April 2011 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 21. Maritime History 29 October
HISTORY FROM THE PAST - Belfast Republican Journal 1907 4 November
BATH BARK DIRIGO BACK FROM TRIP AROUND HORN
Having rounded Cape Horn, the DIRIGO, America’s biggest bark, a four masted steel vessel of the 3000 tons net register, built in Bath and commanded by Capt. George E. Goodwin, came to berth at the foot of Van Brant Street, Brooklyn, Sunday. On her voyage from Honolulu, a Japanese of the crew was lost overboard and several other men were washed into the scuppers with bruises and broken limbs.
Capt. Goodwin, who put in at Delaware breakwater two days ago for orders, said that around the Horn he found quieter seas and milder airs than at any time before in his 24 years at sea.
They were favoring winds at the start from the Hawaiian port on June 4, and for the first 20 days the DIRIGO made the fastest runs since her launching. Then heavy weather said in and about 1000 miles from Cape Horn at two o’clock one morning there were hurried orders to shorten sail. Twenty- four members of the crew are Japanese and there are six white men.
Up aloft the watch scrambled to take in the upper topsails. One Suji slipped from the port and of the foretopsail yard and fell into the seas a 100 feet below. His comrades cried out “on deck!” – the only English words they had learned – and then John Paul, acting boatswain, slid down the forestay to the forecastle deck to give the alarm, but the DIRIGO had forged ahead half a mile and there was no chance to find the sailor. When the DIRIGO neared Cape Horn in heavy weather the man at the wheel allowed the bark to broach to and the mainsail was blown away. The DIRIGO wallowed in the breaking seas, one of which tumbled aboard and washed the crew on deck into the lee scuppers. Tug Tokie, a Japanese, sustained a broken leg, which was set by Capt. Goodwin with Mr. Marx, first officer. Sunday Tokie was smiling and as lively as the others in the crew. Built-in Bath, ME, in 1894, the DIRIGO is owned by Arthur Sewall & Co. Her name is a part of the seal of the Pine Tree State. She brings a cargo of sugar.
SCH. CHAS. H. SPRAGUE ASHORE IN QUODDY BAY
The Providence schooner CHARLES H. SPRAGUE, lumber laden, bound from An- napolis, Nova Scotia, for Puerto Rico, sprang a leak and filled while off West Quoddy Head early Sunday during a southwest gale and driving rainstorm. She put into Quoddy Bay and anchored calmer but being in danger of capsizing, in the heavy seas, shipped her anchors and tried to make the upper Bay but grounded on the point near the government breakwater, where she now lives in a danger- ous position on a rocky reef.
The water poured into her so rapidly that everything below decks was spoiled. The wind at the time reached the velocity of 50 miles an hour.
The SPRAGUE is of 318 tons gross, was built in Madison, CT, in 1882, and carries a crew of about seven men.
7 November
GALE WRECKS MANY VESSELS Storm Distractive Along the Coast and in the Interior Sections
Boston, November 7. – Wednesday night’s storm which blew several vessels onshore at various points on the New En- gland coast, and which littered the interior with broken trees, signs and other insecure material, was well down toward the provinces at dawn Thursday after a strenuous career in this part of the country.
Reports of the gale’s destruction began to come in Wednesday afternoon when a rack was noted at Kennebunkport and from that time on there were hourly messages of dam- age by the gale.
Wednesday night’s list was augmented Thursday with the grounding of the four masted schooner ALICE M. COLBURN on West Chop at the entrance of the Vineyard Haven and later came the news of the wash- ing out of 100 feet of track of the Woods Hole branch of the N. Y., N. H. & H. R. R. at Falmouth.
Numerous minor accidents were dis- closed when the sun broke through the clouds but it was a relief when word was received from Cape Cod that several vessels which were of that dangerous peninsula
H. "Dynamite' Payson Dies Continued from Page 4.
Although renowned in the maritime and art world, Dynamite was known as a gentleman, was always unassuming, and treated everyone the same, regardless of social standing. His work in models and photography was exhibited at noted locations including Maine Maritime Museum in Bath, the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland and the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport.
Over the years, with the assistance of his wife, Dynamite kept track of the boat plans that he had sold and the boats that had been built all over the world.
Even though the primary tools of his craft were generational hand tools, as the computer technology advanced, he learned those skills as well, and ultimately joined the web world with his own web site. He was a Life Member of the Owls Head Transportation Museum and could often be seen driving his 1930 Chevy Roadster, given to him by his father in the 1950s, daily to the Spruce Head Post Office.
He loved, and was loved by his family. He always looked forward to family cookouts and especially the “goodies” that were made by the family. He appreciated the countless friends and relatives who would
Wednesday night had succeeded in weath- ering it.
The local fishing fleet which was scat- tered about the day Wednesday was still unreported at noon Thursday.
SEVERE STORM ON COAST SHIPPING HAS SUFFERED
A heavy rainstorm which swept over New England Wednesday and Wednesday night cause more or less damage along the coast. The wind was from the Northeast and amounted to a gale, the velocity on Cape Cod reaching 70 miles an hour.
Coasting vessels not import had a hard time. The three-masted schooner JONATHAN SAWYER, of Portsmouth, NH, bound for Saco, Maine, with coal, struck on Gott Island of Kennebunkport and was wracked. The crew of seven men reached the island in their boat after a hard struggle in the rough sea. The schooner was owned by B. Frank Neely of Dover, NH. She was valued at $7000 and was not insured. The cargo con- sisted of 500 tons of coal consigned to the Pepperell Manufacturing Company, a Biddeford. It was valued at $2000 and the loss is covered by insurance.
A large vessel supposed to be a five masted schooner, was blown dangerously near the breakers on Cape Cod at 5 PM. She was warned by the Cahoon’s Hollow Lifesav- ers and did not touch bottom. Half an hour later she was reported close to the bar near the Highland station, but again escaped. It is thought she was able to weather the Cape and enter Massachusetts Bay. During the gale the upper part of the government wireless telegraph station at Highland Light was blown down. The app gratis was damaged and no messages can be handled until repairs are made. The schooner ANNIE R. LEWIS,
bound from Lanesville for Vinalhaven, ME, which put into Portsmouth for shelter, was fouled in the harbor by the barge DRAPER, from Philadelphia, and lost her foretopmast, flying jib boom and other headgear. While entering Portsmouth Harbor thus schooner KOLON, South Amboy, NJ, for Eastport, ME, collided with the schooner LANIE COBB, bound from Jersey City for Calais, ME. The KOLON had her after house smashed and was otherwise damaged. The COBB was not injured.
An unusual high tide accompanied the gale and wharves and cellars at various sea- ports were flooded.
The blow particularly disarranged this telegraph service between Boston and Port- land. In Newport trees and wires were blown down at several points.
8 November
SLOOPS DAMAGED IN STORM Boat owners in Bangor and Brewer, who had not got their craft into winter quarters, had narrow escapes from losing their prop- erty during Thursday’s storm. The high wa- ter and wind caused many small boats to drag their anchors and Friday they were found considerable distances away or on the shore. A. sloop belonging to Fred G. Eaton was sunk at its moorings near Rollins Park of the Brewer side of the river and will be consider- ably damaged. Another sloop, the GOLDEN ROD, belonging to Frank W. Earle, dragged its moorings during the storm and was found Friday morning at the ferry slip.
As a result of the high water, lumber which had been placed on the shore out of reach of ordinary high water pitch was floated and the river was full of floating lumber Fri- day. Small craft had to proceed with caution owing to the floating stuff.
PAUL E. LUKE, INC. Fireplaces - Automatic Feathering Propellors - 3-Piece Storm Anchors
Full Service Boat Yard 15 Luke's Gulch, East Boothbay, Maine 04544
TEL. (207) 633-4971 A. Franklin Luke FAX: (207) 633-3388 RALPH STANLEY, INC. is now
always stop by and visit him in his shop. He will be missed by all who knew him. Pre-deceased by one son, David H. Payson, January 18, 2008, Dynamite is survived by one sister, Helen Post of Spruce Head; his wife of 62 years, Amy; two sons, Neil P. Payson of South Thomaston, Timothy D. Payson and his wife Glennis of Camden; two daughters, Lisa Payson of South Thomaston, Joy Wyatt and her husband Darrell of Bonneau, South Carolina; seven grandchildren; eight great- grandchildren; as well as several nieces and nephews.
Friends and relatives are invited to visit from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., Thursday, March 31, 2011, at Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland, where a celebration of Dynamite’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m., Friday, April 1st. A reception will follow at ‘104 Limerock’. Spring interment will be in Ocean View Cemetery, South Thomaston. To share a memory or story with Dynamite’s family, please visit his online guest book at
www.bchfh.com.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Carpenter’s Boat Shop, 440 Old County Road, Pemaquid, Maine 04558.
GreatHarborBoatworks.com
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