The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-09-10


Loss OF SHooNER HELEN ELIZA, OF GLoUcFs-
CREW LOST SAVE ONE.
Yesterday morning we learned the sad news
of the loss of the schooner Helen Eliza of
Gloucester, Mass, ON the southeast part of
Peaks Island. The following account of the
shipwreck we received from the lips of Charles
Jordan of Rockport, Mass, the sole survivor
of a crew of twelve.
Jordan states that about 10 IL o clock OF
Wednesday morning the vessel started to run
into Portland. The wind was out S. S. E.
The first land made by them was Ram Island,
about mile outside of White Head. At chat
time the fog had closed in all around them,
the rain was pouring in torrents and the wind
blowing hurricane. They Immediately came
to an anchor, letting out both anchors. AS
the cables, however, parted, they put on the
foresai, close -reefed, and got up all they could
of the maipsail. The jb was blown clean out
of the boltropes Before they parted their
cables they saw Portland Light. They under
took TO run for the Light but couldn't get the
vessel into the channel being too far to the
eastward After running about twenty min
utes as near as Jordan could Judge, the
schooner struck twice but didn't seem to hang
on the rock either time but kept going
They then found it was impossible to do any
thing, and Jordan went below and stripped to
shirt and trowsers to be prepared for apy
emergency. With him in the forecastie were
two men, G. Woods, and d. Harris and three
boys, j. Bray, G.. Clark and Joel Fairbanks
He had hardly got prepared when the schoon-
er struck on the southeast part of Peaks
Island with such violence that the bow was
crushed in and all in the forecastle were crush
ed to death except himself, he escaping by
rushing into the hold. In a seconds time, he
should think, q tremendous wave knocked off
the deck and swept him out of the hold, and
as he came to the surface he managed to swim
so as to seize portion of the wreck He saw
G. Clark aud B. Lurvey struggling in the
water as the wave swept by them. AS soon as
he recovered his breath he let go the wreck,
seized floating barrel, and when the return
ing wave dashed him upon the rocks, he seized
and held onto them until the sea receded,
when he clambered to the beach and was safe.
The following is q list of the crew: Captain
Edward Mliett, Albert Tarr, Emerson Colby,
David Harris, Beniah Lurvey, Joel Fairbanks
aud James Bray of Rockport, Me-; George
Woods, Providence, r. L.; Frederick Lane,
Gloucester, Mass. George Clark, Charles
Clark, Rockport, Me.
The body ofFrederic Llne has been washed
ashore.
Yesterday afternoon Coroner Hall, of this
city, at the request of the residents of Peaks
Island, proceeded to the spot where two of the
men had washed ashore, Lane, who is mem
toned above, and Colby, both of Rockport,
Mass An inquest was deemed unnecessary
1t was ascertained that Lane, who was about
30 years of age, has a wife 10 Rockport and
relatives in Boston, and that Colby leaves
wife and four or five chldaen. Mr. Rich, the
undertaken, furnished collins, trusting to the
honesty of the relatives Of the deceased to see
that he was paid for them, and they were for
warded to the brother-in-aw of Lane in Bos-
ton to be sent to Rockport. The Portland
Steam Packet Co. not only generously fur
nished transportation gratis but also sent
man to take care of the bodies.