Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-08-19
IF Unusually Horrible De-
tails Disclosed.
Appears to Be a Duplicate Of the
Fuller Affair.
Two Maine Officers Murdered 1t Sea and
Ship Burned.

Whitman and Mate William Hansburg.
of the schooner, had been murdered at
sea by the crew and the vessel burned.
The other members of the crew es-
capped to Bahia.
The message was from a banking
firm in Buenos Ayres whittier the vessel
was bound. and gave only meagre news
of the affair. From the Information at
hand, however. the tragedy seems to
be almost the outcome of the butchery
which occurred on board the barken-
tine Herbert Fuller a year ago. when
Capt. Nash and his wife and Second
Mate Bamberg of the Fuller were MUIR
dered. J. p. EllicOtt & Company Of this
city. the principal owners OF the Olive
Pecker, sent out the barkentine Her.
bert Fuller with cargo of lumber for
Buenos Ayres.
The schooner sailed from this port on
June q. She was a staunch three
| masted vessel and had on board a car
go consisting of G77.sSs feet OF pine and
$1,000 feet of spruce lumber. Captain j.
w. Whitman Of Rockland, Me-, was in
command and he had crew of seven
men. They were William Hansburgh,
first mate; VIM. Mitchell. second mate;
Peter Thompson, steward. and Andrew
Marcn. Manuel Barial, John Lind and
VIM. Saunders. seamen.
Hansburgh came from Maine. He was
% years of age. Mitchells age is 80 on
the shipping register and he is entered
as a native of France. Thompson is a
Dane of 43 years. March an English
man of 36, Barial a Spaniard of 33, Lind
| a Swede of q, and Saunders a Nova
Scotian of 46.
| AS far as information received by the
owners of the schooner is concerned
the vessel was making good progress
on her course. and must have been be-
tween 40 and so days out when the MUIR
derous event Of which they were ad-
vised today, occurred. This would
bring the Pecker well along towards
her destination.
The opinion is borne out by the news
that the crew landed at Bahia or, as
the owners believe, rahia Blame. which
is about 20 miles north of Buenos
Ayres.
As to the acutal occurrence of the
tragedy today's advices give no further
information than which has already
been stated. From the meagre details,
however, the owners form the theory
that the crew mutinied and killed the
captain and first officer and seized the
schooner.
Hansburgh, the mate, was not known
either to the captain of the Pecker nor
to the owners, as he was shipped the
day before the vessel left this port He
was engaged to fill the place left va
cant by the discharge of the man who
formerly occupied the position, who
was dismissed by Capt. Whitman for
inattentiOn to duty.
Whether the mate proved obnoxious
to the crew. and thus provoked the
trouble, or whether his relations with
the captain were responsible for it, is
a matter of conjecture with those inter-
ested in the matter here.
The owners of the schooner on re-
ceiving the news from Buen6s Ayres at
once set on foot inquiries which, it is
hoped, will soon give them the full
story of the affair. It is believed that
the members of the crew may be even
now in the custody of the United States
consul at Bahia. who would naturally
assume charge of the shipwrecked men
on their arrival there.
The cargo carried by the unfortunate
vessel was shipped by the Export Lum-
Der Company. They decline to put a
valuation on it, and it is thought that
it is fully insured.
The Olive Pecker was fine three
masted vessel Of 1872 tons net She was
built at Belfast, Me-. in 1889, by George
A. Gilchrist. The captain held a large
interest in her. She was 1866 feet long.
breadth of beam, 37.2 feet, and depth
of hold, 1873 feet. The valuation Of the
vessel is placed at $4,000, upon which
there is partial insurance.
Captain Whitman is spoken of in the
highest terms by the owners of the ves-
sci. He is well known in this city as a
most capable navigator. and has been
in command Of the Pecker for the past
two years.
AS soon as the affair was known here
1t was the one topic OF discussion along |
the water front, several men who have
to do with seafaring matters, began to
recall rumors of trouble between Capt.
Whitman and Second Mate Mitchell,
before the schooner sailed.
Ine story told at the time OF the |
Olive Pecker's sailing. and reported, to-
day, is that during the week or so that |
the schooner was lOading, after he had |
signed Mitchell, became uneasy, and |
decided he did not want to make the
voyage. Captain Whitman did not |
want to be delayed by getting new |
man, and it is said that finally, when
the vessel was lying in the stream.
almost ready to be towed out, Mitchell, I
who as second mate, acted as engineer
OF the donkey engine and in hoistiny
anchor, ETC., disabled the engine think
ing that this would result in getting =
new man and his release.
As this necessftated a delay, It is I
said that Capt. Whitman would not let I
him go. but got the engine repaired,
hoisted the anchor and sailed with the
man on board.
Continued on page 81