The Portland daily press., 1896-03-12
PERHAPS A MAINE VESSEL.
The sunken Four Master Off Chatham

U. S. Inspector Theodore Mcmahon
working under the authority of the u.
). engineers office at Newport r. T., in
the destru ction of sunken wrecks in the
neighborhood Of Chatham Mass, was
able to get out Tuesday and complete the
destruction of the sunken schooner Frank
Magee which has been lying in the slue
channel since last fall.
He returned to town Tuesday evening,
and in conversation with reporter said
81 After completing work on the Magee we
ran across to the sunken four-master.
When l left here this morning it was
my intention to go down and take off
the quarter board of the unfortunate
vessel and bring her name to light thus
relieving the anxiety of those who fear
it may be some vessel in which they are
interested. But arriving there we found
such mass OF material floating in the
water, covering about an acre of surface,
that as the currents run so strong at
that point it was too dangerous an ex-
pertinent to dive among it, until it has
been broken away entirely from the hull
and drifted off. The four masts were
floating heel up, with sails and rigging
attached, and the latter securely held to
the hull on the bottom, the masts having
come out of her. 1t may help consider
ably in her Identification to know that
she has made masts; that is, not solid
Oregon pine sticks, but masts built of
several sticks fastened solidly together
They we're very bright. as if nearly new,
or else very we'll cared for. Being un-
able, under the circumstances, to learn
we stood over across the chan
mel toward what looked at distance to
be buoy, but getting near it one OF the
crew on the lookout exclaimed, 'sThat's
not a buoy; it's the broken stern post
sticking up from another vessel, bottom
proved, as upon getting nearer. we found
a big derelict, bottom up, apparently
caught by her spars on the 15-foot lump,
about three-guarters Of mile northeast
by north from Pollock rip lightship. Her
stern was considerably damaged, the keel
and Shedding being almost entirely knocked
off aft. She appeared to be about 100 to
$50 feet in length, and perhaps 40 feet
beam, quite large vessel, and center
board craft. should judge her to be
perhaps from 1900 to 1900 tons burden.
None of us could do anything but guess
as to how she came there, or when and
where she met her doom, but she was
floating so low in the water that she has
PROBABLY not been observed by any pass
ing vessels today, as with the prevail ling
passing quite distance to the eastward.
I feel, however, that she is an extremely
dangerous derelict, as she appeared to
move with the current somewhat, and if
the tide takes her out q short distance in
to The channel it will be miraculous if
she is not struck in the darkness by some
steamer leaving Boston just before night.
She is so large that If she gets strung out
across the slue channel she will be even
more of a menace to coastwise shipping
than was Vanderbilt's yacht, SO all YES
sells should be wal ned Of the existence of
this new danger which confronts them il
they attempt to pass over the shoals after
dark. 1t looks like another sea tragedy,
but possibly her crew may lhave escaped
somehow when she capsized, and may yet
be heard from, if they have been picked
up by some other vessel"
Capt. Henry G. Berry of West Harwick
was in Chatham to look mp reporter,
to get as good description as possible
of the schooner seen at anchor in the siue
last Tuesday at sunset. He owns the
four nasted schooner Jonathan Bourne,
and says his vessel left Portland with q
cargo of ice Monday afternoon bound to
New York, and would be due off here
Tuesday. He has very grave fears it may
be the Bourne, and is anxiously awaiting
some news.
Bramhall Lodge No. 8 Knights Of