The Portland daily press., 1890-12-10
GOOD SHIPS lLL-FATED VOYAGE.
Steward clark's story OF the Loss OF
the ST. Mary.
a cowardIy British skipper Sailed
Away After Collision.
ana the Maine Vessel Struck while
Trying to Make Port.

BOSTON December 9.-The story Of the
loss Oh the new Bath shin 81
Mary on the Falkland Islands and the death
OF her captain Will be remembered. The 81.
Mary before striking on the rocks where She
finally vent to pieces had been In collision
with an unkn4yn vessel. The collision took
place on the mornfng. of August @. when the
ship was 25O miles westa2t Cape Horn. Yes
terday o. NJ. Clark Of Tenants HarbOr. Me,
the steward Of the Inflated vessel and his
wife who accompanied him on the voyage,
were iL this city. Mr.. Clark told the story
Of the collision as follows:
The ST. Mary had been going along under
small sail, for 1t had been blowing Somewhat
and the gale had not abated sufficiently 10
allow the furled sails to be set again. The
night was starlit. Suddenly, about one bell
10 Lne middle watch, the lookout on the top
gallant forecastle Of the st. Mary saw a light
on the port bow. He Immediately hailed the
quarter deck and Informed the officer Of the
deck OF his discovery. The ship came near
er ana soon the lookout could see the iron
hull and painted parts Of what was evidently
British vessel. She was evidently running
free and therefore IL was her place to look
out Tor the 81. Mary. But as she came near
er and did not offer to change her course the
lookout thought he had better hail the
IL
brought lantern and swung IL over his
head to emphasize his request to shove over
the helm aud avoid a collision.
Then the stranger heard. He threw over
Lhe tiiler and began to bear of, but it was
too late. The vessels came together and the
stranger showed her jibboom between the
main and mizzen lnasts of the st. Mary. It
broke short off. Then the vessels came TO-
gether. The st. Mary's spanker mast and
boom crashed of short, her cross-iack yard
namQ dnWO n Hoat bar unfy1 kc.
mast carried away with crash and brought
the light yards down with IL. The miZzen
chain plates were torn of and the shrouds
carried away. The main yard sprung itself
IN the middle, the after rail was brushed out
Of sight and altogether there was quite a
maze Of spars and rigging on the quarter
deck Of the st. Mary.
Then the ships tore themselves apart. The
stranger spoke 10 none OF the 81. Mary's
crew. As she drifted astern the heavy iron
anchor stock from her cat head fell on the
quarter deck Of the st. Mary, snapped OF
short. IL was the only clew 10 the British
er's Identity. She bore off without ascertain
ing to what extent the St. Mary was dam
aged and evidently did not care whether the
American sank or not.
Captain Carver, finding II impossible to
reach Valparaiso TO make repairs, ran for
the Falkland Islands. On the 10th, about 8
O'Clock. the carpenter who had taken the
place OF the second mate, who was sick in
he got on the fore-royal-yard he saw some
breakers, which fact he communicated to
the mate. who was In charge Of the deck.
The carpenter then went below, supposlng
that the mate would regulate the ships
course properly. About an hour or so after
the s.. Mary, under good sail with fair
breeze blowing, struck on the rocks. The
crew reached land all right, but the captain
fell dead from heart disease the same even
Ing, worn out by his misfortunes and the
hardships he had undergone. Steward
Clark's story puts an end to the theory per
sistently advanced In some quarters that the
ship Magellan was the one that cOlllded
with the st. Mary. The Magellan was In
the vicinity Of the Horn at the time Of the
and has since been seen dismantled
and abandoned. but she was an American
ship, black painted, and never had painted
ports. The broken anchor stock on the
deck OF the st. Navy may yet give clue to
the ship that caused so much damage, and
whose cowardly master abandoned the yes
,ol he had strurk