The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-07-13
THE CUSTOM HOUSE BARGE OFFICE.
Where 1t Is and What the Officials
DO There.
The Monotony Of office Duty occa-
slonalIy Broken
BY the Arrival of a Vessel Venerable
Because Of Its Age.

"Here comes a furiner. II may be a
ship, schooner, bark or brig of some foreign
nation and from foreign port, or it may be
an American vessel from foreign port in
either case the entrance of vessel into the
harbor ELECTS an exclamation similar to the
one recorded from some member of the barge
office crew who from sunrise to sunset. day
In and day out, Sundays and holidays in
cluded, keep an eye on the "roads" through
which vessels enter the harbor to detect the
approach of vessels from foreign port. A
position in this department of the custom
house service Is not by any means the most
desirable ol any of an equal importance.
The days work averages long one. Then
1t Is not altogether pleasant on a clustering,
mid-winter day when the mercury stands at
zero or lower to launch the barge office boat
and row down the harbor in tumultuous
sea to some icy foreign vessel, Nevertheless
vessels from foreign port entering the har-
Dor on such a day must be boarded as we'll
as those that come in serene, midsummer
day when the duty of the barge office Off
cials is not altogether an unpleasant one.
The barge office crew consists of two boat
men and boating officer. Mr.. Harry E.
Wilson, n competent official Is the boating
officer, and Capt. Francis E, Cummings, for
many years master of some of the best sail
ing vessels, and Edward p. Pickett who
has also been many voyages III sea, are the
boatmen. The barge Office is situated in the
second story Of the building at the extreme
end of Custom HouseWharf From it a splen
did nff ba ho ria IL Obi oiu nj hx,
means Of the telescope which is in constant
use, vessels name and nationality are de-
tected even before she passes inside the break
water. When a vessel from a foreign land
bound to this port arrives, the barge officers
launch their boat aud with the revenue flag
in the stern row to the foreigner. The boat
ing officer goes aboard the vessel, takes a
copy Of the manifest after comparing it with
the original, the copy to be taken to the
custom house, and locks and seals all the
matches that none Of the ships cargo may be
taken out and struggled ashore before the
custom house inspectors have taken ac-
count of the cargo. When the vessel Is
locked to be unloaded, custom house in
spector or inspectors open the matches and
take account Of the cargo as it is unloaded
that the duty on the imported goods may be
justly levied If the inspector leaves the
vessel at night before the cargo is wholly
unloaded he seals up the matches for the
night to prevent the unloading of the vessel
in his absence. Some days the barge officers
have 10 board a number of vessels in day,
and occasionally they do not launch their boat
from sunrise to sunset. Everything that
TRANSMIT In rl,n Fo
that reason the barge office has always been
afavorite resort for newspaper reporters.
1t is dull day indeed when the tireless
news gatherers fails to get an 'item"
at the barge Office. If it isn't
one thing it is another, although the
news may not be of very great Importance.
Sometimes vessel that by reason of its old
age is worthy of mention seeks the shelter
OF our superb harbor. 1t was only the other
day that the schooner Wellfleet, that is older
than many veteran of the civil war, was
discovered by the keen eye of the captain at
the barge office. This old vessel is IS feet
long, 16 wide, 6 deep, has gross tonnage of
80 10 and although ''little one" has been
stemming the tide ever since the year 1929.
She is fishermen and In her day has doubt
less carried fish enough to feed the entire
populace of Portland for many day. She
was built at Newbnryport and now belongs
in Friendship, Maine 1t is seldom so old
vessel visits this port, for there are really
not many so old and only few older among
the merchant sailing vessels Of the United
States, One Of. the oldest United States
merchant sailing vessels now on the list of
merchant vessels is the good ship Milton,
named perhaps In honor of the immortal
poet, or more likely after the Massachusetts
town in which she was built In the year 1915.
She is ITO feet long and 1913 tons burden. The
Milton no " belongs in New Bedford. Mass.
The old bark Hercules was built in New
York City in 1916, and her home port is now
New Bedford, Mass. This vessel is 1926
feet long and 3l1.37 tons burden. Then
there Is the schooner Harriet, of Castine. a
venerable craft il age is worthy of venera-
ton. This good old timer was built at Wells
in 1918 and is only 2i.84 tons burden, and
526 feet long. Many sailors who have faced
the stern Atlantic in this good old craft have
long since gone to their account Many an
interesting Renaissance of old sea going
The Polly is probably the oldest vessel in
active service that flies the American flag.
Built in Amesbury, Mass, in 1904, she Is IS
years old. Was rebuilt in 1914. but still such
was the good condition of her timbers and
wood that large part was put back, and her
model Is the same today as when first
launched.
During the war of 1872, rugged as topsail
schooner, carrying four small guns and one
long 80, she did good service as a privateer,
capturing several prizes, which were taken
into Salem. She was captured by the Eug-
lish man-of-war Newcastle, prize crew put
on board with some of the original crew and
started for Halifax, N. S. The Americans
on board recaptured her and put into Port
land, Me-, where the British prize crew
were imprisoned till the close of the war.
She has been employed in the fishing bust
trade. DnrinG her long life she has never
been wrecked, but has several times been
run into, and IN every case the fault has
been with the other party. Her
sailing qualities are excellent, and Capt.
Snow says with pardonable pride that it
arrived at Provincetown, Mass, Thursday
The sloop Addison is another of the old
timers that still floats. She is 70 feet long
and 91.76 tons burden. The Addison was
village of Coxsackie, New York, and now now
sails from New York city.
The bark Falcon will rank among these in
esting old ones. She is 1905 feet long and
2S5.59 tons burden. She was built at Med
ford, Mass, in 1917 and her home port is
New Bedford in the same State.
The bark Coral of 361. 81 tons burden, was
built at Newbury, Mass, in 1919. Since that
time the Coral has visited many ports in
many lands and now sails from San Francis
co, her home port. There is always some
thing Interesting about these old vessels and
it is the occasional visit to our port of one
OF them that now and then breaks the mo-
notony of life at the United States custom
house barge Office