The Portland daily press., 1897-01-22

the first time this season, and the i'm.
sad sound. 1t ceased raining about three
O'Clock, but 1t continued to drizale q
little until the night settled down and
grew colder.
All of this time there was plenty of en-
ioyInent along the water front. During
the early forenoon the sea In the harbor
was choppy and very ugly looking. AT
ten o'clock the sea begsn to break over
the breakwat for it's entire length. This
is the first time this has been known TO
happen for many years. Mart Sargent,
the veteran steam boat man Of the Casoo
Bay line said that he hadn't seen 1t SO
rough In the harbor for eleven years as IL
was yesterday, and many other people
had about the same story to tell. On the
water front the "oldest" was everywhere
in evidence and for the first time in
months he found plenty of people to
listen to him. Tt was high tide about
10. 80 O'Clock and at this time the greatest
amount of danger was done along the
wharves. The harbor swell and under
tow were something frightful to see, and
il the like has ever been known here, the
man who could remem Der it hadn't been
found at the hour of going to press.
Vessels m oored alongside the docks
plunged and pitched about as II they
were at sea and about two o'clock it be-
came so bad that many schooners had to
haul out into the stream to save them
selves from pounding the docks to pieces.
The greatest damage that was suffered
anywhere occurred at the end of Port
land Pier, where the United States Barge
office is situated. The schooner City of
Augusta was lying alongside this wharf
discharging coal, and her crew had all
they could attend to in keeping the vessel
from smashing her sides in against the
wharf. Every time big sea came in this
schooner would buoy up against the
spiling and shake the whole dock from
end to end. The buildings on the wharf
shook aud strained under the blows of
the schooner, and at last the brick ohm
ney on tho top Of the barge office went by
the board and was complete wreck.
The skipper of the City of Augusta saw
smash his vessel and SO he was towed out
into the stream by tug boat. But even
with this great relief Portland Pier con-
tinued to feel the effects of the heavy
undertow until the tide went down and
many spiles and timbers were broken off
o. lrx bah nhrr The
men on ths fire boat moored at the other
side of this dock had plenty of fun for
one day. The lines that hold the gallant
little vessel to the wharf parted once or
twice and the vessel was only Kept from
smashing herself to pieces against the
wharf by the excellent work of her crew.
As it was she came out of the storm
without injury.
The ferry boat Eliza beth city had a
rough time of it yesterday. On her pas
sage to and from the Cape she pitched
and rolled about in a terrifying manner
and her landings on either side were
made with diff Guilty. Had not her pilot
been the most careful in the harbor THE
ferry boat would have smashed things up
considerably. Passengers had to take
their chances in boarding and disem bark
ing from the boat which pitched about
so much that the ordinary fastenings
had to be put aside and ropes used in
their place.
At the end Of Commercial wharf there
were several scbooners when the heavy
undertow began to get in its work.
Among these was the Mary E. Hagan.
the Mystic Tie and the Nellie Barnes.
The crews of these vessels were kept on
the alert to prevent them from crashing
against one another OF the wharf. AS it
was the Mary f. Hagan had her rail
stove in and was obliged to haul out into
the stream to prevent more damage being
done. The other schoeners rode out the
storm at the dock and were not much
damaged.
J. W. Trefethen's lobster cars on the
other side of the wharf, broke away
several times and had to be constantly
looked after. They were fastened by
heavy hawsers, which were snapped by
the strain put on them by the heavy
undertow as easily as pipe stem is
broken.
Widgery's wharf, near the end was
somewhat damaged by the sea smashing
up under the planking and ripping up
big planks as if they had been fastened
down with toothpicks. On long wharf
the buildings near the end were damaged
to some extent, as WAS the wharf itself.
Over ON the Cape shore the high tide
and heavy sea worked havoc among the
yessels hauled up on the beach. The
schooner Native, Captain Brown, owned
by W. T. Studley, was hauled above the
ordinary high water marx, but the I'M
usually high tide lifted her up and fioated
her off shore. She danced around fer a
bit, while every effort was made to secure
her, but without success. Then the
Native smashed into the Biddeford
steamer James L. Furher aud big hule
was stove in the scIooneI's stern. She
filed with water and her masts were
broken short off. The schooner will be
almost toal loss She was valued at