Page 24. MAINE COASTAL NEWS December 2012 Maritime History


BRIA directly to the marine railway and get her out of the water so soon as possible, but on account of the condition of the tide at the time of her arrival, she was brought up to the wharf to await a more convenient opportunity.


HISTORY FROM THE PAST - Bangor Daily Commercial - 1890s of the wreck.


CIMBRIA could have been pulled off easily. 1 March 1899


Shipping Suffers in Storm.


Many Craft Wrecked in the Blizzard of Tuesday.


The CIMBRIA is in a bad way, nau- tically speaking. She is badly strained and her deckhouses are smashed and torn and her fi ttings damaged by seawater. However, she can be repaired and will be just so soon as the work can be done. She can be repaired cheaper than a new boat can be built, though it will require several thousands of dollars to make her right and tight. It is believed that her engines are sound. The leakage is occasioned by strains and not by any breaks in her hull.


The work of rescuing the CIMBRIA


refl ects great credit on the men of Ross & Howell’s crew who went down in the RALPH ROSS to pull the steamer off the ledge. Her position was dangerous and the job was diffi cult and delicate in the extreme. The question of responsibility for the accident is still open. It lies between the en- gineer and the pilot, and both of them were unaware that they had committed any error until it was too late. They both continue to assert they understood the signal perfectly. The pilot says he rang two bells and the engineer says he heard not one, and that’s the size if the situation.


An interesting but unpleasant report in connection with the case, says that when the CIMBRIA had been on the rocks for only a few minutes, and while she was signaling with her whistle for help, another steamer passed her without notice, reporting the accident at Bar Harbor. At that hour the


Heroic and Thrilling Rescues of Sailors from Certain Death – The Loss of the KENDRICK FISH at Portland. The two masted schooner KENDRICK FISH, of Rockland, Capt. Gilbert, went ashore at 9 o’clock Tuesday morning on Cobb’s ledge, Danforth Cove, at the entrance to Portland harbor. It was snowing hard at the time and the wind was blowing a gale. The schooner missed stays and before her anchors could bring her up she struck on the ledge about 150 feet from the bold shores of Cape Elizabeth, against which the sea was lashing in a fearful manner. The schooner began to go to pieces when several fi shermen of Willard discovered the wreck and by heroic efforts succeeded in getting a rope ashore over which the captain and four sailors were pulled to safety.


The schooner will be a total loss. She was light at the time of the wreck, being bound there to load lumber. She registered 149 tons and was very old. She was owned by Capt. Gilbert and was uninsured.


22 March 1899


Loss of the Sch. NELLIE KING. The Little Machias Vessel was Driven Ashore on Libby Island in the Storm of March 15 Captain’s Story. Machias, March 22. – Capt. Bagley, of the Machias schooner NELLIE KING, which was lost on Libby island, off this coast, last week, has arrived here and he gives details


The KING sailed from Calais with lum- ber and shingles the fi rst of last week, bound for Boston and shortly after leaving Quoddy bay on the night of March 15, encountered heavy weather with a northeast snow storm which soon increased to a hurricane. Just before the vessel made Machias, Seal island, the mainsail was blown from the boat ropes and jibs and foresail quickly followed. This left the vessel wholly unmanageable and without a rag of sail.


The breakers of Libby island were sighted ahead and Capt. Bagley and his crew of six men saw that their only chance was to abandon the vessel. They took to the boats and after six hours’ pull against a blinding snow storm, they reached Jonesport in a half frozen state.


The KING was driven on the side of the island after the crew abandoned her, and she was torn to pieces by the sea.


The schooner NELLIE KING was of 91 tons net regisers built at Waterboro, N. B., in 1888 and rebuilt at Machiasport in 1896. She was owned by W. T. Mansfi eld and Co., of Jonesport.


24 April 1899


Revival of Shipbuilding Industry in this State.


Review of Recent Operations in Our Leading Shipyards and Forecasts of Future Prospects.


A Bangor Paper’s Careful Compilation of Work Done During the Past Year in the Various Customs Districts – Sketch- es of Prominent Shipyards and Builders – An Encouraging Outlook Indeed. (The Industrial Journal.)


There is no more encouraging sign of the times than the revival in shipbuilding. From the earliest times the building of vessels has been one of the most prominent of Maine industries. Nearly three centuries have elapsed since the VIRGINIA was launched near the mouth of the Kennebec and the pinnace of 30 tons constructed by the Popham carpenters has been succeeded by such giant crafts as the ships SHENAN- DOAH, 3253 tons, and ROANOKE, 3400; the fi ve-masted schooners, GOV. AMES, 1689 tons, NATHANIEL T. PALMER, 2244 tons, and the JOHN B. PRESCOTT, 2249 tons; and the steel sailing ships ERSKINE M. PHELPS, 2715 tons, and ARTHUR SEWALL, 2919 tons.


For some years depression had char- acterized the shipping business and the shipyards have in many instances been deserted. The 74,466 tons of new vessels sent forth from Maine yards in 1890 steadily declined until during 1897 the new tonnage amounted to 5,037. During 1898 a decided improvement, however, was visible and ves- sel aggregating 27,295 tons were launched. The season of 1899 opens auspiciously and since the beginning of the year there have already been launched the big four masted schooner JOHN B. PRESCOTT at Camden, the steel sailing ship ARTHUR SEWALL at Bath, and the magnifi cent yacht APHRODITE. Big fore-and afters are now in general favor and four fi ve-masted schoo- ners are now building or under contract in Maine – three at Bath and one at Camden – while possibly a six-masted schooner may ere long materialize.


Continued on next issue. Work is Progressing on Tug SATURN


The H-bitt on the stern in the process of being chipped and ground.


One of the forward double bitts chipped, ground and painted.


generations to enjoy. For more 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. Recent photographs showing SATURN'S progression this summer.


SATURN is an 117-foot railroad tug built as the BERN for the Reading Railroad in 1907. She is one of the last railroad tugs and is being saved for future


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32