The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-12-06


to the other teachers In the school ana
they all had lauah over it.
Is it not probable that the greWsome
dream of that little deaf mute was re-
called by her beloved teacher when the
Inflated steamer was making fatai
struggle against that terrible gale OF SAT-
urday nfghtp
Another instance: Miss Helen Lang
thorne, teacher of music in the Deerins
schools, was the secretary of literary
club which meets on Fridays, and at 9
recent meeting in which lunch was served,
thirteen members of the club took seats
around the festive board. "That unlucky
remarked that according to the modern
notion there is luck in the number thfr-
teen.
That was fortnight ago. Miss Lang
thorne spent Thanksgiving in Massac Gnu
setts, and was a passenger on the PORT
lands fatal trip. When the club met on
Friday afternoon of this week, it post
poned its business session, but informally
carried out, as memorial to her. pro-
gramme that she had been Instrumental
In preparing. The program me was made
up of readings from Bryant's poems,
which are SO replete with sentiment 1T
ting Just such an occasion as the one re.
ferred to. Had the selections been made
after the loss of thu Portland instead of
weeks before, they could not hsve been
more suited to this memorial meeting.
In his death of the Flowers, Thana-
topsis, . $40 the Past" and "Hymn to
the Dead there are lines which as they
were read seemed TO have been written
with special reference to her whose un-
timely death is being mourned.
John L. Walton, first ASSISTANT engineer
of the Portland, is said to have had o
horror of being drowned, though he pre-
ferred the engine room OF steamboat to
similar employ ment on shore.
There are scores of instances In which
Maine people who had intended taking
passage on the Portland boat that fatal
night were deferred by some slight reason
to which they 1--WE their life. Then there
is the story, which was told early in the
week, of cat that had made several voy-
ages on the Portland, quitting the steam
or Just before 1t left the Portland dock,
Friday night, and hunting up its old
home on Munjoy hill.
Ouartermaster Ansel L. Dyer, whose
body was identified Friday, had sailed on
every sea, been shipwrsoked several times
and had many hairs breadth escapes.
The fact that his body was nude whom
it was thrown up on Cape God beach
leads to the belief that he made a desper-
ate struggle to reach aud, and stripped
off every stitch of clothing. in the hope
that he might swim to safety. ST
'Anse' Dyer couldn't save himself, you
can depend on it that nobody on that
boat was saved" Was a declaration ut
tered by many Portland seaman since
the disaster.
One Portland man who had long been
in service on the Portland, owes his life
- ~ ha l-ns frir1 sr
feast had too elaborate wine list, sandlhe
didn't recover his sslf-rossession till after
his boat had left her wharf here, Friday
night. He is out of a job today, but has
not been heard to complain.
Why did Capt. Blanchard start out from
Boston harbor, in the face of threaten
ing gales
Who is there among the list Of mourn
ers over the loss of relatives and friends
on the steamer Portland who has not
asked some such question as this, again
and againy 1t has been the basis of more
discussion among the sea dogs along
Commercial street than even the question
of where the Portland foundered.
Though the published interviews on
this point have tended toward placing
the whole responsibility of the disaster on
Capt. Blanchard, his memory is tenderly
cherished by many a rough follower OF
the sea, who is inclined to look on the 9th.
er side and defend his course. "He must
have misunderstood Manager Liscomb' S
| telephOned order" says one Of the dead
captains defenders. Another holds to
tine theory that when the order reached
Capt. Blanchard, second handed, it was
not in an imperative form. but rather In
the nature of suggestion, which Capt
blanchard did not feel obliged to follow.
''They tell about the weather bureau
predicting a terrific Storm remarked q
ortland captain, who had been listening
to a warm debate on the question of re-
sponsibility, "but the weather report
wasn't nslf as wild as people have been
led to believe Here is a statement from
y. W. smith, Boston's local forecast
official. who says this is the only forecast
issued from that office Saturday even.
ing,'' and the speaker who had the floor
drew from his pocket newspaper clip
ping and proceeded to read this weather
bulletin: