The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-11-21
DRIFTED INTO DARKNESS.
Why the Edith NJ. Pryor Flew Her
Flag at Half Mast.
SIX FISHERMEN ADRIFT IN FRI
DAY NIGHTS TEMPEST.

Two OF Them Were From Ma1ne-houEn
Experience of Two observation-disclosures,
Who Landed Ragged Island--A
Deaf Mute and a Landsman.
The Gloucester fishing schooner Edith
NJ. Pryor, Captain Elroy commanding,
came into this port yesterday forenoon
with her flag flying at half mast, and
bearing sad story of what promises to
turn out a tragedy of the sea. The flag
was flying for the lost of six of the
Pryor's crew, who we're loss in the heavy
gales and rain storm of last Friday.
The names of the lost men are William
Delano, of Waldoboro, Me-, Amos Sim
mons, of Bremen, Me-, Martin Butler, of
Marblehead, Mass, Jos. Hanlon of Back
Bay, N. b., William Goodwin and David
Morrow, of Pubnico, N. S. The Pryor
has been fishing about twenty miles
off Matinicus Island, this coast. They
have been using travis, the crew going
out in their dories to take the fish off the
travis after the usual manner. 1t began
to be thick weather Thursday, but the
Pryor continued her fishing, Friday
forenoon she had her travis out and five
dorries, with two men in each were out
tending them. In the afternoon the gale
began to be dangerous, and the captain
sailed down the line of the travis to take
the fish from the dories and enable the
men to prepare to make things snug.
The two men in one of the dories seemed
to have had judgment enough to appreci-
ate what was coming, for they hastily
hauled in their travis and got aboard the
schooner. The others stopped to Olsen
tangle and arrange the travis. Here
they made their great mistake. For
about four O'Clock p M, before they had
got to the schooner, the storm shut down
dark and angry, and the crew on the
schooner lost sight of the dories which
| drifted off into the darkness. There
were four dories with eight men-the
six already named and Patrick Bowden
and Jack Daily, both of Newfoundland,
who were in the fourth dory. The
schooner made. every effort to find the
dories. She cruised around nearly all
Friday night, blowing horns. and making
every effort to find the missing ones, but
it was of no avail. The dories had drift
ed away before the southeast gale and
could not be found.
That dory containing DAILY and Bowden,
the two Observation-Disclosures, drifted with
rest. The night came on swiftly and
with it tempest. The rain fell in sheets,
while the wind blew furiously, the
poor sailors had not a scrap of food or
drink in their dories, nor a compass to
guide them, or even thick clothes; for it
is part of the improvidence of fishermen
to provide for no contingencies when
they go out in their dories. Along to-
wards midnight the two Newfoundland
ers lost sight of their companions, and
thereafter drifted alone. They were cold
and wet, and able to keep afoat only by
the best seamanship. At about O. clock
in the morning they were cheered by the
sight of a light, which turned out to be
Matinicus. A little while after land APP
peared, and they were able to drag their
stiff bodies onto Ragged Island, near
Matinicus.
There the schooner found them. OF
the rest of the fishermen no traces have
been found. The captain has hopes, how
ever, that most of them may be found all
right. He fears the worst, however, for
Simmons and Delano. The former is a
deaf mute, and the latter was little &C
quainted with the management of boat.
All the men were young and unmar-
ried.
Lost From the Marion.