Page 24. MAINE COASTAL NEWS March 2017 HISTORY FROM THE PAST - Bangor Daily Commercial - Early 1900s


28 February 1911 Maine Schooner Sunk in Collision Off Thatcher’s


The NUNAN of Kennebunk and the GRAYLING Crash in Night – Each Skipper Blames Other.


Gloucester, Massachusetts, February


28. – The schooner SYLVIA M. NUNAN of Kennebunk, Maine, was run down and sunk by the schooner GRAYLING, two miles off Thatcher’s Island shortly before midnight Monday night. All of the crew of the NUNAN reached the deck of the GRAYLING in safety and were landed here Tuesday. The NUNAN, in command of Capt. Thomas Holbrook, was bound from Boston for an eastern port for bait and the GRAYLING, Capt. Axel Laazer in command, was coming to Gloucester from Portland with a cargo of cod fi sh. Each skipper blames the other for the


collision. It is believed that the vessels were holding their courses too long, and that the collision resulted because neither would give way. The GRAYLING struck the NUNAN


on the starboard side, smashing a great hole in the hull. Two of the NUNAN’s crew were


on watch at the time, and six others were asleep in the forecastle. Five of the men in the forecastle managed to reach the deck of the companionway, and clambered on board the GRAYLING. The sixth man, John Goodrich, did not have time to climb up the stairs. He took the only chance off ered to him and plunged through the hole that had been smashed in the side of the NUNAN. He was able to secure a hold on the GRAYLING’s cable and pulled himself to the schooner’s deck.


The NUNAN sank within two minutes


after the crash. The schooner SYLVIA NUNAN was


built at East Boothbay, Maine, in 1893. She registered 53 tons net, was 75 feet long, 20 feet beam and 8.2 feet deep.


8 April 1911 Off for the Cod


Bangor’s Grand Banks Fleet Sails Soon from Bucksport.


Two Trips This Season


Schooner LIZZIE GRIFFIN, Capt. Anderson, Repaired and Painted, Now Awaits Her Crew.


A. D. Jones went to Bucksport Saturday noon on business in connection with his


News from Woods Hole Continued from Page 10.


gen stored in the shells and tissues, which represents how much nitrogen would be removed from the water when harvested. On average, the researchers found


individual oysters contained .28 grams of nitrogen, slightly more than the average quahog with .22 grams. Wild oysters and those grown on pond bottoms contained an average of .32 grams of nitrogen—more than those grown in fl oating cages. “Wild oysters or bottom-grown oysters,


which deal more with predators, have to grow thicker shells for protection,” Reitsma explains. “More shell means greater weight, and with greater weight, the animal can take in more nitrogen.” The nitrogen values also varied by


season, with shellfi sh harvested in the fall taking in more nitrogen, which Reitsma says wasn’t a surprise since oysters and quahogs tend to “fatten up” in the fall in preparation for the winter season. “Theoretically, you could maximize the


amount of nitrogen removed by harvesting in the fall rather than in the spring, when the shellfi sh tend to be skinnier,” he adds. With the uptake of excess nitrogen,


some might wonder if the oysters and qua- hogs utilized for cleanup are still safe to eat. In general, the answer is yes, says co-author Diane Murphy, a fi sheries and aquaculture specialist at Woods Hole Sea Grant and Cape Cod Cooperative Extension. “The shellfi sh that end up on our tables


and in fi sh markets are from approved sourc- es and are perfectly fi ne to eat,” Murphy adds. “You can think of it in terms of your garden. You wouldn’t think twice about eating Swiss chard or tomatoes grown in your garden, and yet they have incorporated nitrogen from the soil to help them grow. Oysters and other living organisms do the same thing.” When it comes to helping municipal-


ities reach their nitrogen reduction goals, shellfi sh have a big appeal, Reitsma says, because they’re a cheaper alternative than wastewater treatment systems or any type of sewering, and results can be seen faster. An adult oyster can fi lter up to 50 gallons a day, while large quahogs can clean about 24 gallons of water in the same amount of time. There’s also the added benefi t that


shellfi sh aquaculture generates economic activity as well. While shellfi sh are a valu- able and eff ective tool as the study points out, the researchers stress that they should be considered just one part of the long-term solution for reducing nitrogen in waterways. “Aquaculture is something that can


start alleviating those nitrogen loads imme- diately, but it can’t do it all,” Murphy says. “It would be a disservice to the shellfi sh to expect them to bear the sole burden of cleanup.” The research team also included Abigail


Archer of Woods Hole Sea Grant and Cape Cod Cooperative Extension and Richard York at the Mashpee Department of Natural Resources. The town of Mashpee, MA., used data from the study in the development of their Comprehensive Watershed Nitrogen Management Plan, which includes several approaches to nitrogen reduction in addition to shellfi sh. In addition to Mashpee, other local


towns testing or utilizing shellfi sh projects for water quality improvement include Falmouth, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Orleans, and Wellfl eet on Cape Cod, and Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard. Towns on the north side of Cape Cod,


which have fewer salt ponds, bays or estu- ary-type environments, have less of an issue with excess nitrogen than those on the south side, Reitsma says. “The north side of the Cape also has


much bigger tides that tend to fl ush areas out much more than the inlets on the south side,” he adds. “The combination of smaller estuaries and bigger tides helps remove ex- cess nitrogen.” This research was supported by the


Barnstable County, Cape Cod Cooperative Extension and Woods Hole Sea Grant. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Insti- tution is a private, non-profi t organization on Cape Cod, Mass., dedicated to marine re- search, engineering, and higher education. Established in 1930 on a recommendation from the National Academy of Sciences, its primary mission is to understand the ocean and its interaction with the Earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the ocean’s role in the changing global environment. For more information, please visit www.whoi.edu.


fi shing schooner, the LIZZIE GRIFFIN. The GRIFFIN is Bangor’s boasted Grand Banker, and the fl eet of one was hauled out at Bucksport for the winter. She has just been taken from the marine railway there, where she received needed attention on account of having had some planks weakened during her strenuous trip to Newfoundland last fall, and other slight damage. She is also resplendent in a new coat of paint, and is withal as trim and natty and neat in appearance as any two-masted schooner that will sail from an Atlantic port of the United States this season to far forth in search of cod. The schooner is a worthy hand-liner and, with a bold “Bangor” on her stern, she holds her own with the best of the renowned fl eet of Gloucester. The LIZZIE GRIFFIN, Capt. W. A.


ANDERSON, sails for the Banks next week, about the middle of it. This in one month earlier than her sailing date last year. Mr. Jones, who owns her, hopes to get in two cod fi sh trips with her this season, before he sends the craft to Newfoundland again for herring. Capt. Anderson is now in Gloucester picking up a crew, which numbers 16 dorymen, a cook and a mate. Just as soon as he can secure this necessary contingent of deep-seamen he will sail for the Banks and join the fl eet of Gloucestermen which is now making ready to go after the cod with the handlines. Mr. Jones is busy now looking after the provisioning of the schooner. It is, after all, no small matter to provision a vessel for a trip of four or fi ve months out of sight of land with 19 hearty men on board; and the matter of storing water enough for the trip is also a problem. The men always come back hale and hearty, however, so of course this is satisfactorily done. Last year was not a successful year with


the hand-liners. They could not fi nd the cod, and the GRIFFIN brought back about as big a fare as any of the others. It is hoped by Mr. Jones that this season will prove a better one for the fi shermen, and that his little two-master may tow into Kenduskeag steam twice with a banner trip of cod each time.


In general, the fi sh market is good at this


time. There seems to be plenty of halibut, cod and shad, and, in fact, all kinds of fi sh such as are usually to be found in the markets at this time of year. The mackerel have not appeared in the markets yet, but it will not be long now before the schools of these are sought and caught and this particular delicacy in the fi sh food line will be ready for the table again. As for lobsters, it is really a waste of


time to write anything about them. They are conspicuous by their absence. There aren’t any. Of course, there are some of these green crawling things down under the water somewhere along the coast, but it is diffi cult to capture them now, and warmer weather must come before they are to grace the table once more. At the Jones’ wholesale market not a lobster has been seen for three weeks. Once in a while one is seen in a market window somewhere, or in a restaurant, but where this occasional stray one comes from is a mystery. The price of these absent crustaceans is prohibitive anyway for the ordinary mortal, so what is the use of saying anything more about them. Better days are coming.


22 April 1911 Schooner CAROLINE GRAY is Safely Afl oat


Rockland Vessel Pulled Off Cape Sands After Her Cargo Had Been Hove Overboard.


Provincetown, Massachusetts, April 22. – After her cargo of paving stones had


been hove over the side, the Rockland, Maine schooner CAROLINE GRAY, which grounded on Wood End bar Thursday, was hauled into deep water Saturday by the Tug NEPONSET and towed into the harbor, apparently uninjured. The GRAY had an easy berth under


the fi nger of the cape, well protected from the fury of the easterly gale which was still howling outside at dawn Saturday. Once in a while a big roller would surge round Race Point and rushing down Wood End would give the GRAY a bump, but these were infrequent and the NEPONSET and no diffi culty in running a line to her. The Wood End life savers who helped


the crew of the Gray jettison several hundred granite stones Friday, assisted the tug, while the revenue cutter GRESHAM hovered in the offi ng ready to send an additional line in case the tug failed. The easterly gale at 8 a.m., Saturday


had been blowing for more than 50 hours continuously and the sea on the back side of the cape was rougher than at any time last winter.


Some of the regular coasting steamers


managed to fl ounder round from Nantucket shoals into Cape Cod bay but other shipping, including tugs and barges have been in sheltered harbors since Wednesday. * * * * *


Bath Built Schooner Lost on Delaware Coast


Lewes, Delaware, April 22. – Slowly pounding to pieces, the schooner O. D. WITHEREL from New York for Philadelphia is lying helpless, stranded off the Fenwick island life saving station. The crew was taken off by the life savers believe she will be a total loss. She was built in Bath, Maine, in 1874, and her home port is Boston. The vessel is 148 feet long. * * * * *


Many Maine Built Vessels Carried Relief to Ireland During Famine of 1846-47


Two Return to the Penobscot with Immigrants, the Brig MARCUS


ARRIVING at Bangor and the Schooner LUCULLUS at Castine – Immigrants’ Arrival Created a Stir


The following paper on the part played


by Maine built ships during the famine of 1846-47 in Ireland, was read by Frank J. Cannon, at the regular meeting of Division 1, A. O. H., Sunday afternoon: That a great many Maine-built vessel


carried provisions to famine-stricken Ireland in 1846-47 and returned with immigrants fl eeing that country to escape starvation is quite generally known but that a vessel built at this port and captained by a member of that well-known seafaring family, the Pierces of Orrington, sailed from Galway, on the west coast of Ireland, in the summer of 1847, with 62 passengers and dropped anchor in the Penobscot, below Railroad street, on August 14, 1847, is an incident known now to but few people. The marine news of those years record but one other vessel landing immigrants on the Penobscot, the schooner LUEULLUS arriving at Castine July 2, 1847, with 70 passengers. The Famine of 1846-47 in Ireland The famine of 1846-47 in Ireland was


the most terrible in recent times. The crop of 1845 was a partial failure and the passantry who possessed no surplus food to fall back upon had to sell clothing and household furniture to purchase food and to obtain seed for the next season. Unfortunately the 1846 crop was a total failure and absolute ruin and starvation threatened the whole population. Perhaps owing to the animosity that


centuries of persecution had engendered between the people of Ireland and their


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