The Portland daily press., 1897-01-06

owners had taken off all the vessels
rigginR, anchors, capstan and other
movable property she was abandoned to
tthe marine underwriters. For ten days
sihe sea remained comparatively calm and
sthe hull Of the schooner WAS damaged
very little by the waves and rested
securely on the rocks. 1t was said thut
sthe first storm would smash the vessel
iup into kindling wood, and the marine
underwriters, still seeing no chance of
saving the schooner, decided to sell her
and her cargo at auction. This was done
Gu Saturday last and the wreck itself
VI as knocked down to Charles Bartlett
and Others for $40, while Thomas Towle
DO ught in the cargo Of the schooner for
$40.
Meantime crew of Wreokers had been
at work about the vessel every day since
she had stranded. Everything movable
hadl been taken cut Of her, her mizzen-
mast cut off near tho deck and lowed
inti, Portland harbor and about 400 tons
of coal had been removed from the
yess ell S hold by dozens of wrecking crews.
1t is said that many people along the
Cap. shore got enough coal out of the
wreck to keep them supplied for year,
while many persons in Portland made a
very good thing out of the wreck by
brin.s ing in a scow load or two of coal
and tiisposiag of 1T along Commercial
street at S. ton.
Even the men who had bought in the
wreck of the schooner and her cargo be-
gan to despair on Monday night of ever
seing able to get anything out of their
bargain and with the prospects for a
storm yesterday these gentlemen were de-
cidedly uneasy about their sunken
property on Alden's rock.
About four o. clock Monday afternoon
an incoming fisherman reported that the
Robert /. Garter had slid off the rocks
into twenty -one feet of water and that
when she went down, the main and fore
masts had been knocked out Of her and
were floating off to sea. The tow boat
Belknap at once started out to pick up
the masts and finally found them and
sa fely towel them into Portland and
N oored them to the end of Browns
wharf. These masts were worth at least
$500, and the men who had bought the
wreck with and through Mr.. Charles
Bartlett were well satisfied with their
trade. Mr.. Bartlett believed that the
schooner might be raised by means of
barrels and wanted to try and lift the
wreck by this means, but few people be-
lieved this could be dones although Mr..
| Bartlett intended to fry it as soon as he
could make the necessary arrangements.
Mr.. Towle who had bought what re-
manned of the sch ooner's cargo Of coal
despaired of ever getting any Of it out of
| the vessel after sine had slid off the rocks.
| But nature does strange things some
times and what happened to the schooner
Robert 1. Carter waA one of the strangest
| things that nature g Yer did.
| About ten o'clock yesterday forenoon
some of tie workman on the Spring
Point Ledge light saw strange looking
object floating up the ship channel and
about abreast of the Portland Head light.
They at once got word to the ofioe of
the Central Wharf Tow Boat company,
and in few minutes th tug Demerest
was speeding out of the harhor on the
look out for the strange oa,Jeot. 1t turned
out to be what was left OF the Robert /.
Carter. The schooner had torn part OF
her keel away and knocked several large
holes in her bottom when Ale slid off the
rocks, and had deposited all but about
three. hundred or four hundred tons OF
what remained Of her cargo of coal on
the bottom. rhe vessel had then come
to the surface and when pickad up by
the Domarsst was floating into Portland
with her deck sunk below the water, but
with her how and stern high mp above
the water
/ The wreck has slight list 90 star
board. due to tho fact that what remains
of the coal in her hold is mostly deposited
on that side, but otherwise the vessel
was in remarkably fine condition. Hel
deck houses are gone, her masts and
bowsnrit torn away and her deck cu'