The Portland daily press., 1890-06-16
LIKE AN OLD TIME TALE OF THE SEA.
How the Schooner Augusta e.
herrIck Sailed In the Night.
A Trip From MachIasport to Boston
to Escape an officer.
Captain Scott Tells How He Ran
Away from the Marshal.

BOSTON, June 14.-Capt. j. L. Scott tells
the Evening Record most interesting tale
of the way in which he brought the we'll
known schooner Augusta E. Herrick to Bos-
ton last week from Machiasport, where she
was on the point of being attached. 1t
sounds like an old time tale of the sea, and
reminds one of the pirateering and blockade
running stories of his youth.
Not to go into the details of the case, it is
enough to say that the fine white schooner
augusta E. Herrick, in which Capt. Scott
owns large interest was wrecked in March
ON the Maine coast, and was repaired in
Machiasport, the repairs, so Capt. Scott
claims, being unauthorized by him and for
which he declined to pay.
81 heard that they were going to attach
the vessel" says Capt. Scott, land that the
u. S. marshal had left Portland for Machias-
port, on the steamer Richmond. l knew
that something had got to be done pretty
quickly"
The night on which Capt. Scott ran away
from MachiaspOrt with his schooner was
dark and there was strong breeze blowing
d ,wn the river. Late In the evening Capt.
Scott, wearing tall hat and dressed In shore
clothes, so as not to excite suspicion, walled
down to the wharf where the Herrick lay.
There were two men aboard the schooner
who had been placed In charge OF her; also
an old man and boy belonging to the crew.
When Capt. Scott and his men began to cast
off the lines which held the Herrick to the
wharf, the two keepers jumped ashore. not
Telishing a voyage to sea on dark night in
a half gale of wind. 1t was long past the
solemn hour Of midnight when the white
schooner slipped silently away from the
wharf and quickly vanished In the black
Eve hoisted the storm trysail and the fore
staysail when we started" says Capt. Scott.
sit was ticklish navigation going down the
river, for 1t was very dark, but we got along
all right until almost outside, when we
grounded on a mud bank: We dropped an
chor and employed the time in waiting for
the tide to float her in double-reefng the
foresail. In an hour she swung to her an
ch0r, and we hOisted the f0resail and went
to sea. Day had broken and in under the
land we could see the Richmond, with the
U. S, marshal aboard, bound for Machias-
port II we had had time we should have
really liked to hoist our colors and salute the
Richmond and the marshal. But we were
short handed and couldn't wait. We had a
pretty hard trip to Boston, for there were
only three of us to handle the vessel. We
had barrel of water aboard and food which
we haa been carrying aboard the vessel for
tTo or three days previous in our pockets so
as not to excite suspicion. We had last
trip to Boston. making the run In 4S hours"
The Herrick was seized by the U. S. mar
shall after her arrival in Boston harbor.
Capt. Scott has bonded his schooner and
says he will fight the case. There was ex-
citement in Machiasport on the morning
following the departure Of the Herrick.
"Where's the white schooner, where's the
white schooner" was the excited inquiry
along the water 'front.'
Capt. Scott's title is no ''play" or honorary
one. He followed the sea for many years
and was master of number of fine full
rigged ships. How valuable knowledge Of
seamanship may be on occasion to a man
who has an interest in shipping is well ex-
emplifed in the case Of the Augusta E. Her
rick when her owner turned sea captain
again for the once and took her away from
under the noses Of the Maehiasportians.