• John C. Haynes             
• M.B. Millen
• Albert Schultz
• Elwood H. Smith
• Henry B. Cleaves
• Charles M. Patterson

It is known that at least 35 sailors from the wrecked vessels were saved as their ships broke apart in the surf. Newspaper accounts concluded that at least 35 lives were lost in these shipwrecks, but the real number of deaths was probably much higher. "The stretch of beach between Kinnakeet to Hatteras, a distance of about 18 miles, bears evidence of the fury of the gale in the shape of spars, masts and general wreckage of five schooners which were washed ashore and then broken up by the fierce waves. Now and again a body washed ashore to lend added solemnity to the scene.

Found at the Ocracoke Island Journal:

From a personal letter written in August, 1899, immediately after the powerful San Ciriaco hurricane pummeled Ocracoke Island with winds of 120 mph:

"As darkness came on, the wind and rain increased. We couldn't see a thing, and everything in the house except babies were perfectly quiet. Poor little Minnie was coiled on a corner of the bed expecting to be washed away. Mrs. Hooker read a chapter in the Bible, then Miss G. Styron prayed, then Mrs. Hooker. The house was rocking and water was sloshing just like a boat...The water was rising then very fast... from eight until ten o'clock nobody but the ones that were there could realize how awful it was."