Rasmus Midgett

Rasmus S. Midgett (1851–1926) was a United States Life-Saving Service surfman in North Carolina who single-handedly rescued ten men from the sinking barkentine Priscilla and was thereafter awarded the Gold Lifesaving Medal from the Secretary of the Treasury on October 18, 1899.

Rasmus went to grammar school at Southern Woods, now Waves, NC where he proved good at arithmetic and handwriting.

At 3:00 am on the stormy, windy, and rainy evening of August 18, Surfman Erasmus Midgett left Gull Shoals Life Saving Station on beach patrol.

[5] At about the same time the Priscilla bottomed out as the result of 100 mph winds from an intense hurricane called San Ciriaco.

Midgett had to make a difficult decision: to spend three hours bringing assistance from the station, or to attempt a rescue without any aid.

Midgett waited until a wave had receded, then ran as close as he dared, yelling instructions to the shipwrecked men.

The seven men who were still able to walk began heading towards the station at Midgett's direction, while he himself cared for the remaining three, including the Captain of the Priscilla, Benjamin E. Springsteen, who survived the ship wreck but would die a year later.

After Midgett was certain that the three men would be safe and giving his own coat to Captain Springsteen, he rode his horse back to the station to summon the aid of his comrades.

Upon hearing Midgett's amazing story, Pugh ordered two of the surfmen to harness horses to their carts and proceed to bring up the disabled men.

With the award the Secretary transmitted a highly commendatory letter reciting the story of the brave man's heroism.

The inscription read on one side: To Rasmus Midgett for rescuing singlehanded ten men from the Priscilla, August 18, 1899. and on the other: In Testimony of Heroic Deeds in the Saving of Life from the Perils of the Sea.