The Portland daily press., 1890-01-04
ABANDONED TO THE WAVES and FLAMES
story of the Loss Of the Big Four
Master Mile Bovine.
Towering Spars- Snapped Like Pipe
Stems in the hurricane.
a Steamer Seen Bottom Up Off the
Pacific Coast.

New YORK, January 3.-A Norfolk. Va,
despatch to to the New York Times tells the
story of the loss of the big four masted
schooner Millie G.. Bovine. The account
follows;
The Millie G. Browne was four-masted
schooner of 1906 tons register, and was one
of the three largest schooners afloat She
was built at Camden, Me-. and was launched
October 26, 1889, and the event was made the
theme at the time Of long newspaper stories
which were based ON her size and the hand
some style in which she was fitted mp. She
had steam hoisting apparatus and was heat
ed throughout with steam. She was more
like yacht built for pleasure party than
for carrying purposes, though she was built
In the strongest manner possible. She was
built for fast sailing, and the short time dur
ing which she was out showed that her de-
signers had not been at fault in this part OF
her construction.
Her voyage. while not a short one, was
not successful one, and the experience of
those who were on board was such as to
make them wish that the trip had not been
confined to so small portion of the vast
ocean. Her captain was Sidney A. Ellis, q
young but experienced seaman, and the yes
was bound from Boston to Montevideo with
cargo composed OF $4,000 feet of pine lum-
Der, 800 barrels OF cement, 800 barrels of
resin, 5000 cases of kerosene oil, and 100
cases of shoe backing.
The Bovine left the Mystic wharf in Bos-
ton Saturday afternoon, December Z, and
rounded Cape Cod the next day. Everything
went as smooth as could be wished unlil 2
o'clock on the morning of the 18th, when In
longitude 5So, latitude 1872, she was struck by
a southwest gale which continued with in
creasing force for four days. The seas were
high and angry and broke clear over the
schooner. Saturday. the 14th, all Of her sails
were carried away, First, in hauling down
the spanker the topping lift gave way, and
the gaff and boom crushed in the large boat.
The main gaff then broke and the mainsail
split to pieces. The mizzensail was hauled
and the foresail single reefed, and with sim
gle-reefed f0resail and fOreStaysail an at
tempt was made to run her before the wind
and seas.
Two men were stationed at the wheel, but
the quarterlng seas struck the rudder, knock
ed II out of their hands, and one of the men,
Frenchman named Charlie Brown, was
caught under the wheel, and while it was
flying round five Of the spokes were broken
out by coming in contact with his body.
With the exception of few bruises, how
ever, he escaped unhurt, none of his bones
being fractured. With this exception no one
else was hurt. This was at $50 Thursday
afternoon, the 18th.
The vessel at this point became unmanage-
able and dropped into the trough of the sea.
The lashing plank of the forward deckload
broke loose and the wind blew the planks
through the foresail of No. canvas, causing
It to be split into shreds from top to bottom.
The captain hauled down the forestaysail
and set the Spanker, also a storm trysail on
the mainmast, thinking thus to bring her
head to the wind and sea, but this failed, as
did an attempt to make a drag of an eight
inch hawser, of which 40 fathoms were run
out with spars and broken sails attached.
This imprOvised drag was then cut loose and
the spanker and storm trysail were hauled
down and 100 fath0ms of 9.inch hawser
were run out over the stern and the forestay-
sail set in vain endeavor to set her off be-
fore the sea and wind.
Every resource had been tried, and still
the Staunch vessel lay helpless in the trough
OF the sea. Kerosene oil from the cargo, In
perforated cans and bags was tried to keep
the raging seas from breaking over her, but
SO strong was the wind that the oil was
blown from the surface Of the water as fast
as 1t was put overheard. Sunday, the 18th,
the wind Increased to hurricane, and blew
somewhere near the rate of so miles an hour.
AT . 40 that afternoon the spanker-mast was
blown off 40 feet from the deck, and in a
short time the miZZenmast went by the
board, about the same distance up. The
mainmast was the next to go, and it went
hush with the deck, and mast and wreck fell
against the foremast, which. in very short
time, under the additional weight of this in
cumbrance, succumbed to the terrific gale
which was blowing, leaving only six feet
standing above the deck, and carrying the
iibboom with it.
The fall of the mast added noise like
thunder to the terror of the time The rail
OF the schooner was broken In many places
by the fall, and the waters were washing
clean over the vessel She was a perfect
wreck, and the handsome cabins, which
were furnished with Brussels carpets, tasty
tapestries, and comfortable with uphoi-
stored chairs and lounges, were waist deep
with water, which had forced its way
through the eompanionway and had reduced
everything to an almost unrecognizable ruin.
The cabin doors were stove in by the force
of the waters, and the galley was flooded
and useless.
On Monday, as if in mockery of the dam
age which had been done, the day was as
bright and balmy as any day in April, though
the angry seas had not subsided. Work was
at once begun clearing away the wreck of
vessel and cargo from the decks. The
schooner still lay in the trough of the soa,
and was rolling terribly. On Tuesday, the
18th, by hard work on the part of the crew
and passengers, everything was gotten off
the deck. Nothing else remained TO do, and
from that time on TO the day on which they
We're rescued by the West Cumberland, the
only work done was to try to get something
to eat.
The vessel was fired that she might not
become danger to other ships. The flames