- Title
- Our state
-
-
- Date
- May 1999
-
-
- Place
- ["North Carolina, United States"]
-
Our state
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I
_ guiding LIGHTS _
the Rescuers
by Herbert L. lilii/e
Hie only job William Bow set wanted was lo
Ш1
lives.
Altei all, his grandlaihei and lather were employed as lile-
saveis. So when
Воимч
joined llu* all-blai
к
lile-aving c tew dial
in.tiined llu- 14m Island I.ilesaviiig Sialion in 193f>. a laniilv na-
diiion was continued.
Stationed oil I latter.is Island, llu- unit patrolled some of die
most lieadiemus sections of coastline in die l niled Slates.
< amaraderie and skill made n one of die lies! rest ne crews in
die connin'.
‘The\ were well rounded in event hi ng." Bowser says. “Tliey
were so well I milled ihe\ didn't have
Ю
worn alxMH lx*ing any¬
thing l>ni die best."
Hie Pea Island crew was part of die l '.S. I.ilesaviiig Service
until
ИМ.),
when die service Ixrrainc die I'.S. (>№i Guard. Bill
a name
«
hange didn't alien these masters ol die sea. who were
transformed from fishing experts to pioneer* ol lifesaving
maneuvers and techniques.
They also were a r.uiiv. No other l'.S. miliiaiy senice had
enlisted African-Americans as frontline personnel, yet die surf-
men were considered the equal of any white unit the
I jfesaving Scnice could muster.
“They were treated pretty equally, otherwise tliey wouldn't
have given them a chance." Coast Guard historian Robert
Browning says. “They were the lx-st qualified. Tliey did die
same thing over and over, so thev had to lx* proficient."
I'lte Wreck of tin* /.’..s’. Xi'iriiian
Tin* most famous Pea Island rescue occurred on October
II. 1896. The three-masted schooner US.
Л 'потаи,
sailing
from Pr ovidence. Rhode Island, to Norfolk. Virginia, ran into
a hurricane, losing its sails and drilling almost 100 miles
before miming aground with nine people aboard — including
Captain S.A. Gar diner's wife and three-year-old child. The first
African-American keeper of a lifesaving station. Richard
Ktheiidge, led die Pea Island crew into action. Despite the
treacherous waves that made a conventional rescue nearly
impossible. Etheridge and his men improvised to pull the
Хоппа»
\ crew
ю
safely.
Along the East Coast. Pea Island's surfmen were a respected
new who assisted more than 30 vessels in distress and rescued
more than '200 |x*ople. Pea Island closed in 19-17. a victim of
machines that made row boats — the preferred rescue tool ol
the 19th century — obsolete.
" Technology was slatting to take over," Browning says.
Bowser, now H:l. is the Iasi surviving
Рем
Island surfman lo
serve inidei a black capiain at the station. A retired tea» hei
from Elizabeth < lily, Bowser knew he wanted to lx* a surlinan
since he was a boy.
"I knew everyixxlv on Pea Island," he says. "We were all relat¬
ed on the crew."
The Pea Island regulars were dedicated seamen who sacri¬
ficed creature comforts foi the op|X>ituinty to seive. Bowser
says. ( >n Pea Island, nothing — family included — came
before seising the country.
"It wasn't that they didn't love their families. Tliey just put
duly liist. It was a pretty isolated life." Browning continues.
"Food would have to lx* brought in. and other than the people
at the station, crew ineuibcis prolxibly saw very' few people."
Tin* Slorm vv if liin
But isolation didn't drive Bowser away from Pea Island, div
»
riniination did. After three years, he decided the Oust
Guard's reluctance to promote African-Americans to higher
ranks was t»x> much to bear Indeed. Pea Island became an all¬
black crew in
188»
because white surfmen refused lo serve
under Etheridge.
"At that time. I didn't realize the prejudice that prevailed."
Bowser says. “It killed my enthusiasm. I thought it was a level
playing field."
Bowser, who resigned in 194 1 . says society and die military
have progressed enough for African-Americans to have lx*ttcr
opportunities than when he was young. Pea Island’s more
experienced surfmen, however, could see change on the hori¬
zon. In hindsight, thev were right — America did loosen its
restrictions.
"I didn't have the patience to see wliai these fellows were sav¬
ing." Bowser says.
Although the surfmen may not lx* as well known as the all-
black Tuskccgec Airmen or Buffalo Soldiers, tliey have a
secure place in military history. The attributes that helped
them succeed haven’t gone out of style.
"When I talk, frankly it’s to encourage the kicls to have
patience and confidence." Bowser says. .
I Muil
/..
While n a fiirlanrr urriltr living in Ountolte.
The last of four beacons placed at intervals from Virginia to
Cape Hattcras and the first to establish a lifesaving service, the
162-foot Currituck tower glows from all those red bricks.
50 Our State May 1999