Page 28. MAINE COASTAL NEWS May 2009
Maritime History:
News From 1901 & 1904
Continued from Page 27.
when she struck the island. It did not take the 17 February – The Rockland schooner
24 January – It was learned that two crew long to launch the yawl and all made it MAGGIE HURLEY was discovered to be in
ashore off West Hampton, Long Island, New schooners, the ELLA PRESSEY and FRANCIS to safety. Almost immediately the vessel and distress in Vineyard Sound. She had suffered
York and broke up. She was the first four- SHUBERT, collided off Cape Cod, with one her cargo were sold to local interests who due to the heavy weather, losing most of her
masted schooner built, when she was sinking and the other seen on fire. The two- quickly went off to salvage what they could. sails, and ice and her provisions were nearly
launched in 1882 by the Morses. masted PRESSEY, Captain Elias White, was The E. H. KING was built at Trenton in 1869. out. The steamer HECTOR assisted the
An article in the “Bath Daily Times” loaded with stone from Deer Isle and heading * * * * * HURLEY and brought her to an anchorage off
stated that over the last 20 years the size of for New London when she was struck two The schooner CLARENCE H. VENNER Nobska and then asked that a tug be sent to
vessels has grown considerable, but that the miles off shore between Nauset and the High- was making a passage from New York to aid her. The CONCORD went out and towed
HUNT, which was built in 1882, was a third of lands just after 2200 hours. Two crew member Bucksport in ballast, where she was to load her into Vineyard Haven.
their size. In fact when she was launched she jumped on board the SHUBERT, while the ice for Norfolk, struck on Bantam Ledge at the
was the second vessel fitted with more than captain, mate and a sailor named Oscar Scott mouth of Penobscot Bay. She was towed off 20 February – A story told of the first
three masts and was considered a ‘reckless lowered the boat. The falls jammed and the and beached at Port Clyde. She will need a lot vessel built in Bangor as the ALPHA,
experiment.’ Her original master was Captain boat sank as the PRESSEY went down. Nei- of repairs before she can leave port. launched on 12 October 1811. It was stated
Baker who blazed the way for the coastal ther the captain or the mate were seen after the * * * * * that a trade had been made by Joseph Leavitt
trade of today, which meant that he stayed at sinking of the PRESSEY. As the schooner It was announced that the schooner with Ebenezer Webster of Orono and Daniel
sea no matter what the weather. Under the was going down Scott jumped and held onto JOSIE HOOK, Captain Frank Getchell, sank in Webster of Bangor in November 1810 to build
ownership of B. W. and H. F. Morse and the topmast and was rescued from a boat from Rockland harbor. She had loaded lumber at a vessel of 250 tons and be launched before
driven by Captain Baker, the HUNT paid for the SHUBERT. Then they made a search for Bangor last fall, but when she made her way 1 October. Leavitt sold half interest in the
herself numerous times over and paid her the captain and mate, but failed to find them. down Penobscot Bay she was discovered to vessel to James Peniman of Braintree, Massa-
owners great dividends over her 22 year The three-masted SHUBERT, Captain Tho- be leaking badly and put into Rockland. Her chusetts. On 13 January 1812 the ALPHA
career. mas G. Starkey, was going from Edgewater cargo was sold to C. E. Bicknell and she has sailed from Penobscot Bay under a British
* * * * * with 1,300 barrels of kerosene for Bath when been laying in the ice during the winter. The license for Alexandria, Virginia. She was to
Thomas W. Dunn, a well known ship- the collision took place. The collision dam- HOOK was built at Brewer in 1880. load flour there and then sail onto Cadiz,
builder at Thomaston, died at his home at the aged her forward section and she began to fill. * * * * * Spain. Loading was completed and she was
age of 82. Dunn had been born at Boston, and The tug GEORGE M. WINSLOW went to her The schooner FRED A. DAVENPORT ready to sail on 9 February, but by now the
opened his shipbuilding business at assistance and tried to tow her to Boston, but arrived at Bath with her flag flying at half mast War of 1812 had been declared and she re-
Thomaston in 1864. During his years he built she was leaking so badly that Captain Starkey for the loss of Captain E. W. Cookson, first mained where she was. When the British
46 schooners. decided to abandon her and set her ablaze so mate, who was washed overboard off invaded the Chesapeake and captured Wash-
* * * * * she would not become a hazard to navigation. Thatcher’s Island. The vessel was pitching ington, DC the ALPHA was taken by them
No word has been heard of the schooner Her crew, and the survivors from the and he was tossed off into the sea from the and burned.
JOSEPH W. HAWTHORN, Captain Frank PRESSEY, got on board the tug and were forward house.
Roland, after departing Jacksonville, Florida brought into Vineyard Haven. 21 February – The steamer YORK
with a cargo of hard pine for the Deering- 29 January – It was reported that the CASTLE went to the aid of the Bangor schoo-
Winslow Company of Portland on 2 Decem- 26 January – The Eastport schooner E. H. Bucksport schooner A. M. NICHOLSON had ner WILLIAM L. NEWTON, Captain
ber. The steamer QUITO, which arrived in KING struck on Browney’s Island and be- been abandoned in the ice of the Bay of St. Norwood, which was 200 miles off Sandy
Boston from Chili, said that she had passed came a total loss. This small schooner was George, Newfoundland. She was participat- Hook. The NEWTON was carrying a cargo of
a dangerous derelict in the shipping lane off heading from New York to Eastport with a ing in the frozen herring fishery when she was lumber from Brunswick , GA to New York City
Cape Hatteras. The schooner FAIRFIELD cargo of coal. She had been in heavy weather trapped in the ice. Her captain and crew made when she lost her rudder head. The YORK
left Jacksonville at the same time and arrived all the way and during this time had strayed it to safety by making a ten mile trip across the CASTLE stood by, but the schooner never
at Fall River, Massachusetts, unloaded and off course. During the morning the captain ice to shore. launched her boats. After waiting six hours,
head back to Jacksonville on 31 December. thought he was sailing into Eastport harbor the steamer launched a life boat with five men,
I n t e r n a t i o n a l M a r i t i m e L i b r a r y
Help Save All Facets of Maritime History
The International Maritime Library (IML) is a non-profit tax-deductible organization dedicated to the collection and
preservation of all maritime information, such as books, periodicals, documents, personal papers and photographs and then
computerizing it for ease of reference. Those interested will have access to the reference materials and the databases created from
them, either on-site at IML or via the website.
Presently, there is no facility dedicated to collecting and researching all the written maritime works, past and present,
published around the globe. IML will fill this immense void by collecting published and personal works, and computerizing it.
IML’s collections and computerized works will assist maritime academic institutions, businesses and the public allowing
them quick access to information with the touch of a button. With the technological advances in today’s world, the maritime
industry is well behind in what is available via computers. There have been thousands of maritime books and periodicals
published throughout history, which presently cannot be referenced. Those looking for current or historical information spend
hundreds hours, and may never locate that obscure piece of information. IML will change this by creating a single source for all
maritime information.
ON-GOING PROJECTS INCLUDE:
Transcribing maritime articles from: Maine Industrial Journal (1880 to 1918);
Bangor Whig & Courier (1836-1899); Republican Journal (1829 to present);
and various others including Eastern Argus (Portland), Bath Daily Times,
Eastport Sentiniel, Ellsworth American, New Bedford Mercury, Salem
I want to join
Gazette and Boston Evening Transcript.
Databasing - List of Merchant Vessels, 1867 to 1990s. Sail completed, Steamers
Admiral of the Fleet$1,000.00
Captain $100.00
(1867 to 1903) will be finished end of 2009
Admiral $500.00
Lieutenant $50.00
Transcribing Appleby's Ship Records for Maine and the WPA Ship Documents,
Commodore $250.00
Midshipman $25.00
especially ones not published. Passamaquoddy Complete and presently
working on Bath.
Name:
Also, there are over 800 periodicals published in the maritime world and not one
library holds a quarter of them. IML will bridge this problem by collecting and comput-
Address:
erizing them for future use by researchers and the general public.
City: State: Zip:
There is a massive amount of work to be done to accomplish these goals, which
should have been started 150 years ago!
Send to:
To make this happen we need financial support, please help us do more! For more
The International Maritime Library, P.O. Box 710, Winterport, Maine 04496
information please call (207) 223-8846.
Dedicated to the Preservation of Maritime Writings
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