The Portland daily press., 1898-12-28
LAST saw PORTLAND.
Passed Thatsher's Island at $50
Saturday Night.
NOTICED BY GOVERNMENT EN-
pLOYES ON ISLAND.

William IL. Harrington Tells of Watch
ing the Lost Steamer From the Isiaad
Thinks She Must Have Reached
Boone Island Before She was Struck
by the Storm.
1t is quite likely that the last man who
saw the Portland as she was steaming
along on her i'll fated voyage was Mr..
Vim. FL. Harrington, who on November
goth last was in the employ of the govern
nent at Thatcher's island. Mr.. Harring-
ton is now visiting in South Portland,
having arrived there Saturday night, and
when seen yesterday by a reporter OF the
PRESS said that he was at Thatoher's
island on November last. and about 9. 30
o'clock Saturday evening, the Goth, a
frieLd of his called out to him to come
out and see the Portland steamer go by.
Outside of the main building where they
lived was shanty in which it had been
their custom to sit and smoke and observe
the passing vessels. At the time just
mentioned his friend was in the shanty
and joining him there he could see tne
steamer Portland with her hundred Oh
lights moving along all right and at ner
usual speed. She was due there at 9.5J
and that night was just about on time
Thatchers' island is good place from
which to watch these steamers, for they
pass quite near the island and just pe-
tween it and ledge called the 'LoL-
= . 81, : nI1n6Tad
yards from the Thatcher lodges
At the hour the Portland passed the
island there was no snow, the wind was
light, blowing from the northeast and SO
far as known to US the sea was not very
rough. 1t looked as if the steamer was
having an ordinary passage and certainly
no anxiety for her was felt at that time
by any one on the island.
Continuing, Mr.. Harrington said that
soon after the Portland got out of sight
he went to his room and wrote letters up
to about eleven o'clock. when he went to
bed He had not been in bed more than
half and hour when the wind began to
howl and snow squll struck the island.
The wind was blowing perfect hurrl-
cane and continued from that time all
through the night and did not moderate
before shutdown the following. Sunday.
Getting up on the morning Mr.. Har-
rington said that he saw at Thatcner's
leland the toughest sea that had ever
come under his observation. He had been
following the sea for over thirty years
and had been in parts of the world where
the waves reached their greatest height.
but he never saw them GO higher than
on that Sunday morning. He said there
was a boiler which had been laying right
opposite the boat house on platform.
When the sea struck this boiler, weighing
say four tons, it lifted it and fairly
chucked it over among the rocks.
distance of 10 to 20 feet. The sea got
second lick at it and then carried it way
up on the ledge near the grass grounds.
Two men were that day over on Milk
island. about quarter of mile from
Thatchers island, cunning. The sea took
the building they were in and moved 1T
about fifty feet. They managed to get in
their dory which happened to be near the
building and had to stay on it until the
tide left the island.
Speaking of Thatcher's island, Mr..
Harrington said there were Two light
houses on it also a whistle house and fire
keepers were employed there. The lodges
were high and they could almost look
down on vessels as they sailed by but the
lodges sloped considerably on the westerly
side.
Mr.. Harrington thought the Portland
must have got as far as Boone island
when the hurricane struck her and her
captain no doubt tried to keep her off
shore. He believed that was done with
the attempt to drive her on to Portland.
That she was afterwards disabled and
drifted with the northeast wind, then
blowing, down 60 Cape Cod, although he
admitted that the hurricane with the sea
rising with wind was almost strong
enough wherever on her course it struck
her TO rake the steamer from stem TO
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