The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-11-29
FouR LIVES LosT.
Story of d. atli a..a Dssaster From Vine
yard Eia ven.

Vineyard Haven, November Ss.-Ihe
fiercs northeast storm which str9ek this
port Saturday night and continued all
day Sunday with great vlolence, swept
out of existence large feet of sailing
vessels which anchored of this port TO
escape ite fury.
1t is known that ut least four men have
persisted, and 1T is very probable that as
MANY moro have lost their lives. Twenty
one schooners, nearly all heavily laden,
an one barkentine are ashore; four
schooners now lying at anchor are totally
dismasted. two others were sunk and enc
bark is resting on the bottom, entirely
submerged. Many other vessels were
battered and partially stripped OF their
| rigging.
Vineyard Haven mas known in forty
years From early morning until late at
night the water about this port Was
strewn with wreckage and vessels con-
stantly were bsing driven ashore, many
of them TO be dashed 70 pieces. a large
| fleet of c0asting schoeners from St. John
and other ports in the Provinces and
from Maine, were battered to fragments.
Most of the vessels driven ashore were
obliged to part their cables owing to the
great danger from collision with other
vessels which had bssn broken adrift A
terrible sleet storm added to the dangers
of the gale, the driving snow preventing
the life savers and people on shore from
seeing distress signals or giving assist
ance OF the feet of probably two SCORE
vessels that came to anchor before the
storm, hardly one escaped damage. Many
that were able to maintain safe anchor
age had their head gear carried away by
being fouled by other vessels adrift.
1t Is believed that Captain Nelson of
the kockland, Me-, schooner Island City
q NJ tc omit pA x.axxyh mi had q
Island City was bound from Port Liberty,
N. s.. for Cohasset with a cargo OF coal.
She put In here Saturday morning and
later started for her destination, but In
the afternoon when severe blow threat
ened, she put back for Vineyard Haven.
She was discovered Sunday morning OF
Cottage City ashore, the seas maElng
ciean breach over her. Captain Nelson
and his crew of two men were in the
rigging. The vessel was sighted by resi-
dents Of the island. but they were power
less to render aid No surfbnAt or lite
saving apparatus were available, and the
nearest life saving station was at Gay
Head. twenty miles away. All wires were
cate with the station. Ali the forenoon
the men elung to the rigging. uurinE
the afternoon one man was seen 10 drop
overheard, evidently having become ex-
hausted. The lifeless body OF the sailor
was soon afterwards washed upon tins
shore BY the mountainous seas. Soon after
the helpless watchers on the beach saw
second man relax his hold in the rigging
washed over board. The third man re-
manned in the rigging, appareati{ limp
and unconscious, II not dead, He was
lsshed in the cross trses and undoubtedly
persisted. The schooner is . total loss. !.
The schooner Leora A. Ihuriow OF
Bath, Ne, Capt. Roberts, bound ron
Hallowell, Me, with cargo Of payins
stones was sunk near the east side Of the
harbor yesterday afternoon. She lies IN
seven fathoms of water. The crew
climbed into the rigging and sat distress
| signals. At sunset volunteer crew con-
sisting of =. II. johnson, Isaac Norton
and Alvin Cleveland, all skilled beatmen
of this port, proceeded to the rescue In Q
| boat which was lowed by the tug Robert
Lockhart They succeeded with difficulty
in saving the mate and two seamen, but
| CAPTAIN ROBERTS had persisted from ex-
posture before succor came. The three men
rescued were almost exhausted and would
| have persisted in short time. The lie
| savers work was attended with the great
est difficulty and many times they were
| In danger of being swept everboard and
lost. The body of Captain Roberts WAS
left in the rigging, it being impossible
!, for the men to lower it into their boat in
| the violent tempest that was raging
| The 1hurlow registered 2l3 tons gross,
17S net, was 105 feet in length, 20 in
breadth and eight fest deep. She was
built at Bath, Me-, in 1891 and hailed
| from that port.
| The schooner Anna Booth, Captain
| French, from st. John, n. B., for New
York, with cargo of lumber is at anchor
| in the harboF in a crippled condition, all
three waists having gone by the board.
| Captain French and his crew were finally
| taken off by the Same volunteer crew
| that rescued the men on the Thurlow.
Captain French and his men were placed
ON board the schooner Samuel c. Fart
The schooner e. j. Hamilton. Captain
Soule Of Bridgton, N. j., bound from
Perth Amboy for Portland with coal was
fouled by ths schooner ID. Il. Eldredge.
| Both vessels were badly damaged.
| The Hamilton was driven ashore on q
| fat. Captain Soule and his crew were
rescued.
The schooner NJ. 4. Eldredge of Dennis
Captain Kelly, bound from Albany for
| Boston with cargo of CLAY which
collided with the Hamilton afterwards
went ashore.
The barkentins Nellie II. Slade of Bos-
| ton, Captain Montgomery, fro Charles.
| ton, S. c., for Portland, Me-, with a
cargo of clay. parted both chains and
| fouled the British schooner Delta. The
Shade had all her head gear and royal
masts carried away. Her crew were un .
able to hold her and she was driven
ashore on the west side of the harbor.
The Thomaston. Me-, schooner James
A Brown, Captain Simmons, New York
for Belfast. Mel with a cargo of feed and
schooner Newburg. Captain Smith, New
Brighton. s. l.. for Windsor, N. S.. her
home port. in ballast; and sohooners
James Ponder, Jr., Captain Sprague from
Bangor, Me-, for New York with q cargo
of lum her, Charles e. Raymond, Bangor,
for New York, Canaria, Captain Brown.
bound from ST. Lula, W. l., in ballast
for st. John, N. B., her home port,
Rebeoca w. Huddell, Captain Tower.
from Advocate. N. So. for New York,
laden with piling, Lucy Hammond of
Machias, Me-, Captain Cole. with cargo
of coal; Abby K, Bentley of Providence,
bound from the Newark, N. j., from
Bangor with cargo of fertilizer; Bertha
Il. Glover, from Rockland for New York
with lime; Sadie Wjlcutt, of st George,
Me.. bound from Hillsboro, N. B.. for
New York; Marion Draper, from Gardi-
nor, Me. for New York with lumber, and
IL. ID. Ingraham of Bath, captain Lewis.
from Gardiner, Me-, for New York are