The Portland daily press., 1878-12-24
THE GALE.
Damage TO Vessel.

The storm of Saturday afternoon and even
log was short but severe while it lasted. At
one time the wind blew so miles an hour, aad
the thick snow-storm made navigation very
difficult
The barque S. d. Holbrook, Capt Mitchell,
took the gale Saturday afternoon % miles
south of Cape Elizabeth. She ran eighteen
miles then wore, and at 80 a. m. Sunday she
found herself under the Portland Lights, with
In mile of the beach. The pilot, Capt. Sher-
WOOD, says it was one of the worst nights he
ever saw on this coast. They all expected that
they were doomed, for they could not hear the
the fog horn nor see the light till they were
close upon it. Capt Mitchell avs the water
was tive feet deep on deck, even with the rail-
ings, and the sea something dreadful. After
they got their bearings from the light they
managed to wear off aud gain this harbo-
yesterday. The Holbrook lost her sails.
The schooner Swallow, Capt. Carlow, had
similar experience. She tried to weather the
storm by carrying sail and had the canvas
blown out of the ropes At times the vessel
was actually under water and it seemed as if
the gale and sea would founder her. She got
10 safely yesterday.
The schooner Contest Capt Bickford, of 100
tons burden, which was on its way to this port
from the fishing grounds, attempted to make
Portland Head Light. Owing to the thick
snow.storm she mstook the position of the
the light and ran ashore on the east end of
Long Island. The crew, consisting of twelve
mep, all residents Of Cape Elizabeth, took to
the boats and as the gale was not so bad at that
hour as earlier in the night, succeeded in get.
ting safely on the island with their dunnage
and much of their gear. The vessel came off
yesterday, receviog no further hurt than the
loss of part Of her Else keel and portion of
the forefoot.
During the storm the we'll known schooner
Dreadnaught, while attempting to make a
harbor. broke her steeriug wheel and anchored
off the back side of Peaks Island, where she
rode out the storm.
Schooner Keystone of Pembroke, Capt. Will
der, -Elizabethport, N j., for Portland. with a
cargo of pig iron for the Rolling Nils, had a
rough experience and a narrow escape from
wreck. She sailed from New York at a. M.
Wednesday. Thursday night she came to an
chor at Chatham, wind west-northwest and
blowing gale. Friday morning at 9 o'clock
she got underway again, wind from the north
west At 9 o'clock in the evening made Cape
God light, which bore south By west distance
of twelve miles AT o'clock Saturday after
noon snow commenced falling but it cleared up
at 3. The vessel, the captain judged, was then
about 20 miles from Portland Az hour later
the snow began falling again. When 10 miles
from Cape Elizabeth lights the wind had fresh
ened to gale from the southeast and the
Captain dared not run his vessel further tc-
wards the land. He accordingly hauled off
and stood to the eastward, carrying lower sails
until 10 o'clock when the wind blew so hard
that the mainsail and foresail were reefed and
the vessel headed to the southland, sounding
every hour. At 3 O clock the line showed forty
fathoms Of water. An hour later the depth
had fallen to twenty fathoms. Seeing that he
was approaching land Capt. Wilder ordered
the anchors to be got ready. The vessel was
then lsboring tremendously, every sea making
Q clean break over her. The decks were swept
OF everything movable, and the cabin filled
with water. Capt. Wilder and an assistant at
the wheel were both struck and thrown down,
the mate and boy Were swept nearly over
board and the cook was hurled with great force
into the CABIN. In few minutes the surf was
deserted through the dim twilight aud the an
Choir was let go, but the cable snapped in mo-
ment and the vessel was again at the mercy of
the waves. She swung to the eastward and
the captain saw ahead of him a light which
proved to be Half Way Rock light, the first he
had made since Cape Cod was passed. The
vessel went by the breakers, but finding that
she must inevitably go ashore on Hallway
Rock, Capt. Wilder decided to head his vessel
for the surf. Luckily be ran into smooth wa
ter in Broad Sound, near Chebasgue, where his
only remaining anchor was dropped, and the
gale safely ridden out The captain says it was
the toughest night he ever experienced.