Then a breeches buoy, or a life 

 preserver fitted with a seat, could 

 be sent from shore to the mast. 

 Victims climbed into the buoy and 

 were hauled, one by one, to safety. 



The North Carolina coast has an 

 especially rich lifesaving heritage. 

 Some of the most famous rescues 

 recorded occurred off the Outer 

 Banks. 



And North Carolina claims the 

 distinction of having the only all- 

 black lifesaving crew. 



From 1880 to 1949 when it 

 closed, the Pea Island Lifesaving 

 Station was manned entirely by 

 black personnel. 



Agatha Gray, the widow of one 

 of the lifesavers there, is gathering 

 information about the old station. 

 Her husband served there after the 

 Lifesaving Service had become the 

 Coast Guard. 



"My husband loved his job," she 

 says. "When we got married, he 

 said, 'I love you dearly, but don't 

 never keep me or hinder me from 

 my job.' " 



Gray is especially fond of passing 

 along the story of the rescue of the 



E.S. Newman. 



The Newman was enroute to 

 Virginia in October 1896 when a 

 hurricane arose. Station Keeper 

 Richard Etheridge called off his 

 patrol for the night because the 

 storm was so violent. 



But through the driving rain and 

 vicious wind, a watchman in the 

 lookout tower saw a light offshore. 



Keeper Etheridge called his crew 

 into action, and they fought their 

 way to the beach. 



But the weather was too rough to 

 fire the lyle gun and the churning 

 surf made it impossible to launch 

 the surfboat. 



So the lifesavers secured a rope 

 on shore, then tied it to the two 

 strongest men. Then Etheridge sent 

 them swimming through the surf 

 to the crippled vessel. 



The lifesavers made 10 trips to 

 the Newman until they had rescued 

 every passenger. 



"It's just a story that will make 

 you cry," Gray says. "I can just see 

 those men struggling." 



Acts of bravery like that made 

 lifesavers some of the most respect - 



Photo by Michael Halminski 



ed members of the community. 



"They had a reputation for doing 

 their job well for very little pay" 

 Midgett says. 



Midgett and Gray remember that 

 the men of the Lifesaving Service 

 had an unwritten motto. When a 

 ship was in distress, the only guar- 

 antee was that the lifesavers would 

 go into the sea and do everything 

 they could to rescue the victims. 



Midgett says his father used to 

 say, "The regulations don't say you 

 have to come back. You just have 

 to go out." 



Visitors to the Outer Banks can 

 take a step back in time at the 

 Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station. 



Jim Henry, president of the 

 Chicamacomico Historical Associa- 

 tion, says the station in Rodanthe is 

 probably the most historic on the 

 Eastern seaboard because so many 

 heroic rescues took place there. 

 And it's the only remaining station 

 open to visitors. 



In the summer, visitors can walk 

 through the station, view artifacts 

 in a small museum and, once a 

 week, watch the beach apparatus 

 drill performed by volunteers and 

 National Park Service personnel. 



The exterior of the station has 

 been restored, Henry says. And 

 now, the association is ready to 

 refurbish the interior. But he 

 estimates that it will cost at least 

 $63,000. The association relies on 

 donations and grants. 



If you're interested in finding out 

 more about the restoration, contact 

 the Chicamacomico Historical 

 Association, Box 5, Rodanthe, NC. 

 27968. 



If you want to visit Chicama- 

 comico, call 919/987-2203 for a 

 schedule. 



Chicamacomico Lifesaving Station. 



