The Wrecker's Prize

The Wrecker's Prize, by Henry J. Thomas (published 1864 by Beadle and Company, Dime Novel No. 65).

A maritime rescue narrative set along the English coast during a violent March storm. Coastal inhabitants and wreckers—salvage workers—gather on the beach when distress signals sound from a ship struck upon the rocks offshore. Rescue attempts ensue with a yawl crew; during the first launch, three men drown including a young sailor newly married, whose body is recovered severely mangled. A second, larger boat launches to continue rescue operations. Local characters populate the scene, including the gaunt wrecker Skinny Jemmy, who philosophizes about Providence and wrecks as livelihood. The narrative details the grim collection of bodies washing ashore and the beachmen's dangerous work retrieving them. A Newfoundland dog emerges from the surf attached to a rope, suggesting survivors or cargo from the vessel remain in the deeper water.