Page 22. MAINE COASTAL NEWS October 2013 HISTORY FROM THE PAST - Bangor Daily Commercial - Early 1900s Continued from Page 21.
although three of the men at one time threatened to throw themselves overboard. Then night came on again and with it another gale and more snow. How the boat managed to (?) in such a sea was almost as marvelous as their sighting the lights of the PATRIOT at 3 o’clock in the morning through a thick snow storm. Then came their (?) about for (?) and feeble though it was it was (?) and answered. Capt. Slade of the PATRIOT just managed to locate the boat and after working round in spite of the storm, soon got it alongside. The men from the WOOSTER were hardly able to climb into the schooner and almost wept when they at last reached the heck. Restoratives were applied and all the men were put in bed.
The most seriously injured of the crew is Philip Mallot, one of the seamen, He was attached by a physician here Friday upon the arrival of the PATRIOT and it is possible that some of his fi ngers may have to be amputated. The names of the others of the crew are Silva Comean, fi rst mate, John Richardson, second mate; Michael Comean, steward; Wallace Mallet, Leander Sonia and Harry McClain. The crew left during the forenoon for Boston and later they will probably proceed to New York, at which point they shipped. The BELLE WOOSTER was a schooner of 740 tons burden. She was owned by Capt. Somerville and others of New York. She was valued at $9,000 and carried an insurance of $3,000. The casks of granite was valued at $20,000, insurance unknown. After modestly relating his experience in rescuing the crew of the WOOSTER. Capt. Slade of the PATRIOT began another sea tale of his sturdy crew in boarding the Rockland schooner METHEBESEC, 90 miles off Cape Ann and leaving three men on her to help her frost-bitten men to make port.
It was Thursday morning that the METHEBEDEC was sighted apparently in distress, (?) of her sails having been blown away and she was tossing about helplessly in the water.
Capt. Slade spoke the schooner and learned that her captain wished to be taken in tow. Capt. Slade believed this to be impossible under the weather conditions and suggested that the METHEBESEC be abandoned and that the crew come aboard the PATRIOT. This however, the captain of the disabled vessel refused to do, so Capt. Slade put three of his own men on board the other vessel.
There is considerable anxiety her as to the ability of the METHEBESEC to reach port, even with the assistance of the PATRIOT’s men for Thursday night the wind shifted again off shore and Friday morning is blowing a gale from the north or right ahead. The METHEBESEC is owned by I. L. Snow & Co., of Rockland and valued at $27,000. She had on board a cargo of coal for the port. The PATRIOT herself has been seven days trying to reach port. She was driven 100 miles off her course. She is a fi sherman with a large catch of halibut.
13 December 1902 ASTRAL is Lost
Ocean Going Tug Wrecked on Mt. Desert Rock Monday Night Barge Rescued Friday
Cutter WOODBURY Picked Her Up and Brought Her to Rockland – Bangor Cargo to Portland
The ocean going tug ASTRAL of
New York, Capt. Root, was wrecked on Mt. Desert rock in the gale Monday night
and one man was lost. She is now lying in six fathoms of water. The ASTRAL had Standard Oil barge, No. 76 in tow and was bound with her from Rockland to St. John. Barge 8
6, which she had also brought from New York, was left in Rockland. The latter was bound for Bangor. Barge 76, with Capt. Oleson and crew on board was brought into Rockland Friday by the revenue cutter LEVI P. WOODBURY. The barge was found by the cutter to the seaward of Saddleback ledges during the morning. This was four days after the tug had been lost. In their efforts to keep the barge afl oat 100,000 gallons of oil were pumped overboard.
After leaving the rescued barge safe in Rockland harbor the WOODBURY at once started for Mt. Desert rock to get Capt. Root and the crew of the wrecked ASTRAL and bring them to the main land. They managed to gain the shelter of the rock when the tug went down and have been cared for by the light house keeper there ever since. They suffered intensely from cold and exposure. The name of the missing man will not be known until the WOODBURY returns to Rockland with the crew of the ASTRAL. On Friday two of the crew of barge 76 volunteered to man the life boat, notwithstanding the fact that it had been damaged by the seas, and attempt to land on the rock and ascertain the condition of the shipwrecked men. They were unable to make a landing because of the heavy surf. They also failed to learn the missing man’s name.
Both barges are to be taken from Rockland to Portland by the tug CLARA CLARITA, Capt. Sorenson. It is not yet decided how 36s cargo will be sent to Bangor. Possibly it will be by rail from Portland.
Story of the Wreck.
Here is the story of the disaster as told in a special to a Portland paper by one of the offi cers of the cutter WOODBURY: “Early Friday morning the revenue
cutter WOODBURY, Capt. E. C. Chaytor commanding, while cruising in search of distressed vessels, sighted a large three masted barge, evidently in need of assistance, just to seaward of Saddleback ledges. Bearing down on her, she was found to be Standard Oil barge number 76. She was badly iced up, the mainsail rendered useless, having been rent by the high winds, and under her small remaining canvas was endeavoring to beat against a strong off shore breeze to clear the threatening ledges surrounding her exposed position on one of the most dangerous places on the Maine coast.
“There was also a dense confusing vapor over the water. Lieut. Ulke boarded the barge and ascertaining the following: “Standard Oil barge No. 76 left New
York on December 4 in tow of new Standard Oil tug ASTRAL of New York. Root master, and in company with Standard Oil barge 16, encountered cold and rough weather until reaching Rockland on the afternoon of Monday, December 8, Barge No. 86 was anchored in Rockland and the ASTRAL proceeded to sea with barge No. 76 in tow, bound for St. John, N. B. Fierce Gale Came. “That evening a fi erce blizzard set in, the wind blowing a furious gale from northeast. Heavy blinding snow and mist and seas swept her fore and aft half, fi lling her deck houses, pump room, and putting out the gallery fi re, imprisoning the crew wherever they happened to be when the gale struck them off Mt. Desert Island. No one ventured out on deck and all effort was
made to keep the vessel from swamping by pumping continuously. “At 10 p.m., the ASTRAL hove to
with barge in tow, the blizzard making it impossible for those on the barge to even get a glimpse of the ASTRAL. Those on the barge wondered why no return and encouraging signal was sent then until later they discovered that her whistle and forward smokestack had gone by the board. Before daylight those on the barge heard a fog trumpet and soon discovered a light for which they steered thinking it was the tugs range light. As the day dawned the blizzard moderated and the crew of the barge were astonished to see the ASTRAL at low water mounted high on Mount Desert rock listed to port surrounded by a pedestal of ice and heavy seas breaking over her.
“Fearing a shift in the gale the master
of the barge anchored her and hung on to the hawser all Tuesday and that night during which time it was impossible to make any communication whatsoever. Wednesday morning the weather moderated somewhat and cleared and they were glad to see the tug’s crew on the rock. At high water a boat was launched from the rock with much diffi culty and several trips were made to the tug and clothing and food were landed. During the forenoon at low water the sea began to make from the southeast and it being impossible to launch the small boat, they managed to take further supplies ashore by climbing over the rocks. Pumped Out Oil.
“Capt. Root of the ASTRAL then
warned the barge to cut her hawser, and a (?) anchor was let go. During the afternoon of Wednesday the breeze freshened to a strong northeast gale, and a heavy sea making caused the barge to drag both anchors with 128 fathoms of chain out. As the gale shifted to the southeast the compressor bar holding one of the chains carried away and the windlass was expected to go. The chain fouled in the hawserhole and fetched her up so short that the seas made clean (?) over her and in fear of becoming swamped and as a precaution for not bridging ashore, 100,000 gallons of oil was pumped out of her tanks into the sea.
“That night about 8:30 the crew of the
barge saw the tug turned over on starboard side, swept off the rock by the heavy sea, and engulfed by the deeper water, leaving nothing in sight but the one remaining masthead. Next morning, Thursday, the wind shifted to northwest, and weather and was underated. The crew of the barge now ventured out on deck and were several hours trying to clear away the life boat which was hidden in a heavy coat of ice, and partically stove in. With this boat two men of the barge volunteered to try to go ashore to ascertain their whereabouts.
“As they could not land, the captain of the tug hauled them from shore, the name of the place
17 December 1902 Bath Six Master Launched
Bath, December 17. The American fleet of six masted wooden schooners was increased to three Wednesday when the ADDIE M. LAWRENCE was launched from the yard of Percy & Small, the other two being the ELEANOR A. PERCY, of Bath and GEORGE W. WELLS, of Rockland. The craft which entered the sea at 12:45, was christened by the breaking of a bottle of champagne over the bow by Miss Addie M. Lawrence, daughter of Mr. E. N. Lawrence of Fairfi eld, one of the owners Capt. Kreger, who will command when the LAWRENCE is ready for sea next week, served luncheon
on board immediately after the launching to 150 friends from Portland, Fairfi eld, Augusta and Waterville. She is the third six masted schooner built and the fi rst one to go overboard all rigged. She made a pretty picture.
* * * * * With the Ships
Bucksport Will be Quiet this Winter Season
News of the Shipping
Important Coal Arrivals in Portland Ship brokers seem to think that Bucksport will be very quiet this winter, in fact that there will be nothing doing there, and that shipping on the river generally will be a scarce article. The thaw of Tuesday and Wednesday will do little towards breaking up the ice and releasing the schooners which were caught here when the river fi rst froze. There is a good deal of water on the ice, however, and there has been some talk of cutting out the vessel if the thaw continues a few days. All of the schooners which are frozen in (?) have now been cut out from the piers and lay well out in the stream where they will (?) no damage from the wharves and ice.
Schooners A. F. KINDBURG and
HOPE HAYNES arrived at New York from Bangor Tuesday; CORA GREEN, Telumah and HANNAH F. CARLETON, all from Bangor for New York, and GEORGE NOVENGER, Bangor for Providence, arrived at Vineyard Haven Tuesday. Schooner MELISSA TRASK, from Fernandina, now discharging hard pine lumber at Bucksport for rail shipment to Bangor, is chartered to load lumber at Bucksport for the Ashland Mfg. Co. for New York.
News of the Shipping.
Capt. Sorensen, who has undertaken to save the schooner ALICE M. DAVENPORT sunk off Seal Rocks, has not abandoned hope of raising the vessel, although almost continuous bad weather has interfered with the wrecking operations. The wreck has moved somewhat so that the chains which were placed under the hull will have to be replaced. It is now proposed to blow two holes in the bow of the vessel with dynamite in the belief that the coal remaining in her will be dislodged and the vessel fl oat by her own buoyancy.
Although many people are skeptical as to this plan and say that the vessel would be no good if raised in this way, those who have seen Capt. Sorensen and his crew use dynamite have every confi dence in him and any plans which he may have for raising the schooner.
Coal at Portland.
There were two important coal arrivals at Portland, Monday, the steamship (?) with 4,143 tons from (?). The
former vessel
was originally consigned to Boston parties and upon arrival at that port was ordered to Portland to discharge. The cargo was assigned to Rockland parties and will be (?) over the Maine Central. After discharging the cargo the EVA will clear for Norfolk to load with coal for South America.
19 December 1902 ASTRAL’s Wreck
Capt. Reed in Command of the Tug Tells Story of Her Loss.
The Crew Faced Death on Mt. Desert Rock - Capt. Sorensen’s Brave Rescue – An Interview.
Malden, December 19. – The awful
suffering endured by the crew of the tug ASTRAL, which was wrecked on Mt. rock Tuesday, December 9, was told Thursday by Capt. (?) C. Reed, who was in command of the tug.
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