Page 24. MAINE COASTAL NEWS May 2012 Maritime History HISTORY FROM THE PAST - Bangor Daily Commercial 1907 Continued on Page 23.
Two Schooners Went Ashore on Rocks Near Mount Desert Ferry and Will Be Total Losses.
The storm which began Monday evening and raged throughout the night and all day Tuesday was the worst that has been known on Mount Desert island for a good many years at this season of the year, and considerable damage is reported as the result of the furious gale.
Two schooners which were at anchor in Sullivan harbor, dragged their anchors and went ashore on the rocks near the wharf at Mount Desert Ferry and they will be a total loss. One of the schooners was a fisherman and the other a coal vessel and both were loaded. The vessel rode out the gale through the night and went ashore one soon after daylight Tuesday morning and the other about 8 o’clock. The crews got ashore safely. A small fishing sloop owned by H. D. Wakefield of Bar Harbor was anchored close to the schooners through the night and rode out the storm in safety. Tuesday during a slight lull in the storm the sloop beat her way into the harbor and the two men who com- posed the crew told of the harrowing night aboard that little boat.
During the night Monday the BOBOLEENA, a 40-foot gasoline launch owned by D. T. Timayenis, Greek consul at Boston, a summer resident of Sullivan got adrift and went ashore, turning over in the surf on the beach and becoming a complete wreck. A knockabout owned by the same gentleman filled at her moorings in the harbor and sank. Over at Conners Brothers’ boat houses and considerable damage was done to a launch owned by Hon. Joseph Pulitzer of New York which had recently been stored in
the boat house. Another launch of Mr. Pulitzer’s which was in another boat house, was uninjured. Here in Bar Harbor there was no great damage to property except to the trees about the streets and on private land, but this was quite a serious as great limbs were torn off and the beauty of many trees marred for years to come. A big willow a foot and a half through in front of Milton Stratton’s house on Cottage street was blown down by the force of the gale. The Maine Central Ferry boat was about an hour late in arriving on her morning trip and when she came into the harbor she was plunging into the waves and the spray was going all over her.
The trip to Northeast, Southwest Har- bor, Seal Harbor and Manset was abandoned on account of the storm. The surf was mag- nificent during Tuesday afternoon and many people braved the elements and went down to the Shore Path to watch the rollers along the beach and on the islands about the bay. At low water Tuesday afternoon there was a very heavy sea which did considerable dam- age to the wharves, carrying away piling and breaking up floating stages. Men who had boats moored out in the harbor put in one of the busiest days of their lives getting out extra anchors and making every thing snug in the endeavor to save their property from going to destruction.
At low water the surf was breaking be- yond the Maine Central wharf and lots of people were on the wharves watching the unusual sight. And the rain! It just came down in sheets at pretty frequent intervals all day Tuesday, flooding the streets and run- ning along the gutters in streams. And when the rain wasn’t coming down by bucketsful it was descending like an ordinary rainstorm. Towards night the wind veered around to the
northwest, lowing a good stiff breeze, the stars came out and it grew cold rapidly…
4 November 1907
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 1907 THE SUSAN STETSON
Capt. Bulmer and the Wrecked Crew in Bangor Wednesday HAD A PERILOUS TIME
Manned Pumps for 24 Hours and Had Hard Row of 18 Hours – The ALICE M. COLBURN Ashore
Capt. Bulmer and part of the crew of the schooner SUSAN STETSON, which sunk 50 miles southeast of Biddeford Pool Tuesday, pass through the city Wednesday afternoon en route to Bucksport. Capt. Bulmer and his men had a narrow escape from death and they feel that it was by only the greatest good fortune that they survived.
The STETSON, which hails from Bucksport, was bound from South Amboy to Kennebec with a cargo of coal. All went well until last Sunday when a storm came up and the STETSON was driven 50 miles offshore. Seams were started and the pumps were manned. After pumping 24 hours, the crew was obliged to take to a small boat and after 18 hours of hard work in an open sea, the crew managed to reach the Fletcher’s neck lifesav- ing station. The STETSON sunk soon after it was deserted.
In an interview one of the shipwrecked mariners described their experiences as fol- lows:
“We left South Amboy a week ago Fri- day and had good wind and weather until last Sunday when a storm set in. We were blown 50 miles or more offshore. The vessel began to leak so badly that we had to man the pumps and we had to keep constantly at them in order to keep it afloat. By Monday night, the water had gained on us to such an extent that myself and the other members of the crew were nearly exhausted. Our wrist began to swell and there was nothing to do but to take to the boat.
“We put supplies and a compass aboard and left the vessel. We had not much more than clear that the STETSON before it sank. The yawl boat was a small one and rather old and several times it seemed as if we would never reach the shore. We headed for land and after 18 hours of the hardest kind of rowing came in sight of the lifesaving station at Fletcher’s Neck. The light grew saw us when we were about 2 miles from land and came out to our rescue and towed us so shore. The SUSAN STETSON was an old craft having been built in 1867 at Damariscotta. It was owned by W. D. Emerson of Bucksport and was of 143 gross tonnage.
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 Documenting Maritime History for Future Generations
This is the five-masted schooner FANNIE PALMER being launched at the George L. Welt shipyard in Waldoboro in November 1900. She was built for William F. Palmer and named for his two-year old daughter. She had a length of 266.1 feet, beam, 44.6, depth 25.1 and 2,258 tons displacement with a carrying capacity of 3,700 tons. She was considered a unlucky vessel. She went ashore on her maiden voyage in Cape Charles, VA and remained there for several months. She was sold and renamed GEORGE P. HUDSON and she again went ashore off Shinnecock Light, Long Island, New York. In 1911 she caught fire at Sewall’s Point, Norfolk, VA, while loading coal. Two years later she was in collision with the schooner MARGARET HASKELL off Vineyard Haven, MA. Her end came in a collision with the SS MIDDLESEX, near Great Round Shoal, MA on July 11, 1914. Captain Thomas and two seamen were lost.
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 Gazette and Boston Evening Transcript.
Databasing - List of Merchant Vessels, 1867 to 1990s. Sail completed, Steamers (1867 to 1903) and American Bureau of Shippings "Record" Transcribing: WPA Ship Documents, especially ones not published. Passamaquoddy Complete and presently working on Bath. There is a massive amount of work to be done to accomplish these goals, which should have been started 150 years ago!
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