The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1897-04-22
The Largest Schooner AfIoat.
Three of the Palmer Fleet Mt portIapd

Three of the immense four masted
schooners belonging to the Palmer fleet
reached Portland April 18th, all getting
into the harbor before daylight. One of
these vessels was the latest addition to
this fleet the Frank A. Palmer. She
brought into Portland from Louisburg the
largest cargo of coal that has ever arrived
there. She had 3, 252 tons, which is being
Grand Trunk coal sheds.
The Frank A. Palmer is a very hand
some vessel and as she lay at her dock
Wednesday afternoon she was visited by
hundreds of people who came down to
feast their eyes on the largest and most
beautiful vessel Portland has ever seen.
She is painted a lead color and her spars
are simply immense. Her spanker boom,
for example, is the lower mast of big
four master and this spar projects long
distance out over the dock. Captain
Gardiner and Mr.. Nat. Palmer, one of the
big vessel owners, were on board the
big schooner nearly all day and took pride
in showing visitors over her. The cabin
is fitted up in a palatial manner and there
are so many novel and interesting things
to be seen aboard this vessel that it would
take column or more to describe them.
This is the maiden trip of the Frank A.
Palmer, and Captain Gardiner says that
she is the easiest vessel to handle and the
fastest sailer he has ever been on board.
She had quick passage on her way from
Bath to Louisburg on his first trip on
blue water. When out IS hours from
Bath she encountered big field of ice and
was obliged to run to the south for II
hours in order to avoid it. At last Capt.
Gardiner headed for Louisburg again and
succeeded in running through the ice and
getting into that port. The vessel was
loaded on Monday, but was delayed some
time before sailing from Louisburg, being
delayed by the ice which blockadtd the
port. When she finally did get through
the ice, which she was not clear OF until
she had got below the Gut OF Canso, she
met with head winds and had a rather long
passage. The big schooner anchored in
Portland early in the morning and it took
two tow boats to put herin her dock. This
vessel carries only twelve men all told,
and this is no more than the Sarah +. Pal
mer carries. She had an unlocked tor
addition to her crew on her way down
from Louisburg in the shape of stow
away. The man was hidden away III the
hold of the vessel and did not come on
| deck until she had been at sea several
days. He was shipped as a member OF
the crew and was discharged when the
vessel reached Portland.
1t was a sort of reunion of the Palmer
fleet. for besides the Frank A. Palmer,
there was the Sarah L. Palmer and the
Augustus Palmer also in the harbor. The
former vessel, also one of the largest and
handsomest schooners atloat, sailed from
Louisburg with coal at the same time as
the Frank A. Palmer and arrived here only
an hour or two before the latter vessel.
The Sarah E. Palmer also brought in a
big cargo of coal for the Boston and
Maine.
Then there was the Augustus Palmer
which got in here at the same time as her
sister schooners, but from an entirely
different point. She was from Turks
Island and she had the biggest cargo OF
salt ever brought into Portland. Her
cargo consisted of SO, 600 bushels and was
consigned to Lord Brothers. This big
schooner, since she was last in Portland
has made a world wide record for herself
She sailed from Philadelphia for Lime
rick Island in the middle of the winter
some time and made the passage across
the Atlantic in fifteen days, the quickest
trip ever made by sailing vessel. From
Limerick she sailed for Port of Spain
Trinidad, making the trip in thirty days
and from that point she went to Turk S
Island where she loaded salt for Portland.
The trip from Turks Island to this port
was also made in remarkably fast time.