The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-25
ASHORE ON THE ROCKS.
An Ancient and Noted Schooner
Wrecked.
SCHOONER JULIA BAKER RUNS ON
MAXWELL'S POINT.

How Captain Harding Saved Himself and
Crew-The Baker is Loaded With
Brimstone-Her Career in Southern
Seas,
Yesterdays hurricane brought with it
wreck on the farther portion of Cape
Elizabeth. A combination of lucky cir
cumstances prevented any loss of life,
but heavily laden schooner was LETT
thrashing on the Lodges, with fair pros
pect that she might be dashed to pieces
before morning. All yesterday morning
heavy fog shrouded the extremity Of
Cape Elizabeth. Objects few feet
from one of the lighthouses or the life
saving station were absolutely invisible,
and to make the water still more unsafe
heavy sea was running, bombarding
the shore with a tremendous roar that
drowned even the stentorian tones of the
fog horn. 1T was one of the worst seas
that we ever see here, and very bad for
this season of the year. said Captain
Trundy, of the life saving station, last
evening, in speaking of the wreck.
About 9 o'clock in the forenoon, the
ancient, but somewhat famous, two
masted schooner, Julia Baker was round
ing the point of the Cape. She is a
Bucksport vessel, of 1OS tons, and was
bound from Boston to Bangor, with
cargo of birthstone done up in bags, and
lie, iv,t I,o
eastern part of the state. Captain Frank
E. Harding of Bucksport was in COM
mand, and had with him crew Of three
men. The hurricane had grown SO Sc
we're and the sea was SO tempestuous that
he was seeking Portland harbor with all
the sail that the schooner could stand.
The fog was SO thick that he could not
see a ships length ahead, and the umult
great as to drown the voice of the big
fog horn near the life saving station. At
any rate, Captain Harding did not hear
it, and unwittlngly ran too near one OF
the worst pieces of coast in the known
world. He was just off Maxwell's Point
at the very tip of the Cape, and almost
within hailing distance of the life saving
station, when the schooner struck with
such violende as to throw the crew head
long. Captain Harding seems to have
lost no time in compromising the situa-
ton. In the awful sea, in that exposed
position, he knew that his vessel could
live but a short time. He ordered the
yawl boat to be launched at once. 1t
was very difficult and dangerous job in
the heavy sea that was running, but it
was finally effected safely. The yawl
then endeavored to get out of the dan
gerous locality as fast as possible. 1t
was out of the question to attempt to
land on that portion of the Cape, and
difficult as it was to manage the little
boat in the heavy sea, Captain Harding
headed her along the shore, in the hope
of finding place where it would be safe
to land through the surf. Such a place
he found at Broad Cove, which is situat-
ed between Pond Cove and the Two
Lights. 5f@
AS soon as the dripping and nearly ex-
hausted sailors were ashore, they started
for the life saving station, where they
were Hospitality received by Captain
Trundy. Although the wreck had hap
pened so near, the fog had prevented
Captain Trundy or any one at the lights
from seeing the.wreck, but as soon as
notified Captain Trundy fastened to, sum-
mon as many Of his crew as possible.
The crews are not regularly on duty until
the first of September, SO they had to be
sent for. Three responded quite promptly
and Captain Trundy began work to
save as much as possible of the cargo,
and the schooner if possible.
Fortune at this point seemed to favor
the schooner. The tide was rising fast
and soon floated her clear of the jagged
rocks of Maxwelrs cove. She then drove
stern foremost int the little cove formed
by the point of rocks. In the cove she
settled down between two large rocks,
| and SO near the shore that a biscuit could
| be tossed onto her quarterback. The
tide subsidized again, leaving her in fairly
easy position. and with her cargo not
damaged by water. Captain Trundy and
his men at once went aboard and furled
all the sails that were flying in the wind,
got one of the anchors ashore and ran a
| stout cable to secure the vessel should
she show any tendency to float off at the
high tide of the night. There was no
probability of that, however; but if the
wind should continue southeast and not
get too far around towards the east dur
ing the night, there was prospect that
the schooner might hold together. In
deed, there is some prospect that she
may be gotten off if she does not go to
pieces in this storm and if the cargo can
| be removed in time.
| A large number of Cape people arrived
on the scene soon after the wreck was re-
| ILL., ;Y+o QbafnG