Page 22. MAINE COASTAL NEWS April 2014 HISTORY FROM THE PAST - Bangor Daily Commercial - Early 1900s


C. L. Chalmers; the POLLY, Capt. Brastow, lumber to Stonington from Morse & Co., and the SUSAN FRANCES, Capt. Moseley, with edgings from Stickney & Babcock to Rockland.


The four-masted schooner ALICE M. COLBURN fi nished loading ice at the American ice house and will tow to sea on Wednesday. Her place was taken by the EDWARD BRIARY. The COLBURN is bound for New York. Lose Most of Our Business. Harbor Master Tracey says that if the present condition of things continues the shipping for the port of Bangor will show at the end of the season a falling off of fully 60 percent from the record of last year, which was not an extraordinary year at all. This shrinkage will come principally in the number of schooners that come up river to load and discharge and the remaining 40 percent, which may be all the shipping Bangor will get, will be the ordinary and normal number of arrivals and departures of steamers on the regular lines and small coasters for bay points.


After the ice, which will amount to less than 100,000 tons, is gone and Bangor’s local coal supply is received, together with the 30,000 tons for the Canadian Pacifi c railway, the shipping business is going to be practically dead for the remainder of the season. “Never,” said Mr. Tracey, Tuesday, “since I can remember has the shipping been so absolutely without life. The waterfront is practically deserted and it looks as if it would remain so.


23 May 1906


Bath Built Ship Makes a New Marine Record


The A. G. ROPES Sails from Kobe, Japan to New York Under a Jury Rig in Five Months.


New York, May 23. – Under jury rig from Kobe, Japan, to New York harbor, the noted clipper ship A. G. ROPES arrived here Wednesday completing successfully what was the fi rst attempt in the chronicles of the American merchant marine to take the dismantled hull of a great full rigged ship across two seas.


The voyage began last December, following a typhoon experience last summer near Hong Kong, when practically everything above the ship’s deck went overboard.


The course of the A. G. ROPES from the moment that storm struck her until Wednesday has been fi lled with adventure and with striking demonstrations of American enterprise displayed by her skipper, Capt. Rivers. Previous to this accident the time of the A. G. ROPES, built in Bath, Maine, was posted in Hong Kong, New York, San Francisco, Liverpool and Shanghai for speed records in races half way around the world.


For four days after the typhoon the ship drifted, her crew in despair and the American skipper never once below decks. When at the end of these days of suspense, a German steamer appeared and offered for $3,000 to tow the A. G. ROPES to port, Capt. Rivers promptly refused, although his report stated that “it was some temptation to accept.” He held out against exorbitant offers for towing until his ship was taken into port by a steamer for $500. The sum was not paid, however, until he had sailed for fi ve days more with a sail rigged on the iron stump of the foremast. At Kobe the ship was sold at auction to Lewis Luckenbach of New York, and the nearly six months’ voyage home under a makeshift rigging begun. The A. G. ROPES was built in 1884, is 250 feet long and 2,460 tons gross register.


28 May 1906 With Her Crew Gone


Bangor Schooner ANNIE R. LEWIS Deserted Off Sandy Hook In Sinking Condition


Steamer CIMBRIA Will Leave Penobscot Waters for the Boston- Nahant Route – No Excursion Boat. The Bangor schooner ANNIE R. LEWIS is in New York harbor in bad condition as the result of a collision with an unknown vessel Monday morning. When a heavy fog lifted near Sandy Hook, the LEWIS was sighted with her starboard side stove in and her mainmast trailing alongside. The mainmast was cracked off about 15 feet above deck and was swinging in the rigging between the fore and mizzen masts. The crew had abandoned the schooner and no testimony regarding the collision by which the schooner received her injuries could be obtained. The schooner was settled low in the water and the steam pilot boat NEW YORK towed her into port. The ANNIE R. LEWIS was bound


from Norfolk, Virginia, to New York, with hard pine lumber. The vessel is owned principally by the Sterns Lumber Co., of this city and was built in Bucksport, in 1873. The schooner was commanded by Capt. W. S. McDonough of Hampden and carried a crew of fi ve men. The whereabouts of the crew is unknown, as there was nobody about the wreck, but it is though they are safe. Shipping business in the port of Bangor continues to be very dull. The only arrivals reported Sunday and Monday were Schooner ARTHUR V. S. WOODRUFF, New York, with cement for Arthur Chapin Co.; ATLANTA, Rockport, lime, R. B. Dunning & Co.; HARRY W. HAYNES, Philadelphia via Stockton, with water-pipe; GRACE STEVENS, Camden. There were no clearances.


CIMBRIA WILL LEAVE. As soon as repairs on the steamer


CIMBRIA can be completed she will leave these waters to run on the Boston-Nahant route and Bangor will be without an excursion boat as well as a boat on the Bar Harbor line.


Captains H. W. and G. H. Barbour have the steamboat privilege between Boston and Nanant and after June 24 will run two boats on the line. One of the boats will be the CIMBRIA and the other one has not been decided upon as yet as the Barbours will have to purchase a new boat. They have a number in view but have made no defi nite plans.


The departure of the CIMBRIA leaves a good opening for some enterprising man to enter into the excursion business, as there is always a steady and paying excursion traffi c on the river in summer. Capt. George H. Barbour said to a Commercial reporter Monday, “If I could get the proper encouragement from a few men of business I would put an excursion boat on the river this summer. While I was away I saw a boat, a side-wheel steamer with a capacity for about 700 persons, which would be just the thing for this river, and it can be purchased at a reasonable price.” If Capt. Barbour should decide to run an excursion boat on the river this summer he will stay in this city to manage it instead of going to Boston with his brother. As things look now it is very probable that the Bar Harbor route will be resumed in a short time. A number of parties are making negotiations with the Barbour brothers for the lease of the wharf which they sub-lease from C. H. Bartlett, Esq. The lease runs for three years more and control the best landing place in the city for a small


steamboat route. At the present time the line should be a paying one as the people down the river are beginning to feel the need of a boat connecting with Bangor.


29 May 1906 New Light for Maine Coast


Cong. Burleigh Succeeds in Getting One for Isle au Haut Harbor. (Special Correspondence of Commercial)


Washington, D. C., May 29. A bill that Gov. Burleigh has been contending for a number of years is at last to become a law and Isle au Haut harbor, bordering the town of the same name on the Maine coast, will have a light and fog signal station.


It has been like pulling hens’ teeth to get special legislation for lighthouses on the Maine coast since Speaker Cannon came to sway the scepter in the popular branch. He did reluctantly let in an appropriation for a big light at Ram island but that was started in the Senate as an amendment to an appropriation bill and the pressure in behalf of Portland, as a great shipping center was so strong that the speaker had to yield. But the little places where there is not much shipping have had small chance with “Uncle Joe.” Nevertheless Representative Burleigh has kept on introducing his bill, asking an appropriation of $14,000 for the Isle au Haut light. Every year for many years it has been the fi rst item submitted in the estimates for “fi xed aids” for the fi rst lighthouse district Capt. Sumner I. Kimball, the general superintendent of the service and a Maine man kept tucking in a few of those Maine items, just to keep the subject alive and with the Isle au Haut item, he always subjoined this note:


“This light and fog signal would be of inestimable value to the many fi shing vessels, ranging in size from 10 tons to 110 tons burden, which frequent the waters of lower East Penobscot bay and the waters seaward, which are excellent fishing grounds but very dangerous when certain winds suddenly arise. The establishment of this light and fog signal station would guide them into a safe and near harbor.” There has also been long and vigorous hostility to legislation for lighthouses in the Interstate Commerce committee of the House, because Col. “Pete” Hepburn of Iowa, the chairman, is a land lubber and does not care materially about our commerce on the sea. But this winter some members of the committee, among them Representation Stevens of St. Paul who used to live down on the Maine coast, put their heads together to frame and omnibus lighthouse bill. They succeeded and Gov. Burleigh persuaded them to include the Isle au Haut light. The Omnibus bill went through the House a humming a few days ago and was then referred to Mr. Frye’s committee on commerce by the Senate. Mr. Frye made quick work of it as usual and the bill has now been reported favorably to the Senate. It will be only a matter of a few days before Mr. Frye will get the bill passed there and it will be sent to conference. It doubtless will become law at this session, probably in time for Sen. Hale to have an appropriation of $14,000 put on the Sundry Civil Appropriation bill to pay for the construction. For the Omibus bill only carries an authorization for the expenditures and Congress then has to vote the money.


It will require a few months for Capt. Kimball to prepare the specifi cations and invite bids for the construction of the new lighthouse, but everything looks fair for a good light and fog signal at Isle au Haut within a year. Then the fi shermen can put to


sea with less fear of the dangerous winds. Three other lights are much wanted on the Maine coast. One is on Buckle island at the entrance to York Narrows. It is estimated to cost $14,000 and would be of advantage to both steam and sailing vessels. Fog signals are also needed at the Boon Island light, for the steamers plying between St. John, Bangor, Portland, and Boston; and at Little River Head, near the entrance to Cutler harbor. This is a harbor of refuge and a steam fog signal has been estimated to cost $15,000. The Boon Island signal would be less expensive. It could probably be built for about $10,000.


But these three projects will have to wait for some subsequent Congress. About a dozen lights have been provided for on the Omnibus bill now pending and they are scattered all the way from Isle au Haut to Makaupuu Point in the Hawaiian islands.


1 June 1906 Lewis’ Crew Safe


Capt. McDonough of Wrecked Schooner in Baltimore


No Details Yet Known


Steamer CIMBRIA Will Leave Bangor as Soon as Annual Inspection is Made – Other Shipping News.


A telegram has been received at his


home in Winterport from Capt. Williams S. McDonough of the schooner ANNIE R. LEWIS stating that he and the crew had arrived safely in Baltimore and would go at once to New York to look after the vessel. The ANNIE R. LEWIS was run into by an unknown vessel off Sandy Hook and so badly disabled that she was abandoned by the crew. The starboard side was stove-in, the mainmast gone and the vessel left in a sinking condition. She was found Monday and towed into New York by one of the steam pilot boats. Up to Wednesday nothing was known of the whereabouts of Capt. McDonough and his crew and his friends and relatives were becoming very anxious about him. The principal owner in the ANNIE R. LEWIS is the Sterns Lumber Co. of this city. She was loaded with hard pine lumber and bound from Norfolk, Virginia, to New York. Capt. McDonough is well known here and has many friends who will be glad to learn that he is safe. No details of the crews experience after deserting the sinking schooner are yet known.


7 June 1906 Boston Boats in Collision


Steamers CITY OF BANGOR and CITY OF ROCKLAND Struck off Portland.


Former’s Bow was Stove in The ROCKLAND’s Port Quarter Received Glancing Blow, Little Damage Done – No Passengers Hurt.


Portland, June 7.


The Eastern S. S. Co.’s steamers CITY OF BANGOR and CITY OF ROCKLAND, bound in opposite directions between Bangor and Boston with passengers were in collision about 20 miles off this port early Thursday.


The CITY OF BANGOR, which left


Bangor Wednesday evening, was badly damaged and proceeded to this harbor. The CITY OF ROCKLAND proceeded on her way to the Penobscot river and Bangor, after her offi cers ascertained that the BANGOR was in no danger and able to put into Portland.


It was stated here that the ROCKLAND was but slightly damaged, also that none of the passengers were injured although they were frightened by the crash. The CITY OF BANGOR’s bow was very badly stove


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