May 2013 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 23. Maritime History
mildewed sails and straining hull, sailed out of the Kennebec early last October. She went at smashing speed down the coast, so great in fi ne that her worm eaten timbers strained and spread.
The cautions captain touched at Portland and then reached down to coast to Portsmouth. There the schooner ran on a mud bank and Capt. Mahan blandly told Chief Mate Candage that he would fi nish the voyage by rail and meet him in New York. The mate could only gape in astonishment and before he could utter a word the skipper was off. The mate worked the TRITON off the marshes, heeled her over so that the seams could be partially caulked and with two pumps working again put to sea. Luck stood by the little schooner in rounding Cape Cod, and, leaking and floundering, she passed Nantucket and entered the waters of the Sound. There she was driven hither, and thither for weeks. It astonished Capt. Mahan to hear that
the TRITON was in port. He hastened to Newtown Creek and secured the papers but to the demands from the crew of two that pay be forthcoming, he said: Gave Her Away.
“Take the old punt. She’s yourn. Sell her and git yer pay. I’m havin’ hard enough time making ends meet in this here town. The dern cargo won’t make good.” The seamen furled the patched and tattered canvas and unfolded their woes to Clark H. Abbott of the Seamen’s Aid society, who libeled the vessel. The case will come up on February 12. Meanwhile Deputy Marshall Henkel is on board in fear and trembling lest the old craft sink when the lumber cargo is removed.
12 February 1901 Deer Isle Vessel Abandoned.
The IDA L. RAY Sprung a Leak Off the Virginia Coast Last Friday – The Crew Rescued After Great Hardships. New York, February 12. – Capt. Anderson and three of the crew of the lumber laden two-masted schooner IDA L. RAY of Deer Isle which was passed, abandoned off the Virginia coast on Friday by the steamer BILLINDEN, arrived at Quarantine Monday night aboard the Atlas line ALLEGHENY from Kingston. The RAY was bound from Norfolk for this port. She ran into a freezing northwester off Cape May on Tuesday and pounded heavily, springing a leak. The crew worked at the pumps for two days without sleep. The leak gained and on Friday the schooner was waterlogged and her decks were fl ush with the sea. Fearing that she might go to pieces Capt. Andersen and his men decided to abandon her in the yawl. The gale moderated on Saturday and the crew managed to keep the yawl’s head to the sea. Several vessels passed the castaways, but too far away to recognize signals for help. On Sunday Chief Offi cer Coonan of the ALLEGHENY, who was on duty on the bridge saw the RAY’s yawl ahead. He steered for it, and the shipwrecked men whose hands and feet were frost bitten, were hauled aboard. They were sufferers, not only from exposure but from hunger, their provisions having given out.
14 February 1901 Signals Unheeded
Shipwrecked Sailors’ Story of Neglect. One Steamer Passed Them By Though Distress Flag Flew.
Bangor Schooner SUSUE P. OLIVER was Near at Hand – Three Days in Boat. Capt. Andrew Anderson, who with three other shipwrecked men of the schooner IDA L. RAY of Deer Isle, was brought into
New York, Tuesday night by the Atlas line steamer ALLEGHENY, from Kingston, says that his signals of distress were disregarded by another steamer, which he identifi es. He also tells a story of great suffering, he and his men having had to abandon their ship and take to an open boat. This is his statement: “On Friday, February 8, we saw a steamer approaching, which passed within three miles of us. The steamer had two masts and one funnel, painted blue and white – a Lamport & Holt steamer. As she neared us I went aloft and held out my hat and had all the crew go aloft, to attract attention. Our color was set in the rigging, union down. Although we remained in the rigging two hours, we failed to attract the attention of those on board the steamer.”
The Lamport & Holt steamer BELLENDEN arrived at Quarantine on Sunday last, and reported having passed the schooner IDA L. RAY on February 8, abandoned. This was taken as confi rming the captain’s story, but Capt. Jared of the BELLENDEN denied this afternoon that any one was on board the IDA L. RAY or that any fl ag of distress was in her rigging when he sighted her, “Why,” said he, “I was within half-a-ship’s length of her. It was quarter past ten Saturday morning, the 9th
, not the 8th . Ask the captain of the three-
masted schooner SUSIE P. OLIVER, he will bear me out in what I say.” Capt. Lowe of the ALLEGHANY said that he picked up the men at 7:50 a.m. on February 10, and that the captain of the IDA L. RAY told him that he ran into a heavy northwest gale on February 5 off Five-Fathom-Bank Lightship. In the gale the vessel sprung a leak. Every effort was made by the crew to keep the vessel free, but the leak gained, and on the 7th
the vessel
was full of water. She was kept afl oat until Friday, the 8th
, when it was seen that further
efforts would be useless, and preparations were made to abandon her, which was done at 6 a.m. on that day.
The boat was only scantily supplied with provisions, and oars had to be made from lumber taken from the cargo, the boat’s oars having been lost during the storm. The weather moderated on Saturday, and on Sunday, at 7:30 a.m., the boat was sighted by the ALLEGHANY. Capt. Lowe headed his steamer towards the boat, which pulled up alongside, and the four exhausted men were soon on board. Adrift in a Dory. The IDA L. RAY, it then appeared, was bound from Norfolk to New York, laden with pine lumber.
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harbor on Monday. The weather while in Chesapeake Bay was extremely rough. The heavy seas which broke over the vessel listed the deck load of lumber, and on Tuesday the strained vessel began to fi ll. The men were driven to the deck by the water, which soon fi lled the hold. Until Friday morning the men were helpless, and the little schooner drifted with the sea breaking over her from off Five Fathoms lightship until she was about 125 miles southwest of Fenwick light. Finally, the captain and crew took to the dory; all day long they rowed in spite of the extreme cold – were wet to the skin and were at last obliged to row to keep alive.
Near Fenwick light another northwest gale struck them, blowing the dory 50 miles further off shore. Capt. Anderson and the mate. Allen Barter, were both washed overboard, but succeeded in getting back to the dory. The men had hard work bailing the dory out; in fact, some of the men were constantly bailing to keep the little craft afl oat, until they sighted the ALLEGANY and the ship’s people sighted them.
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