The Portland daily press., 1890-03-15
How a Vessel Was Cot off Cape Cod
in the oIden Time.
Ship Built for the Spanish Govern
ment at Free ort.
IHon. William Goold. I

but his residence and ship-yard were at
Stroudwater. In his time at Stroudwater
was the nearest tidewater to which lumber
could be drawn to be shipped or RATED from
all the mills on the Presumpscot from Congin
to the lake, and also from the mills on the
Saco in Buxton and Standish. This made
Stroudwater and Portland the largest lum-
Der market in Maine at that time. Gordon
employed great number Of men in his
business. His own crews took the logs from
the stump, drove" them down the river to
Saccarappa, where he owned two double
sawmills which manufactured them into
boards and plank, which were drawn by OK
teams to Stroudwater. The roads were so
bad that the lumber was mostly RATED to the
docks in Portland. There were then no
steam tugs to take vessels up and down
narrow channel. The vessels built at Stroud
water like all in the same business, had
lumber ports" below the deck to facilitate
the taking in of the cargo. When loaded
these vessels were sent to the best market
for the sale of ship and cargo. Vessels GO
ing to sea in the winter were exposed to
greater dangers than they now are. The
standing rigging was OF new hemp cOrdage,
often put on with the mercury below zero;
of course it could not be properly "Set up"
Tho first object after getting clear of the
land was to get into the Gulf-stream where
the ice thawed off and the rigid shrouds
were softened and set up into place. The
pliable MANILA rope was then unknown.
RUNNING, rigging was of tarred hemp rope
which cold and ice rendered almost unman-
ageable. Shortening sail in case of a squat
was difficult operation. If the ground
tackle was wanted TO prevent going ashore,
the unyielding hemp cable required great
labor and much time to get it out aud make
it serviceable.
Cape Cod was the dread of the mariner
who left an eastern pert in winter Nearly
every day as now, there was either north
ern and western gale or a snow storm. If
the ships's sails and rigging were new and
would stand the strain, to carry sail, she
might perhaps weather the Cape if 1t cOald
be seen; but old sails were soon blown to
ribbons and the fated ship must SO into the
breakers, without the life-saving stations
with all the ingenious appliances that man is
capable Of for saving life, which are now
found all along the bleak cape shore.
The wreck of the three Salem ships named
below might probably have been prevented
had the present weather observations been
then in use.
l quote the following account verbatim
from Felt's "AnnalS of Salem, vol H., page
313:
"1SO2, Feb. q (Which was Sunday. The ships
Ulysses, Captain James Cook; Brutus, Captain
William Brown, owned by the Messrs. Crownin-
shield; and the VOlucia, Captain Samuel Cook,
belonging to Israel Williams and others, sailed
weather was remarkably pleasant for the season,
IN a few hours severe storm commenced. After
est forced them, the next day. upon its perilOus
shore. The NOlucia struck in the forenoon and
the other two IN the evening. The most sad of all
in this catastrophe was the loss of life in the BTu
tus; one hand was killed by the foreyard prior to
the ships striking, another drowned while at
tempting to reach the shore: and the commander,
-wfFKs7xs fsSH SefisEed WE TIE cold after they
had landed, while anxiously seeking some shelter
for their wet chilled and exhausted bodies.
nnntQ nfnE Af
chester who for thirty-six hours remained
buried in sand and snow. Entirely sensible of
passing near him. but was too Weak TO make
them hear. By holding up his hand through the
snow, he was discovered by boy and immedi-
ately removed to warm room; but he soon died.
The writer has VIVID impression Of the gloom
which rested upon the cogntenances Of our popu
ton. as they cOnYersed about the first tidings of
so melancholy shpwreck."
The Salem Gazette for March 8, 1902 (Which
may be found at the Boston Athenaum), gives
particulars of the loss of these ships, in letter
from Captain S. Cook of the Volucia (brother of
Captain Cook ofthe Ulysses) and says, ut doesn't
appear that any OF the hands, either of the Ulysses
or Volucia, have suffered material injury"
of the crew Of the Bruins five survived; the
captain, second officer, and eight others persisted
(the Gazette gives the list OF names).
The same paper for March 0, 1902, has a very
full and graphic, but melancholy story of the dis
aster in letter from Mr.. Blair an officer on the
Ulysses
l have described at some length the for
mer dangers to navigation between Cape
Elizabeth and Cape Cod. preliminary to a
description of the stranding of one of Mr..
Gordon's lumber laden vessels and the sub
sequent floating of her by her ingenious
owner. received it from Mr., Gordon him.
self while fellow boarder with him more
than fifty years ago.
A man of fertile genius has by nature
great readiness of invention, and his re.
sources of thought and readiness of applica-
ton which enable him to think and act to
effect. Such were the natural talent and
gift of Mr. Gordon. One of his lumber laden
vessels was driven on to the sands of Cape
Cod under similar circumstances as were the
Salem ships. The gale and tide drove the
ship so high up the sandy beach that the
receding tide left her high and dry and I'M
damaged where no subsequent tide reached
her. The captain and crew stayed by the
ship until the arrival of the owner, who had
been written TO of the disaster.
1t was found that the vessel was tight and
the cargo was in place. Gordon was not
long in coming to a conclusion as to the best
disposition of the vessel. She was not in
sured which left him at liberty to act as he
pleased He directed the captain to dis
charge the cargo of boards and planks while
the owner came to Portland in small YES
sci for the necessary cordage, anchors, and
el afloat again. When Gordon returned
with his powerful purchases and heavy
anchors, he found the cargo piled on the
beach. the first move was to drop his heavy
anchors overheard with cable attached, a
long distance from the vessel. With extra
men whom Gordon brought from Portland,
he set to work TO dig two trenches in the
hard beach to allow of building two immense
wheels of plank and boards round the
vessel in the same manner as carpenters
build wooden drums or pulleys round shaft
for belts to run on. OF course it required
good engineering to ave the center OF the
wheels in the proper place to balance the
great weight, and these wheels must have
great width and strength. | forgot to men
ton that among the cargo was quantity OF
wooden trenailS for fastening vessels.
These helped to strengthen the wheels.
The masts and all movable things were
taken out of the vessel capstOns in frames,
with long wooden bars were secured t. each
end of the vessel. Between these and the
cables of the sunken anchors, cables were
passed round the ship; the most powerful
tackles were rugged, with falls taken to the
capstans. When all was ready there was no
lack of help The novel sight OF snip on
wheels dew people from all parts Of the
Cape.
Gordon was IN his glory, and amply
qualified to manage his crew. At the word
the capstans went round-tackle blocks
creaked-sOme ropes parted but the end was,
the vessel was "parbuckled" off as easy as
a drayman with his forward horse takes
heavy hogshead up the skids from a cellar.
of course canal was dug to float the ship
to deep water. The wheels were removed
III low llu6l Ill6 UldSlS anu Lu6 CdIBO put lis
though the latter was some what damaged;
and the ship made her intended voyage.
There were no photographers then, but
Gordon who was good draughtsman, made
a drawing of the stranded ship and the APP
pliances for moving her. which was long
exhibited in Boston Insurance-Oflice.
Seward Porter another Portland merchant,
a member of the firm of 5. Il S. Porter, who
had been ship captain himself; the same
who brought the first steamboat TO Portland,
was fast friend Of Mr.. Gordon, aud an ad-
mirer of his genius. BY the invitation of
Gordon he went to Cape Cod to advise about
the floating of the stranded ship. Not far
from Gordon's vessel was the fine ship Bal
tic; think NewburypOrt vessel which had
gone ashore in the same gale. The agent of
the underwriters had taken out her cargo
and offered the ship at auction. Encouraged
by Gordon's success with his wheels and
| canal Porter bought the Baltic at auction
beacb s S so que ys @sS os ana 20 Iar up tne
larger. With GordOn's help and that of his