The Portland daily press., 1896-12-24
SAFE In PORT.
Schooner Sarah E. Palmer Arrives
Slightly Damaged.

okAsAOAJ DnAA6
Much Anxiety Was Felt For Her as she
Was at Sea in the Severe Northeast
Storm of December 16-Capt. Whitti-
er's story of IL Days Battle With Old
Ocean and Storms.
At / O'Clock yesterday afternoon, the
signal man in the Portland Observatory
notified the agents of the schooner
Sarah E. Palmer that vessel LOOKING
great deal like her, but evidently IN
badly damaged condition, had just come
to anchor off Cape Elizabeth and seemed
to he flying a signal of distress. The
man in the observatory also said that
the crow from the Cape Elizabeth life
saving station was putting out to board
the schooner which was some miles off
shore.
This news was soon cir culated about
Commercial street and along the water
front and created considerable excite
ment 1t was kown that this fine vessel
of the Palmer feet had sailed from
LouisburR December 10 with coal for the
Maine Central and that since that date
nothing had been seen or heard of her.
It was feared that the Sarah e. Pal
mer had met with some severe acuident
as she was out in the severe NORTHEASTERN
ly gale of last week and must have been
right in the thick of it.
3 The revenue GUTTER Woodbury. had just
s,,ta +bo hor hor ,fco
to tho eastward when the Observatory
man sighted the four-master off the
Cape, and the cutters captain, as soon
az he could get coal on board, started out
to the aid of the vessel. The Woodbury.
was accompanied by two tow boats. the
Demarest and Belknap and the YES
sells taking the big four master in tow
headed for the harbor. 1t was a long,
hard pull before the vessel was safely
at anchor within the breaxwater and
Capt. Whittier. the master of the vessel
was at liberty to come on shore on the
tug Demarest.
At little after 2 O'Clock the Dema-
rest hauled up along side Custom
house wharf and Capt. Whittier and
Capt. Trundy and his life saving crew
stepped ashore. The skipper of the Sarah
e. Palmer which has been knocking
about, the plaything oflthe Atlantic for
II days, was in a. great. rush to telegraph
the news of her safe arrival to the own
ers of his vessel, but hastily told his story
of hardship, constant gales and rough
weather to PRESS reporter.
Capt. Whittier said that he left Louis
burg with 1900 tons of coal on the morn
Ing Of Tuesday, Decent Der IS. That
night the wind swung around to north
northeast and began to blow great guns.
1t was terribly cold and to make the
night still more uncomfortable there
was severe storm of snow and sleet.
For 3G hours the Sarah e. Palmer lay to
off the LIE Have banks and rode out the
gale. The sea was very heavy and al
most every roller broke over the gallant
vessels decks which were soon 90 vered
with ice. Her crew were lashed to the
rail and suffered greatly from the cold.
On Wednesday big roller boarded the
vessel and smashed both Of the boats. |
carried5 away, but no other damage was
suffered.
The storm having blown itself out, |
jury rigging was set mp and the Palmer
was headed for Portland again. She
rounded Cape Sable in safety, but soon
afterwards encountered another gale !
which lasted for "a hours and blew the
vessel off her course.
Then cane several days of calm and for
two days the vessel lay becalmed about
so miles off PortlaDd. Yesterday morn
ing she succeeded in getting In within a
mile or two OF Cape Elizabeth and was
then picked up by the tow boats and the
Woodbury..
Capt. Whittier said it was one of the
toughest passages he ever experienced
and he considered himself very lucky in |
coming out Of it SO we'll as he did. The
magnificent schooner did not start a |
seam or leak stroke an hour, and she
passed through what to most vessels |
would have been a fatal storm.