Page 22. MAINE COASTAL NEWS February 2011


Maritime History DOWNEASTERS BECAME FORTY-NINERS - PART II


By Amos Boyd


Continuation from last issue. The men who traveled by sea as passen- gers were generally men who had worked hard all their lives, in an era when the work- day reached from dawn to dark. Their first experience of real leisure came during the months at sea; and they filled much of their time doing “women’s work” – clumsily mend- ing or sewing on buttons. Washing clothes was not often possible, since fresh water was rarely available. Many of the men kept careful diaries or wrote long letters, so they could share their experiences and kept contact with their families.


Many of these letters and diaries were carefully preserved by the families of the men, and in some cases, even by their descen- dants. Letters were written for newspaper publication, so their readers could also share the experiences of the travelers. These ac- counts, made while experiences were still fresh and interesting, give a feeling of having been there ourselves.


Some men wrote accounts of their expe- riences years afterward, and these are inter- esting they lack the clarity and detail of the earlier events. Generally the dairies and let- ters written at a later record only the most exciting or interesting events.


It is impossible now to learn the names of all the vessels that left Downeast for Califor- nia. Some vessels were lost at sea with no survivors or witnesses. Many factors could make the difference between life and death. Good fortune smiled on some, and they rounded Cape Horn without incident, while others who followed within an hour or two were caught by raging seas, foundered, were dashed against rocks, were wrecked, or went ashore and were lost with all hands. Some men left home and family without


notice, and were never seen again. Landsmen sometimes took passage in vessels shining with trim and fresh paint that covered old and rotten that were sold to them at enormous profit by unscrupulous owners. Even well maintained vessels sometimes failed to sur- vive the terrible storms and awesome weather sometimes encountered.


Every attempt has been made here to give correct information, but no doubt there are errors. Most of the information below comes from newspaper accounts of the day. Vessels from the Passamaquoddy District and the Maritimes


The bark ADA, was probably built in Saint Stephen; tonnage and date of launch- ing is unknown. John Watson was captain, and became much respected by the passen- gers of the ADA. The ADA left from Calais the 10th


of September 1849 with 20(?) passen- gers. A letter giving many details of the voyage, was mailed from San Francisco and printed in the Calais Advertiser, from which comes this information.


The passengers were: Mr. and Mrs. Milbury, Mr. Hunter, James Graham, Thomas Waide, Aaron Peabody, Joshua Boyden, Warren Foster, Freeman ALward, Mr. Hay- ward and sons Samuel and Franklin, Barris, Mercer, Fallon, Amos Wilder, Andrew Todd and Columbus Bacon. One man died of an accidental gunshot wound after shooting a wolf during their stay on the Falkland Islands. Sea-sickness hit many of the passengers almost as soon as the ADA cleared land, and gold digger wash pans came into frequent use in the cabins, while other unhappy pas- sengers (and some green crewmen) hung their heads over the side.


The brig AMELIA, of 135 tons was built in Perry in 1847 by William Patterson; her dimensions were 82-22-8. The AMELIA may


or may not be the same vessel that left Mazatlan for Canton in August of 1849 with $500,000 in specie; both captains and a pas- senger were murdered en route.


The copper fastened brig B. M. PRESCOTT of 138 tons was built in Robbinston in 1848; the builder’s name is not known. F. A. Pike was principal owner and William Simms was captain when in Septem- ber of 1849, the PRESCOTT was “nearly ready to leave, wind or weather permitting.” The B. M. PRESCOTT took out passen- gers Columbus Cooper and sons Frederick and Augustus; Mark Elsworth, John Hutton, Edward Shannon, Samuel Allen, Samuel McCurdy, Harris and Charles Rolfe, A. C. Mason, Dougle McDougle, Benjamin Doughty, Waterman and Waite. The vessel left with the editor’s bless- ing: “May their passage be prosperous and their anticipations realized.”


The BRAZILIAN belonged to the Por- ters of Saint Stephen and may have been built there; her tonnage and rig are unknown. She left Downeast either in September or Decem- ber of 1849, loaded with lumber, carrying an unknown number of passengers to the mines. The 602-ton ship CALIFORNIA PACKET was built in Cutler in 1849 by Tho- mas Lowden, her captain was George Kimball. Her dimensions were 144-30-15, in great contrast to those of the AMELIA, the B. M. PRESCOTT, and the QUODDY BELLE. The CALIFORNIA PACKET was expensive to build, and her ownership was divided among many residents of different communi- ties.


The barque FANNY, was built in Saint Stephen, N. B. for Henry Eastman to carry the small steamer S. B. WHEELER around the Horn to California.


The FANNY was taken down the Saint


Croix River to Eastport, where she was sunk; the steamer S. B. WHELELER was floated over her, and the FANNY was raised with the S. B. WHEELER inside. The FANNY was then loaded with other cargo and passengers and set sail for San Francisco.


The brig FOREST was owned in Calais, but her tonnage and place of launching is not unknown. The FOREST arrived in San Fran- cisco October 6th


, 18—; two men were lost


overboard during a heavy wind at midnight off Cape Horn. One was a Maine man, Ralph Campbell, whose hometown was not given. Barque LUNETTE, was owned in Calais; her place and date of launching and tonnage are not known. With Keen as master the LUNETTE sailed from Calais in June of 1849 for California with lumber, house frames, and several young men as passengers. The brigantine (or schooner) MARY STUART, of 147 tons was built in Lubec in 1846 by Talbot, and was owned by James Nason. Frank Adams, author of Maritime History of Lubec, said the MARY STUART’s master was Mowry Tucker when the brigan- tine left New York for San Francisco in 1848. The ship NATHANIEL HOOPER, George Griffin was captain in 1849. Her ton- nage, place and date of launching are un- known. The HOOPER “sailed from the Ledge on Wednesday last”, loaded with lumber for San Francisco as were several other vessels at Calais on November 17, 1849. The ship also carried passengers, but their number varied with each newspaper account, from 6 to 16. The brigantine QUODDY BELLE, some- times listed as a barkentine of 157 tons, was built in Whiting in 1847 by Davis Hallet of North Lubec. The vessel left Lamson’s Wharf in Lubec at 8 a.m. November 27, 1849


Continued on Page 23. Painting Done and What a Difference! 4.602 x 2.388


A close up of the starboard side with primer coats on the main house.


A close up of the starboard side with primer coats on, but it now has its final coat on the main house and hull.


This stern view shows the deck, chipped, ground and given two final coats of Durabak. Still need to get final coats on deck under grates, bases of bitts and hatch covers. Does look a lot different!


This stern view shows the deck, chipped, ground and given two final coats of Durabak. Still need to get final coats on deck under grates, bases of bitts and hatch covers. Does look a lot different!


Fall is fast approaching and hours and hours of the chipping, grinding and painting has been accomplished. So far this year the starboard hull, above and below the waterline, main deck on both sides of the mainhouse and aft deck, stack, has been chipped and ground and is now waiting for paint. We are hoping for another three to four weeks of good painting weather and then attention will be turned to the engineering spaces and interior work. SATURN is a 117-foot railroad tug built as the BERN for the Reading Railroad in 1907. She is one of the last railroad tugs in existence and is being saved for future generations to enjoy. For further information : (207) 223-8846 or to join the Friends of SATURN, send a check for $25 or more to P.O. Box 710, Winterport, ME 04496.


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