March 2014 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 21. HISTORY FROM THE PAST - Bangor Daily Commercial - Early 1900s
12 April 1906 Bangor Vessel Lost in a Gale
The Schooner SALLIE B. Foundered Off Boothbay Early Wednesday. Four of the Crew Drowned
Capt. A. L. Hopkins of Brewer and a Seaman the Sole Survivors – Mate Gary Belonged in Belfast.
The Bangor schooner SALLIE B. with four of her crew, was included in the toll from the coasting fl eet by the storm of Monday night and Tuesday. Fifteen minutes after the little vessel plunged beneath the waves off the Maine coast Tuesday forenoon, a gigantic billow swept three of the six men from the long boat into which they had all hastily jumped, while the fourth victim died in the boat from exposure seven hours later.
The two survivors, Capt. A. L. Hopkins
of Brewer, Maine and John Mulhain, a native of Brewer, Maine and John Mulhain, a native of Finland, who shipped in New York were picked up Tuesday forenoon off Cape Porpoise by the Portland steamer BAY STATE and landed in Boston early in the evening in a pitiable plight. The dead men are: Mate William Campbell of Boston;
Cook Arthur L. Gray of Belfast; Seaman Joseph Campbell of Sydney, C. B.; Seaman John Nettcher, a Norwegian, residence unknown.
The body of the last named was taken from the little boat by the men on the BAY STATE after the living had been swung on board. Lying on a stretcher on the wharf in
Boston Wednesday evening, just before being removed to the Relief hospital, with his arms and hands fearfully swollen, Capt. Hopkins told the tale of the loss of his vessel and the death of his men in which were frequently broken with sobs.
The SALLIE B., which was one of the oldest roasters in the fl eet, sailed from Port Johnson a week ago with a cargo of 345 tons of coal for Bangor. The usual stops were made at City Island and Vineyard Haven and Sunday the little schooner was off Cape Cod. Favorable weather conditions induced Capt. Hopkins to keep on across the bay in the direction of Portland, and Monday afternoon Cape Elizabeth lights were sighted. The southerly breeze still continued and although it strengthened perceptibly as night came on, Capt. Hopkins thought he might make the Penobscot before the gale, which seemed threatening, became too severe.
Running along shore, the SALLIE B., passed Seguin at 8 o’clock and headed for Monhegan. At 11 o’clock Monday night, the SALLIE B. was almost inside of Monhegan island and within 25 miles of safety when the gale switched around to the northeast and brought with it snow and sleet. For a few minutes the little vessel struggled on, but the blasts were too much for her, so Capt. Hopkins decided to tack ship and head back for Boothbay. Unfortunately the SALLIE B. mistayed and the crew found their vessel following in the trough of the sea.
Skillful seamanship enabled them to wear her round and with two reefs in her mainsail, the SALLIE B. was headed in the direction of Boothbay. But the wallowing had opened her seams and the crew was forced to man the pumps. For several hours they kept her comparatively free of water, but as the gale blew her farther and farther off shore, the seas increased in size and began to tumble over the side. Tuesday morning at 6 o’clock the crew was driven aft from the pumps and an hour later the cabin was fl ooded, Capt. Hopkins, however, kept
his vessel headed into the gale and about 8 o’clock started down into the fl ooded cabin in order to fi nd a little food. A cry from the deck brought him up again, and none too soon, for he found the vessel’s head, almost beneath the waves, her stern in the air and the crew launching the boat. No one stopped for food or clothing, but all tumbled over the side into the bobbing boat and as they did so, the SALLIE B. surged downward and disappeared.
The six men had not time to get to their oars and head their little craft to windward, when one of them saw a gigantic billow mounting higher and higher above them. “Hang on for your lives,” he shouted, as the great wave fell over onto them. Three men heeded the warning and grasped a thwart, but the other three, together with everything movable in the boat except one oar, were swept out of it into the sea, and all were almost instantly lost to sight in the smothering, fl ying snow. Capt. Hopkins was one of those who had held on, and when the wave had passed he found that Nattacher and Mulhain were the only ones who had survived with him.
The shivering men bailed out the boat and Capt. Hopkins, using the remaining oar managed to scull the boat’s head toward the seas.
For hours they were tossed about
suffering intensely from the cold; their clothes were soaked and the spray was constantly fl ying over them. About noon Nattacher’s mind began to give way and an hour or two later he became unconscious. At 4 o’clock Wednesday afternoon death brought relief to his sufferings. The storm cleared early Wednesday morning but the two men were too exhausted to stand up in the boat to watch for a passing vessel. Fortunately, the wind had driven them to the westward and at 10:30 o’clock Wednesday forenoon the steamer BAY STATE sighted the little boat and ran down alongside.
The crew of the steamer was obliged to rig a bowline and hoist the almost lifeless men on board, following with the body of their comrade.
It was some time before Capt. Hopkins could give any account of what had happened and when he was brought on shore Wednesday night, he was still in a very exhausted condition, while Mulhain was in scarcely better shape.
The SALLIE B. until a few years ago was owned in this city, but was sold to parties in Bangor. She was constructed of oak and registered 256 tons net burden. She was 116 feet in length, 30 feet beam and had nine feet depth of hold.
* * * * * Tossed by Storm
Bangor Schooner Off Seguin Tuesday Capt. Hopkins Saved
Brewer Man in Command of the SALLIE B. Had a Harrowing Experience in the Last Gale. An awful experience was that of Capt. Arthur L. Hopkins of Brewer in the ill-fated schooner SALLIE B. which foundered off Monhegan Tuesday morning in the easterly gale which swept the coast. With a member of his crew he was rescued in an open boat by the Portland steamer BAY STATE off Cape Porpoise after being tossed about on the seas for 26 hours. Three men of the crew were swept out of the boat by a big combing sea immediately after they had left the vessel and a fourth died in the boat before relief came. Only Capt. Hopkins and John Mulhain, a native of Finland, survived of the crew of six. The schooner was owned in Bangor by Capt. Hopkins, who acted as manager. T. F. Cassidy and
the Sterns Lumber Co. She was bound for Belfast with coal and would have gone out again with lumber from Bangor. Both survivors suffered severely from exposure and exhaustion and were taken to the Relief hospital in Boston after being landed by the BAY STATE Wednesday evening. The SALLIE B. sailed from Port Johnson a week ago with 345 tons of coal for Belfast. All went well during the fi rst part of the trip. The usual stops were made at City Island and Vineyard Haven. She came up the coast with a southerly breeze, sighting Cape Elizabeth lights Monday afternoon. At this time the weather looked a little bad and the wind was freshening but Capt. Hopkins thought he could make the Penobscot before it became bad so kept on. At 8 o’clock Monday night he passed Seguin going east and at 11 o’clock was almost within the lee of Monhegan Island. Three or four hours more and the vessel would have been safe in the Penobscot but here the storm which had increased to a gale changed to the northeast with snow and sleet. With the change in the wind the little vessel vainly tried to struggle on her course in buffeting the waves but they were getting beyond her so Capt. Hopkins decided to make for Boothbay Harbor, some 20 miles distant. The little vessel mis-stayed and rolled in the trough of the sea. It took but a little of this top open up the seams of the little vessel. They managed to get her out of the trough of the sea. It took but a little of this to open up the seams of the little vessel. They managed to get her out of the trough and headed into the gale but the crew was forced to man the pumps. For several hours they managed to keep her fairly clear of water, but as the little craft was driven off by the gale the seas grew larger and the seams opened wider.
The waves began to come over the side of the schooner and the crew was at last forced to abandon the pumps and go aft. This was at 6 o’clock Tuesday morning. Capt. Hopkins went into the fl ooded cabin
to get a little food when a shout from the deck brought him out with a rush. It was from the members of the crew. Appearing on deck he saw the bow of the vessel nearly under water and the stern going up in the air. It was the indication that the stay of the vessel on the top of the waves was short. The crew tumbled into the yawl boat followed by the captains. Hardly had they cast off from the vessel than she plunged foremost beneath the waves. Almost at the same time the big comber struck the yawl. Here was a shout to hold on from the men. Capt. Hopkins, Seaman John Mulhain and Seaman John Nettcher of Sydney, C. B., heeded the warning but Mate William Campbell of Boston, Cook Arthur L. Gray of Belfast and Seaman Joseph Campbell of Sydney, C. B., were swept out of the boat and lost. Capt. Hopkins, Mulhain and Nettcher bailed the boat and battled with the waves with only a single oar, all the time being blown down the coast. At 4 o’clock Tuesday afternoon, Nettcher died, having lost consciousness at noon. The storm cleared early Wednesday morning but the men were too weak to stand up to watch for aid. They were within the path of the Portland steamers and at 10:30 o’clock the boat was sighted by the BAY STATE. The men were too weak to
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