Page 20. MAINE COASTAL NEWS April 2011


Maritime History By Amos Boyd


The 727-ton barque I. SARGENT was launched on April 14, 1872 in Machias, Maine; her master carpenter was J. Lowell Nash and the barque was built in the shipyard of William Hatheway. The barque was one of the largest built on the Machias River and was named for one of the owners. Her keel was 142’ long, and her depth of hold was 11’. Her deck frame and ceiling were built of hard pine; and her outer frame was made of hardwood; she was ironed and copper fastened. At the time of launching, the I. SARGENT cost $35,000.


There was always much to see at a launching and the occasion attracted many people because of her expense and unusual size. There was also considerable suspense, because no matter how careful the preparations, no one could predict how well the launching would go, and considerable danger was involved because of the SARGENT’s size and weight.


About two weeks later, the I. SARGENT was moved to Machiasport by the steamer DELTA on the following Friday she sailed for Saint John in New Brunswick to load deal. From Saint John the barque sailed on her “maiden” voyage to Liverpool in England. So-called maiden voyages were watched with great interest by all ship owners, masters and seamen because every vessel sailed differently, and had to be learned. First masters could be compared in their day, with pilots of experimental aircraft, who had to learn quickly. Some first or “maiden” voyages were also last voyages. On September 29th


the SARGENT was in ballast, no cargo meant any profit to her owners when sailing from Rio de Janeiro to her home port in New York, with her arrival expected October 1st


.


One of the most valuable, but unpleasant cargoes carried at that time was guano from Peru. Guano was the most effective and productive fertilizer in the


Peru's Earthquake and Tidal Waves


world at a time when food could be preserved only by two time-consuming and labor intensive methods – drying and salting. If crops failed, people starved because food spoiled in storage or transportation. Effective fertilizer was life giving; and although fertilizers, such animal products, fish and even wood ashes had been used for centuries, they were not always effective. Guano, the droppings of two kinds of fish-eating birds, had special chemical properties which were preserved in Peru’s arid climate, creating a rich and effective fertilizer which they had used for centuries. Europeans and North Americans did not discover this until the 1840s.


In June of 1887, Captain Leighton and the SARGENT were on the coast of Peru waiting their turn to load guano. While they waited, they became acquainted with the prosperous and friendly people of the neighboring Peruvian town, where they enjoyed the temperate climate; rain was almost unknown, and there was no damage from the wind and fevers of the Caribbean Islands.


By late afternoon of June 25th , the the following year,


SARGENT had loaded about two thirds of her cargo of guano, and had anchored for the night under the lee of the island in company with other merchant vessels. The next morning Captain Leighton and most of the crew were below decks when suddenly there was a violent trembling sensation and a sound like letting down the anchor and chains. The men rushed on deck, but everything seemed as usual until they looked at the shore. There they saw what seemed to be a dark cloud of dust surrounding the town. A terrible rumbling began which increased in intensity until the men’s ears throbbed, and in the distance above the dark cloud, the mountains began a strange nodding, and the earth shifted. From the dark cloud surrounding the town came the horrible crunching sound of


MISC. COMMERCIAL FISHING NEWS Continued from Page 13.


Texas in March and April, and in Alaska, Oregon and Washington in May. This is NOAA’s second national survey focusing on how much saltwater anglers spend on their sport.


NOAA and its state partners will ask anglers how long their fishing trips last and how much they spend on bait, boat fuel, ice, charter fees and other expenses. Anglers will also be asked to participate in a follow-up survey that will ask them to estimate what they spend on durable goods such as boats and fishing tackle used for saltwater angling for the previous 12 months. Those who par- ticipate in both parts of the survey will help NOAA produce accurate economic informa- tion.


falling buildings and pitiful screams of pain and fright and cries for help; a heart rending combination of pain and death. Then the SARGENT itself began to vibrate and tremble while the sound from the shore muted except for one or two screams of pain that penetrated the dark cloud of dust. Then very gradually the air began to clear, and suddenly become a startling burst of brilliant sunlight, with a cloudless sky obscene in contrast to the desolation of crushed buildings and the bodies of people and animals. Minutes before there had been a busy happy town with children playing with toys and pets, and busy men and women going about their work.


Out, away from the disaster, a few survivors were running and crying frantically along the shore toward the pier, hoping to reach safety in the anchored ships, while screaming and crying for help to dig out their loved ones, who were now covered with rubble and debris.


At first the men on shipboard stood transfixed, overcome by the horrors they had seen, but soon began to realize their own predicament. All knew or had heard about the giant tidal waves that followed earthquakes and they knew there was little they could to protect themselves, but they did what they could. Extra anchors were put out, hatches battened down, cabin doors braced, and life lines “rove both fore and aft”. Preparations were made quickly; waiting for what would come would be the hard part. From the shore there came a faint sound, almost a murmur, from where the pier had been and from where the survivors had been running along the shore. Now there was only running water. The sea had begun to recede, and from the shore an enormous wall of water swept toward the anchored vessels. Again the earth trembled, the mountains moved, and there was fearsome noise. The recessed wall of water met the anchored vessels, engulfed, and rolled them on the wet sea floor; leaving some shattered and broken while nearby flat bottom ships sat oddly upright, surrounded by debris, bodies, and seaweed.


Economists from NOAA’s Fisheries Service throughout the country as well as regional and state partners are assisting with the 2011 survey. Once the economic data are collected, they will be analyzed and released as a NOAA report. The most recent economic study in 2009 showed that anglers’ expendi- tures generated $59 billion in sales and sup- ported more than 385,000 jobs.


NOAA Fisheries Proposes to Implement Measures in Monkfish Amendment 5; Comments Due April 4


NOAA Fisheries is proposing to imple- ment measures in Amendment 5 to the Monkfish Fishery Management Plan (FMP). The New England and Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Councils developed Amend- ment 5 to bring the Monkfish FMP into com- pliance with the annual catch limit and ac- countability measure requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act. NOAA Fisheries is considering disapproving proposed annual catch targets that are not consistent with the most recent scientific advice. NOAA Fisher- ies is also proposing three management mea- sures in Amendment 5 to promote efficiency and reduce waste: automatic days-at- sea adjustment for trip limit overages; authoriza- tion to land monkfish heads; and changes to the Monkfish Research Set-Aside Program through framework adjustment, and to bring the biological and management reference points in the Monkfish FMP into compliance with recently revised National Standard 1 Guidelines.


The dreaded tidal waves came later, its tremendous height looming over the few vessels that were still afloat. The giant wave crashed into the SARGENT, driving the barque deep into water that seemed a solid force, full of debris and sand. The hull was so stressed that every beam shrieked and groaned, adding to the terror of the bruised and battered men gasping for breath when the barque finally surged to the surface.


The night that followed seemed to last forever, and it was only when dawn came that the extent of the damage could be seen; it was a miracle the barque was still afloat. The bowsprit was gone close to the bow, the jib- boom had disappeared altogether along with its attached sails, the forecastle was almost completely torn from the deck, the foremast and all above it had disappeared, the quarter and the spanker boom broken, all rigging was cut and chaffed.


When the men looked on shore, they could not tell where they were, the earthquake and tidal wave had destroyed all familiar landmarks. Repairs could be made at Callao, but reaching it in such damaged condition would not be easy, but the SARGENT struggled slowly through the floating debris to the port where they were greeted with amazement, because they had been give up for lost.


The damage to the SARGENT was great and repairs took time, and when the vessel was sound again, the SARGENT sailed for New York. Captain Leighton returned to his home for a few weeks and Captain Brown again took charge and sailed for Havre in France. When the SARGENT returned to New York, Leighton again resumed command. On July 2nd


, the SARGENT


returned from Harwich, England on January 15, 1879, the barque arrived at Genoa, Italy with a full cargo after a difficult passage with strong winds, and the same year sailed to Bordeaux, France from New York, making the passage in 21 days. Two years later she was at Caribbean with a cargo of sugar, and when Captain Leighton returned to his home port this time he never returned to the sea. The next captain of the SARGENT was James Dye of Milbridge when the barque sailed to Calais, Maine to load a cargo of lumber for Buenos Ayres; she encountered heavy weather and lost a deckload of lumber and opened a leak in the hull. Captain Dyer continued as master and on September 1, 1883, the SARGENT encountered a terrible storm, became unmanageable, and had to be abandoned. The crew was picked up by the ship CARRIK CASTLE and landed at Taleahuano. Captain Dyer returned to Milbridge that November.


The career of the 727-ton barque SARGENT ended after ten years after a busy and profitable life at sea, after miraculously surviving a terrible earthquake and tidal wave in Peru. Hers was a record to be proud of, and testimony of the work skills of the men who built her.


Maine Island Trail Association Investigating Fraud


Continued from Page 6.


Finance Committee and staff took immediate action on a wide variety of fronts to enhance the security of the organization and its finances to help ensure such misfortune does not occur again.


We have begun to take all appropriate steps to recover the missing funds and to hold the responsible individual fully accountable. We have brought a civil action in Cumberland County Superior Court to recover financial damages and have reported this matter to the Portland Police Department. Given that these investigations are ongoing, we can make no further statements about the person or method involved in the alleged crime. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.


Established in 1987, the Maine Island


Trail Association is a membership organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the wild islands of coastal Maine. With 191 trail sites and over two decades of community-building, stewardship and education, the organization developed a model of sustainable recreation while creating America’s first recreational water trail. The 375-mile waterway extends from the New Hampshire boarder to Machias Bay with further expansion planned. Current members enjoy access to Trail properties for day use or overnight visits in return for observing low-impact techniques and guidelines outlined in MITA’s annual 250-page trail guide. In 2010 an online version of the guide was released at Guide.mita.org. For more general information, contact MITA at 207- 761-8225, info@mita.org or visit www.mita.org.


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