Page 24. MAINE COASTAL NEWS February 2017


wilder and the outlook more desperate. He made that harbor but neither he nor his mates could ever coherently tell how it was done. The owner of the smack, a fi ne old Clyde fi sherman named John Campbell, never wearied of telling, however, that “there was nae doot, whate’er they would a’hae been droon’t but for young Charlie’s pluck an’ skill.”


That was the training of this genius.


A Scotchman by birth a sailor by nature, a grocer by early training and navigator and helmsman of imperishable fame by dint of indomitable will, unequalled skill, infallible judgment and an irrepressible love of boats and all that pertains to them.


It is not very long after this experience


that the two Barr brothers crossed the Atlantic in the cutter CLARA, a 40-footer owned by Charles Swett. Capt. John was the skipper and the voyage across the Atlantic was a long one. Next they were together on the Scotch challenger THISTLE in 1887. Charlie was a sailor on that yacht, and it was his fi rst experience in a contest for the America’s Cup. He returned to Scotland and in 1888 brought across the schooner Fife designed cutter MINERVA and for three years raced her successfully in those waters. Eighteen 40-footers were built here before Gosoon was turned out to defeat the crack Scotch cutter. Charley next commanded the Burgess cutter OWEENEE and then handled the WASP, owned by Archibald Rogers. It was on this craft, he said, he had the worst voyage in his experience. The WASP was one of the fi rst of the spoon bowed yachts and in going around Cape Cod she was caught in a hard blow and pounded so that Capt. Barr said he thought she would pound to pieces. In 1893 he took the cutter NAVAHOE


across the ocean but did not stay the season with that yacht, which was practically a failure. In 1895 he had his next experience in cup racing. He sailed the VIGILANT for George J. Gould in the trial races with the DEFENDER. In 1896 Barr had charge of the schooner COLONIA and then followed the COLUMBIA for two seasons and RELIANCE. In 1904 he tok the INGOMAR across the ocean and raced her there for Morton F. Plant. The next year he had command of the ATLANTIC in the race across the ocean for the kalser’s cup, crossing the ocean in 11 days, 16 hours, 22 minutes. He sailed the 70-footer MINEOLA and last summer fi nished his glorious record with the WESTWARD, which won every race except one and that was a handicap. Barr became an American citizen in


1889. He married some years ago and leaves a widow and two children. Many yachtsmen are of opinion tht


it was Barr who kept the cup here when SHAMROCK II, came after it. He had charge of COLUMBIA that year and COLUMBIA outsailed CONSTITUTION in the trial races. She went to the line in the cup races in the pink of condition and Capt. Barr knew every mood of that yacht. The races were all close, but Barr’s cleverness and skill were worth minutes to the COLUMBIA. In the fi rst rare SHAMROCK was fi rst at the weather mark, but Barr nursed COLUMBIA home and she won by a few seconds. In the last race of the series SHAMROCK had a lead of some minutes when Barr stood away from the challenging yacht and held over toward the New Jersey shore in the hope of getting a better slant there. He found what he wanted and was able to fi nish so close to the SHAMROCK that COLUMBIA won the race on corrected time. He afterward said that had SHAMROCK won that race she would probably have won others and the cup, as COLUMBIA’s sails had all blown


HISTORY FROM THE PAST - Bangor Daily Commercial - Early 1900s of the club.


out and were useless for such racing. Barr was only 5 feet 3 inches tall. He


had black hair and black mustache and black eyes that saw everything. When racing a big yacht he had a habit of talking to himself while at the wheel. He would roll his wheel over and keep his eyes alternately on his head sails and his opponent. Those on board while the yacht was turning to windward would be lying down at the weather rail and the little skipper would talk in this way. “Wonder what he’s going to do now?


What’s he standing off there for? Don’t he know better? He’d better come about.” Then as if asking for advice he might


say: “Shall I tack now or hold on?” Some one on board might venture an opinion on this if he did not know Barr, but it made no diff erence with the skipper. He had his campaign all planned and worked it out to his own liking and generally to success. He was not always popular with


skippers of other yachts because when he had worked his own vessel into a winning position he never let up, but made the victory as complete as possible. He was popular though with his men because he would never ask a man to do what he would not do himself and he never declined responsibility or allowed others to take blame for what he had ordered. Once when the RELIANCE was


rounding up to her mooring she was caught at the tide and the tip of her bowsprit struck the end of the CONSTITUTION’s boom and smashed it. A quartermaster was at the wheel and he came in for a storm of abuse from the managing owner. The man was told he could leave the ship. Barr quietly remarked, “If any leaves the ship I will. I caused the accident.” He didn’t leave. An example of his nerve and daring is


shown in the race across the ocean, when he sailed the Atlantic. The weather on May 25 had been hard. The yacht was driving before a westerly gale under a square sail. It was getting toward night and things looked bad. Many on board were nervous. The seas were running high and the yacht was working. Capt. Barr called Wilson Marshall, the owner, and asked his advice, telling him that he owned the yacht. Mr. Marshall listened to Capt. Barr and was shown how the storm was aff ecting the yacht, and Capt. Barr told him to remember too that they were racing. He asked whether they would drive on, hoping the weather would moderate, or take in the sail and lay to. Some were for taking in the sail, but it was fi nally left to Capt. Barr’s judgment and he drove on. The weather moderated at midnight. Had he taken in sail the Atlantic would have been beaten, as the VALHALLA was only 12 miles astern and driving along under topsails in weather to her liking. One season Capt. Barr handled the 70


foot sloop MINEOLA and racing against him was the YANKEE, sailed by Harry L. Maxwell. In a steady breeze on the Sound without any fl ukes YANKEE won. The race was a hot one from start to fi nish. After the yachts had reached their moorings Barr went ashore and was asked how MINEOLA came to be beaten. “Why,” replied the canny Scot, “Maxwell simply outsailed me. That was all.” He never made excuses for defeats. The schooner INGOMAR was built by


Herreshoff in 1904 for Morton F. Plant and Capt. Barr was given charge of the yacht. She crossed the ocean in fast time, fi tted out on the other side and then went through the campaign winning prizes in German and British waters. At Kiel INGOMAR raced against the emperor’s yacht METEOR and as is usual a member of the home club was put on board of INGOMAR, the visiting yacht, because Mr. Plant was not a member


INGOMAR and METEOR were


maneuvering for position at the start on one big race. A quartermaster had the wheel on INGOMAR, Capt. Barr standing near and directing things. The Kaiser had the wheel of his own yacht METEOR. The INGOMAR was on the starboard tack, standing for the line and had right of way. The METEOR was on the port tack and under the rales had to keep dear. The two yachts were drawing together on opposite tacks and the German representative, taking in the situation, turned to Capt. Barr and said: “Captain, the Kaiser.” Barr looked at the METEOR, looked


again at his own yacht and made no reply. The two yachts drew nearer and the German got excited. “Captain,” he said, “captain, the Kaiser, tack.” Barr then realized what he meant,


and turning quickly to the visitor he said: “The Kaiser ceases to be the Kaiser when he steps on board a racing yacht.” Turning to the quartermaster, he said: “Hold your course.” The next minute the two yachts came together, but fortunately no damage was done. That evening the Kaiser sent for Capt.


Barr. He talked yacht sailing with him, and when the captain left gave him a souvenir. The next day the emperor kept the METEOR far away from the INGOMAR. Capt. Barr always took as good care


of himself as he did of his boat and never lost a race through not being in proper condition physically. This was never better instanced than in the fi rst race, between the RELIANCE and SHAMROCK III, in 1903. The fi rst leg of the course was to windward and for nearly an hour and a half it was a mighty battle between these two boats, so that supporters of the RELIANCE began to think that the SHAMROCK, a much smaller boat, was going to win. Even on the RELIANCE there was much worrying being done. The SHAMROCK had the weather position and she held it in spite of all Capt. Barr could do with the RELIANCE. The two yachts would split tacks for a short period but when they came together, again SHAMROCK still held her advantage. It is a severe strain on a skipper in a race of this kind. Wringe was the skipper of the SHAMROCK and fi nally after 90 minutes of close, hard work Barr succeeded in getting the RELIANCE clear of SHAMROCK, and after that she increased her lead every minute. Wringe while in this country had been dined and feted and he was not in condition for such a hard race. The strain told on him and Barr was better able to stand it. His skill as a navigator was wonderful.


No matter how thick a fog might shut down Barr could always fi nd his way to the marks and home and he was so accurate that his skill became almost proverbial. Once when sailing the COLUMBIA off Newport a thick fog shut down and screened everything. Some skippers quit the race and made for home. A steamer with the reporters on board was close to the COLUMBIA and the skipper remarked, “If you wish to keep on I am going to stay by the COLUMBIA. He did, COLUMBIA picked up the second mark just as if it had been in Barr’s eye all the time and then heading for home made the fi nish line. This skill was again demonstrated in the last race sailed by RELIANCE and SHAMROCK III. The fog cleared down at the outer mark. Vessels could be heard all around. Their skippers felt their way back to the lightship. The SHAMROCK missed the line and could not fi nish. Those who had gathered at the fi nish suddenly heard a fl apping like the sound of some big yacht’s sail. The next instant a ghostlike


form was seen rising out of the fog and then RELIANCE sailing fast, for there was a nice breeze, crossed the line w winner and was saluted. She has sailed a perfect course and Barr had in spite of tide and wind brought her home to the fi nish accurately.


20 March 1911


125 Perished in Sea Disasters Long List of Wrecks and Lives Lost Along the Northern Atlantic Coast. Boston, March 20. – Fully 125 person


perished in accidents which befell New England, Canadian and Newfoundland vessels, or other craft which met with disaster in western upper North Atlantic waters during the fall and winter season now ending. It is impossible to announce the exact number of lives lost, as a missing Gloucester schooner, the ELLA M. GOODWIN, with her crew of 18 men, may be yet afl oat in northern ice fi elds, and as statistics of last Newfoundland fi shermen are incomplete. In all 100 vessels were ashore, sunk, abandoned, burned or in collision during the past six months. Of the number 75 were schooners: seven, steamers; seven, barges; three, barkentines; two, barks; two, brigantines; two tugs, one a $25,000 auxiliary steam yacht, and one a power boat. Sixty-fi ve of the 100 were total wrecks, the majority hailing from New England ports. The loss of life on stranded vessels was greatest on the Massachusetts and Newfoundland coasts. The maritime provinces were remarkably free from fatalities, although many natives of that section of Canada were lost in wrecks elsewhere or perished on several craft long posted as “missing.” The combined fi nancial loss is estimated at nearly $1,000,000. The most tragic disaster occurred on Peaker Hill bars, Cape Cod, on January 10, when the Philadelphia barges TREVORTON, PINE FOREST and CORBIN were lost, 17 men perishing. The crew of the PINE FOREST sacrifi ced their lives needlessly in an attempt to row to the beach through the giant breakers. Had they remained on board they would have been safe, as the PINE FOREST held together for several days. On October 23, 25 persons were


drowned when the steamer REGULUS, was ground to pieces by the rocks near St. John’s, N. F.


The grim death of the fall season


was further swelled on December 15- 16, when half a dozen schooners and several barges were wrecked in a gale which raged with exceptional violence along the Cape Cod shore and Nantucket shoals. During this storm the United States revenue cutter GRESHAM stationed at Boston, distinguished herself by rescuing several shipwrecked crews at great peril to her own men, and by fl oating a number of standed craft. The revenue cutters, ANDROSCOGGIN and ACUSHNET, like the GRESHAM, were active throughout the stormy period of the fall and winter and also aided many distressed mariners. Among the life savers, the Cape Cod,


Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket stations were the most active during the heavy gales of December and January. During the season three vessels were in


diffi culties in the far north – the Norwegian steamer ADRIA, the Parrsboro, N. S., bark ALKALINE and the Canadian government schooner JEANIE. The steamer was wrecked on the southern coast of Iceland late in December. The list of 18 of her crew who perished are not included in the fi gures before given. The bark ALKALINE left Ivigtut, Greeland, on October 10, for Philadelphia, but she never reached her destination. On October 25 a storm


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