The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1885-06-11
Three Masted Schooners.
AN INTERESTING HISTORY OF THE PIONEERS
IN THIS CLASS OF VESSELS.
BOSTON, June. 9. 1SS1.

IN THIS CLASS OF VESSELS.
BOSTON, June, 9. 1885.
10 THE EDITOR OF THE JOURNAL: In your
paper of the 2Sth ult l noticed the following
article:
ga Belfast gentleman while looking one day
last week at six of our large three masted
schOoners lying in the harbOr, said that prior to
1874 there were but two three masted schooners
owned in Maine-the Fame, of Ellsworth and
the Aurora of Bluehill Three masted schoon-
ers were so rare in those days that the super
stitious used to say their appearance indicated
| storm. The rig was very different then
from those of the present day, the mizzen be-
Ing only twO-thrds as tall as the other masts.
During the early California excitement the Au-
rora cleared for San Francisco, but before she
reached Cape Horn the voyage was abandoned
| and she put into Monteyideo. Three masted
schOoners came into general use less than twen-
ty years ago.
While this is in the main correct the gentle
man is in error as to the nnn,be, of vessels, and
perhaps few additional details may not be I'M
interesting to your readers. The first three
masted schooner of which the writer has any
knowledge was the Aurora of Ellsworth, built
| there In 1881 and owned by Colonel John Black
to run in his lumber trade between Ellsworth
and Dighton. She was 147 60-95 tons, and was
commanded by Capt. Moses Abbott. In the
| winter of 1886 when on passage from Digh-
ton to Ellsworth she was blown off the coast
and brought up at Turks Island. There she
loaded salt for Baltimore, and on the passage
home encountered heavy weather off Hatteras,
during which, while reefng the spanker, Capt.
Abbott was thrown overheard from the boom
and was lost. The vessel was thus left without
| a navigator, and was afterwards dismastcd and
abandoned, the remainder of the crew, seven in
number, being taken off by the Bark Cutter,
Capt Ryder, from Mobile, and taken to Bos-
ton.
The Fame, of Ellsworth, Capt. Elias Lord,
was also built by Col. Black at Ellsworth, in
1888, and was owned by him. She was 13O $3.50
tons, and was always engaged in the coaSting
| trade. She was one of the large fleet of vessels
that went ashore at Cape Ann (Gloucester) in
| December 1889, when many vessels and lives
| were lost. She was got Oft and repaired, and
after running many years was rugged intoa two
| masted. fore-and-aft schooner, and was finally
| condemned and broken up AT Ellsworth.
The second Aurora was built in Ellsworth
in 1910, owned by Col. John Black and George
| n. Black, and commanded by Capt Chri>to-
| pher Chase. She was 100 3-95 tons. After
| running several years in the general freighting
| business she got ashore on the North Carolina
coast, but was got off and taken to Wilmington,
| N. G., and repaired, and afterwards owned
| there, and sailed under command of Capt. Silas
Martin, formerly of Castine, Me-. who, think,
died out of her at the quarantine station. Staten
Island, New York. This was probably the
Aurora that started for California
| These vessels were all three mased schoon-
ers, their masts being much shorter than those
of the present day. They all had forc>ail
| mainsail and spanker, same a. any three masted
schooner, and on the fore and main had top
sails and topgaIantsas, after the style of the
Old fashioned topsail schooner. They Were
considered as rather unwieldy and unhandy
vessels for the coasting trade.
| The Magnolia. So 27-9J tons, was built il
! Bluehill in 1883, and was a regular three mast
ed fore and aft schooner. Her mizzenma>t was
| considerably shorter than the fore and main.
| She was commanded when new by Capt. VIM.
! (:) Means, and ran for year or two in the
Southern lumber and rice trade, and after
wards was principally engaged in the coastina
trade between Bluehill and other New EnglanC
| ports and New York. She was subsequently
| sold to Surry, Me-, and rugged into two mast
ed schooner in 1870, and was finally lost OF
| Newburyport Bar.
The Sch. Horse, 40 li-95 tons, built a
Bristol, Maine, in 1888 and afterwards sold tC
Boston parties, was also three masted schoon
er. She was commanded by Capt. John G
Pierce, late pilot commissioner of Boston, an,
also by a Capt. John Campbell.
The Savage, too, was ii three ma-tet
schooner. She was 179 6-95 tons, was built Al
Eden, Me-, in 1898 by Edward Brewer, wa
subsequently sold to Boston parties, and wa
commanded at different times by Capt. WIN
| Carney, Capt. Ambrose FarroW and Capt
John Campbell. She was lost in May 1910
| j. S. T..