A piece of history emerged on the beach in Surf City, N.C., when Hurricane Sandy skirted Topsail Island’s shore, drawing curious onlookers who are reminded to look, but not touch.
A section of the William H. Sumner, a three-masted schooner whose young captain died under suspicious circumstances after running the ship aground in 1919, has been protruding from the sand a short distance from the Dolphin Street beach access.
At least part of the 489-ton, 165-foot ship is believed to be resting at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean near the southern end of the island.
