The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1883-04-05
The Loss OF the "Rachel."


A former resident of Sullivan contributes the
following sketch to the Ellsworth American:
| About the middle of November 1895 Capt
John Simpson of Sullivan, Maine, Il prominent
citizen of that town, sailed from that place for
| Salem, Mass, in command of the schooner
| "Rachel,' vessel of about 100 tons. nearly
| new, of which he was sole owner, laden with
lumber and having on board consisting
| of the following persons. viz:
| lillian Abbott mate. who had been in
| charge of the vessel the previous summer,
| Stephen Merchant, Zachaliah Hodgkins and
James Springer; also Paul Dudley Sargent ,Jr.,
| son OF Col. Paul ID. Sargent of Sullivan, who
was intending to spend the following winter at
school in Salem. They left Sullivan in COM
| pany with the new schooner Diana, commanded
| by Capt. Josiah Simpson Jr., a brother of John.
| and came through the inland passage from Mt.
| Desert to White Head, coming through Deer
Island and Fox Island Thoroughfares. On
arriving ri White Head they made a harbOr at
Seal Harbor. and both vessels sailed from there
! probably about the 18th of November. and on
| arriving off Herring Gut Harbor, st. George,
| Nc, some ten or twelve miles from White
| Head. the weather became threatening with the
| wind northeast and giving indications of
storm. The Diana hauled up and went into
| Herring Gut. while the Rachel kept on for
| Salem. The vessels We're 50 near that the two
| brothers talked over the situation and the
captain of the Diana decided to make Il harbor,
while the captain of the Rachel concluded us it
was fair wind, he would keep on, hoping to
make quick run to Salem. The impending
| storm proved to be one of the most severe ever
| known il New England the snow falling 10
| depth of from four to six feet, greatly impeding
and obstructing the travel on what were then
called the post roads" for a long time. The
newspapers of that time in describing the storm
said that it partially cleared off once or twice
after its commencement. and then came ON
| again more violent than ever.
! After the storm was over seven vessels were
| found TO have gone ashore on Cape Cod. and
! many or most of their crews were all lost
Among them was the Rachel She was found
ashore, with all her crew lost, a short distance
! below, or south. of where the Highland Light
now stands, between the second and third hum
mockS, or sand hills. The bodies of the crew
Were all found on the wreck or on the beach
and that of Capt. Simpson was easily recognized
! from his clothing and things found in it, And
| that of the Young man Sargent was known from
his wearing apparel. being different from that
of the crew of the vessel. There were many
| little things found belonging to Can't Simpson
which We're carefully preserved and sent to lis
| family. Among them were Il small trunk
covered with seal skin. and small pocket
handkerchief that was put in his pocket by his
| little daughter (then five wears oldl thc day he
sailed from home, and also a pearl handled
| pocket knife The above articles are now in
| possession of his prand-childrpn The bodies
We're all carefully buried in the old burving
ground at North Truro; and the following
summer capt. James SULLIVAN, q DrOthtr-ln-laW
of Capt. Simpson and in charge of one Of his
vessels, went to Truro and put up rough slate
| stone slab at his grave. which afterwards help
| ed TO identify the place of their burial He
also received the little relies that We're saved, or
| found, and took them home to Sullivan,
| In 1878 John ) Emery and Erastus O. Emery
| of Boston, grandsons of Capt Simpson, went
| to Truro, and by the aid of Capt. Jesse and
Miss Polly Collins, whose father helped to bury
the Rache'> crew, found their resting place;
and later the same year John $. Emery erected
a marble tablet of large size over the grave of
his grandfather. 1t is set in a base made from
sullivan granite quarred near the home of
Capt. Simpson and the tablet is of fine Italian
marble made by Me>>rs. Bowker. Torrev 4 Co..
of Boston, and bears the following inscription;
This tablet marks the burial place of Capt.
John simpson, of sullivan. Me-, aged 81 wears.
| master of schooner Rachel. of that place: who.
/ with his entire crew. consisting Of the following
/ persons. Viz: Paul Dudley Sargent ,Jr., (pn>-
>engcr) Wm. Abbott. Stephen W. Merchant,
| Zachariah Hodgkins and one other flames
! sprnger-name not positively known when
\ tablet was madeI We're lost on the wreck of the
1 above vessel. near this place. in the memorable
| snow storm Nov 20, 179S, and afterwards
! buried here.
| Erected in lS1N. in memory Of Can't Simp-
! son. by his grandson John : Emery of B0>-
! ton"
Probably no event ever occurred that bro
! duced in sullivan or in that vicinity such wide
| spread grief and gloom as the ,hipWreck of the
Rachel and the loss of the crew Capt Simp-
son, though quite Young man, was on. OF tic
most cnterpr>ing and promising men in the
| place. and at the time of his death had become
possessed of quite handsome property. He
owned the Rachel and her cargo ana al thp
time of her >hip-wrcck had with him about
seven hundred dollars in specie: and nothing
whatever was saved from the wreck He also
owned the house in which he lived, ana which
was occupied by his wife and children until her