November 2012 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 23.
Interesting Vessels of the Passamaquoddy District
By Amos Boyd The clipper barque ARABIAN, which
had a fi gurehead of a spirited courser (or war horse) was built in Calais in 1852 by Captain William Hinds in the shipyard of James Porter & Sons. Soon after launching, the 40-ton barque was loaded with lumber and sailed of New York where vessel and cargo were to be sold.
Even the most experienced and skillful ship builder could not predict how well a newly built vessel would sail in calm or storm, and for this reason, the “maiden” voyage of any large vessel was watched with interest by all sea-faring men. Enroute to New York the ARABIAN out sailed a fl eet of fast moving yachts, establishing a record for speed.
That news spread quickly along the waterfront and throughout the city of New York and attracted the attention of a Spanish (or Cuban) captain to whom the ARABIAN was sold for $20,000. The barque then sailed for Cardenas in Cuba, where the Maine crew was paid off and all but one man left the vessel. At Cardenas the ARABIAN was re-named the CARIBEE and converted to a slave vessel. Thomas Briggs of Robbinston wrote a detailed account of the horrors com- mitted aboard the ARABIAN-CARIBEE by the villainous Cuban captain and crew. In 1825, a much earlier period of time, the 140-ton packet schooner SARA was built in Calais by either Captain Jarius Kean or by Moses Vernon for Saint John owners. In 1834-35, the SALLY was sailing between Eastport and Boston, carrying passengers and freight. She was wrecked at “Moss Peck” (probably Mooseabec, off Jonesport) during the winter of 1834-35 when Captain Thomas Prince of Eastport mistook the light for that of Quoddy Head. Sixteen of the thirty-two Eastport passengers died in the awful wreck, along with Captain Pierce and Joseph Cony. There are many versions of the story of the wreck, which was celebrated in poetry and song as the loss of the SARAH or SALLY.
In Robbinston, the 300-ton brig CAR- BON was launched in 1851 by J. N. M. Brewer as the fi rst 3-mast brig, later called a barkentine. The unusual rig went almost unnoticed outside of Washington County, although the CARBON was listed in local papers as a three-masted brig. Only when
the CARBON returned from a trip around the Horn and arrived at Boston somewhat battered, was the unusual rig noticed. It caused a sensation and it was thought that the bark had been dismasted and rerigged. Captain Valpey, instead of the builder was given credit for the innovation.
In 1853, James Cox of Robbinston, built the 1048-ton clipper ship RED GAUNT- LET, and in 1854 built the 1293-ton clipper DICTATOR, both of which established records for speedy passages. J. W. Cox built many other ships, brigs and barques, some of large tonnage including the LOUISA or ELOUISA of 800 or 1000 tons. Large vessels built in this area were generally sold to commercial centers such as Boston, New York, or Liverpool in En- gland and rarely returned to their place of launching. However, the LOUISA, built by J. W. Cox in 1856 returned to the Saint Croix River in 1887 sailing the German fl ag. Cox was then an old man, recognized the LOUISA at once, and the German captain, knowing Cox had been the builder 31 years before, anchored the ship at Robbinston, and invited the old ship builder onboard as an honored guest. In 1998, J. W. Cox’s granddaughters, then elderly ladies who had been brought up hearing of the glories of their mother’s people, the shipbuilding Brewer’s, learned for the fi rst time of the accomplishments of the grandfather Cox. The 135-ton AMELIA was built in Per-
ry in 1847 by William Patterson. This small brig successfully rounded the Horn and de- livered many Perry and Eastport men to San Francisco enroute to the gold fi elds. Alice Green, years ago principal of the Eastport Primary school, said her great-great-great grandfather sailed to California onboard the brig AMELIA, but she didn’t know how he got back; he said one trip on the AMELIA was enough. A larger brig, the MOLUNKUS of 211 tons was built in Perry in 1853 by Ephraim Trott, and was loaded with 120,000 boards by W. S. Pope & Co. of East Machias. The MOLUNKUS, with John Mitchell master, cleared February 1, 1861, for Cienfuegos, Cuba. On August 30th
, the brig was passed by
a Norfolk packet which reported the MOL- Continued on Page 24.
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