Page 26. MAINE COASTAL NEWS December 2016 Continued from Page 25.
HISTORY FROM THE PAST - Bangor Daily Commercial - Early 1900s 1 December 1906
Aground at Vineyard Haven Boston, December 19. (From Vineyard
Haven by special messenger.) – The heavy northeast gale which at its height between 2 and 4 a.m., Sunday swept over this island with terrifi c force, driving blinding snow into huge drifts and causing havoc among some two score of vessels which were anchored in the harbor, caused considerable damage. Hardly a vessel in the entire fl eet came out whole, nearly every one of them dragging anchors, and suff ering at least the loss of those implements with cable attached. Several schooners and smaller vessels were driven ashore, there were fi ve collisions, besides minor casualties, as the result of fouling between the vessels as they were driven from the places at which they had made anchorage. The storm moderated during the day and enabled the less seriously injured of the craft to make temporary repairs and all but three of the vessels which had touched bottom were fl oated. The three remaining aground were the
Winterport, Maine, schooner LODUSKIA, Capt. Thayer, bound from South Amoy, bound from South Amboy for Portsmouth with coal; the Ellsworth, Maine, schooner FRANCONIA, New York for McKinley, Maine, with coal, and the Vineyard Haven schooner FLY-A-WAY which was lying in the harbor light. The LODUSKIA which parted both chains and a hawser attached to a kedge anchor was driven upon the east side of the harbor. Her hull is in good condition but it is thought she may have to lighten her cargo before being fl oated. The FRANCONIA is leaking but her
pumps are keeping her free and the FLY-A- WAY apparently sustained no damage. It is expected that all three will be fl oated within a day or two. The three vessels in collision included
the Rockland schooner, JOHN J. HERRICK, which dragged into the British schooner D. L. MELANSEN. The MELANSEN lost her bowsprit and all her headgear and broke her foremast just above the deck. The HERRICK sustained slight damage to her headgear. The MELANSEN is bound from
Edgewater for Yarmouth, N. S., with coal; the HERRICK from Rockland for New York.
The RHODA HOLMES is bound from
South Amboy for Rockland, Maine. The HORTENSIA’s cargo is clay. She
is bound from New York to Boston. The LUGANO is lumber laden from South Gardiner, Maine, for New York. The HEATON has lime on board and is bound from Rockland for New York. The Milbridge, Maine, schooner EVA
MAY dragged into the schooner RHODA HOLMES and broke her own bowsprit and jibboom and her port bow from the fore rigging to the stem was damaged. The force of the impact set the RHODA HOLMESE adrift and she sustained little damage. The schooner HORTENSIA dragged
two anchors and struck the schooner LUGANO. The HORTENSIA lost her yawl boat and had her spanker boom broken. The schooner A. HEATON was bearing
down upon the British schooner FRANK AND IRA and had her main boom broken and her boat davits and part of the rail carried away. The FRANK AND IRA lost her bowsprit, jibboom and headgear.
1 March 1906 Tug WILLARD Turned Turtle
Three Men Drowned in Peculiar Marine Disaster Near Gloucester. First Struck on a Ledge
Then in Trying to Reach Shore the Boat was Capsized by Heavy Seas – Was Owned in Yarmouth, Maine. Gloucester, Massachusetts, March
1. – Striking heavily upon a sharp polluted ledge, just outside of Rockport breakwater Thursday the tug WILLARD, bound from Boston for York, Maine, almost capsized from the eff ects of the impact and later turned turtle while trying to reach shore. The life savers from the Rockport stations succeeded in rescuing two of the tug’s crew but the three other men on board were drowned. The saved: Capt. Emery R. Sawyer, E.
W. Webber, fi reman. The drowned: Jos. H. Thompson,
engineer; Gregory Pearson, cook; George H. Grigson, deck hand. The WILLARD was in command of
Capt. Sawyer and was owned by Hamilton & Sawyer of Yarmouth, Maine. She put into Gloucester Wednesday to
seek refuge from the storm. Early Thursday she resumed her voyage heading for the Maine coast. A heavy sea was running and the little boat had a hard time passing outside Rockport breakwater. Suddenly she careened and then listed so badly that she took in a large quantity of water. A little later the boat disappeared altogether. Fishermen who had observed the
plight of the WILLARD telephoned to the Rockport life saving station and the life savers launched a boat. The row to the scene of the accident was most diffi cult, but the life savers succeeded in rescuing two of the WILLARD’s crew. The rescued men were in an exhausted condition and were suff ering from cold from their immersion in the icy water. They were taken to the life saving station for treatment and the crew returned to the point where the WILLARD went down to make further eff ort either to rescue the remaining men on board or recover the bodies of the victims of the wreck. The WILLARD left Boston Tuesday
carrying parts of a dredge to be used at York, Maine.
The WILLARD which was formerly
the WILLARD CLAPP was built in Portland, Maine, in 1874, and registered 22 tons gross and 12 tons net. Her length was 49 feet, her breadth 13, her depth of hold, four feet. Capt. Sawyer and Fireman Webber
owe their escape to a most fortunate circumstance. The captain says that the tug was top heavy from the fact that she carried on the forward deck an immense iron digger used by dredging machines. This caused her to turn over. As she rolled a dory which was on deck was thrown off and it landed right side up. Engineer Webber was quick enough to jump in but Sawyer was thrown into the water. He succeeded in reaching the dory by swimming. Nothing was seen of the others and it is thought they either went down with the tug or sank upon being thrown into the water. The captain’s hands and feet were frozen so badly it was feared an operation would have to be performed. Webber suff ered less severely although his extremities were painfully frost-bitten. The tug sank in very deep water and it is considered doubtful if she can be raised. Tug Owned in Yarmouth, Maine SMITH D. SAWYER of the Yarmouth
firm of Hamilton & Sawyer, who tug WILLARD was sunk outside of Rockport breakwater, has owned the WILLARD for 25 years. She was valued at $5,000 and uninsured. Capt. Sawyer, who is the owner’s
nephew, belongs at Freeport. Fireman Webber lives at West Southport. Engineer
Thompson was about 36 years and leaves a widow and one child at Cumberland Foreside. Pearson and Grigson were shipped at Portland and Boston, respectively, and Mr. Sawyer knew little regarding them. Pearson was about 32 and Grigson about 45. The tug has been employed for two
months on the work of dredging York harbor for which the fi rm has the contract.
5 July 1906 Schooner E. G. EELS and Crew Lost Capt. Breen Alone Saved From Vessel Wrecked Wednesday Libby Islands, Machias Bay Seeking Harbor’s Shelter Skipper Misjudged Entrance and Struck Submerged Ledge – The Dead
Machias, July 5. The loss of his crew of four men and
the wrecking of his threemasted schooner, ELLA G. EELLS of Rockport, were reported in a message sent here Thursday, by Capt. W. A. Breen, who was the only survivor. The schooner was wrecked late Wednesday afternoon on Libby Island, one of the outer islands of Machias Bay, while bound from New Bedford, Massachusetts, to Windsor, N. S. The dead: E. Brown, St. John, N. B., mate; W. Duplisses, steward; O. Johnson, seaman; unknown seaman. Capt. Breen, while clinging to wreckage,
was cast upon the rocks rescued by life savers.
Desiring to seek the shelter of a harbor
to avoid a heavy wind and rain storm, Capt. Breen headed into Machias Bay with the intention of coming through the eastern passage. He misjudged his position and ran neared the islands than he intended. The schooner struck solidly upon the submerged ledges and her hull was pierced with holes. She was broken up in a short time and the captain and crew, who, had failed to launch their boat in the heavy sea because it would be swamped at once sought refuge on a large section of the stern. They were thrown against the rocks
and, except for the captain, were pulled back into the sea and drowned. Capt. Breen was carried further in shore than the others and succeeded in grasping one of a number of ropes thrown out by life savers who pulled him ashore. He was badly exhausted but uninjured. He remained on the island to help in the search for the bodies of his crew which had been unsuccessful early Thursday. In response to a distress signal sounded
at the Cross Island life saving station eight islanders responded and took the place of the regular crew which is off duty during the summer months. Headed by Capt. S. E. Small, the station keeper, they landed on Libby’s Island, three miles from the station and were in time to rescue Capt. Breen when he was cast upon the rocks. The schooner ELLA G. EELLS was
built and owned at Rockport, Maine. She was built in 1891. Her gross tonnage was 256 and her principal dimensions were: Length 117.5 feet, breadth, 27.1 feet; depth, 11.6 feet.
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Rockport, Maine, July 5. The schooner ELLA G. EELLS wreckedin Machias Bay with the loss of all hands except the captain, was owned here previous to two years ago when she was sold to New York parties. She was valued at about $10,000. She was bound light from New Bedford to load lumber at Windsor, N. S.
Capt. Breen is believed here to be a
native of Nova Scotia, but probably now a resident of New York. Nothing about the crew was known here.
The Funeral of Gen. Baird. New York, December 1. – The funeral
of Brig. Gen. George W. Baird of Milford, Connecticut, was held in the Broadway Tabernacle Saturday and was attended with military honors. The body will be sent to Milford for interment.
* * * * *
Good Tales of Stirring Days By Washington Co.’s Old Skippers
Cherryfi eld, December 1. Down here in Washington County
where men still build a few vessels and do a little lumbering, one may fi nd sandwiched between a population of farmers and fi shermen a dozen or more of sea captains of the old type. These men became famous skippers 40 years ago and made comfortable fortunes by sailing square riggers “on shares,” when big freights were earned in carrying cotton, sugar, and petroleum. Around Milbridge and Harrington and
other towns of the county, may be found a coterie of retired sea captains, who trod the quarterdecks of deepwater craft back in the sixties and seventies. These were the halcyon days of American shipping, when “going to sea” meant to the captains and owners something more than weathering a gale off Hatteras or bringing a whole vessel into port. A single cruise “up the straits”, or around the cape to Hong Kong often netted these Maine skippers a good-sized fortune. But not every captain succeeded even
in those days. The ocean was an uncertain fi eld for making one’s fortune, and like all business pursuits, running a merchant vessel up and down the highways of commerce had a large and preponderant record of unsuccess, due to gales or inefficient management. The history of Washington County ships has its pathetic as well as prosperous side, and many are the hearts who still mourn for those who sailed in the ships which have never returned. Here and there stands a fine, old
residence, the home of a successful Maine Viking, who is now passing the twilight of life in comparative ease and luxury. More than one such house was built from the proceeds of a single voyage across the pond – a happy commentary on the prosperity of American shipping 30 or 40 years ago. In passing through one of the aforesaid
towns on a summer day you may see sitting on his spacious veranda, some venerable skipper, smoking his pipe and dreaming over the adventures of his younger days. He is an interesting old fellow, in spite of his advanced age, and if you happen to call on him while he is enjoying his siesta, you’ll catch a story or two well worth the hearing. But fi rst he’ll tell you how the country
has lost its prosperity in spite of the coming of the railroad, all due of course, to the decline of American shipping. In 1877 there were built in Harrington seven vessels; in Milbridge and Cherryfi eld fi ve more, and there was also something doing in the shipyards of Machias and East Machias. No wonder these old skippers shake their hands and sigh when they inform you that in 1906 only one vessel, the JAMES T. MAXWELL, JR., was built in Washington County. The present generation know very little
about the shipbuilding of the past, nor has it heard of the long, adventurous voyages these downeast captains made 30 years ago. Some have escaped shipwrecked, some pirates and privateers and others have barely kept themselves from the boiling pot of the cannibal. These old captains could tell you a story better than any written about the sea. They have sailed all over the world and their heads are vertitable storehouses of tales of adventures.
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