The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1898-12-08
The Steamer Sunk OF Cape Cod
On Her Way From Boston to
Portland in a Furious Gale
ALL ON BOARD LOST.
Captain Blanchard Of the Inflated
Vessel Sailed Contrary to
His Orders.

The Big Coastwise Vessel Portland That
I;an From Boston to Maine Totally y
Wrecked in an Awful Hurricane-The
Ship Went Down With All on Board
on Cape Cod-Some of the Bodies Re-
covered-Partial List of the Passengers
on the vessel--The Ship and Cargo
Were Insured-The Captains Error
The PortIand's Owners Had Told
Him Not to Sail-The Shore Strewn
With wreckage-The Ship Went 10
Pieces on Highland Light.
BOSTON, Mass. (SpeciaN. Bodies lying
on the sands, fragments of wood, part of a
steamers wheel, trunks, barrels, and the
dotsam and jetsam of miscellaneous
cargo. scattered along the coast near High
land light, told the tale of the worst dis
aster Cape Cod has known in many year.
The steamer Portland, which left Boston
for Portland Saturday evening, is total
wreck. Ofthe hundred or more who com :
posed the passengers and crew, all were
lost.
Following is partial list OF the passen-
gers who were on board the Portland when
she sailed from Boston:
Miss Allen, Mrs. Theodore Allen, Miss
Burns, Mrs. J. A. Carroll, Lowell;
Master Philip Chase, William L. Chase,
Mrs. George o. Chickering, G. W. Cole,
al MrS EznEial
Dennis, Miss Jennie Edmunds, F. Dudley
freeman, Isaiah Frye, Miss Ruth Frye,
D. o. Getchell, Arthur F. Heersom, Mrs.
Arthur F. Heersom, Miss Sophie Holmes,
n. True Hooper, 0ren Hooper, Miss Jennie
G. Hoyt, NJ. c. Hutchinson, Miss Hutchin-
son. Perry Jackson, wife and child;
George Il. Kennison, Jr.. Miss Helen Lang
:horne, Miss Edna McCrillis, Mrs; Cornelia
u. Mitchell, Mr.. Pierce, Miss Emma l..
Plympton. Miss Ross, Mrs. Anna Rounds,
Mrs. Daniel Rounds. NJ. L. Sewell,
frederick Sherwood, Harry Smith, Fred
srick Stevens, Mrs. Alice Swift, Miss Maud
Sykes, Charles H. Thompson and child,
Mrs. Charles II. Thompson, Mrs. Wheeler,
Charles WiSgin, c. F. Wilson.
%s>e crew Of the ill-fated steamer is as
iolfows: Hollis n. Blanchard. captain; 4.
\ Blake, watchman; Matthew Barron, deck
Il and; Mrs. Margerst Berry, ,stewardness; d.
Z Jatlin, waiter; Petsr Collins, deckhand;
- Conner, barber; John DAILY, deckhand;
James Davidson, deckhand; Edward Deer
hg, mate: J. A. Dillon, oiler; ". J. Doughty,
brennan; Ansel Dyer, quartermaster; L. 4.
Fennell, fireman; Lee Forman, waiter; J.
g. Gately, fireman; George Graham, waiter;
Morris Graham, deckhand; Mrs. Carrie NJ.
Harris, stews rdess; Richard Hartley, deck
hand: Eben Houston, second steward; F. A.
Arthur Johnson.
waiter; Lewis Johnson, waiter; Lati-
ner, head saloonman; F. W. Leigh
:on, electrician; J. McNeal, oiler;
George McGilvary deckhand; John Mckay,
second mate; Thomas Merrill, first engi-
aeer; N. Merriman, fireman; A. V. Mat
ihews. steward; Horace Moore. clerk;
-~dswis Nelson, second pilot; Cornelius
O'Brien, deckhand; F. Peterson, quarter
master; W. B. Robichaw, baggage master,
H. Rollison, fireman; George G. Ropley,
ieckhand; T. Sewell, watchman; Arthur
sloan, deckhand; Samuel Smith, waiter;
Lewis Strout, first pilot; c. Verrill, third
engineer; John Walton, second engineer; j.
Whitten, watchman; - Williams, watch
nan.
That the vessel must have been disabled
and then driven far out OF her course by the
gale is shown by the fact that the shores
strewn with her wreckaca are tar to the
south Of her customary Ter captain
erred in judgment, saiL-s Ii the face OF
explicit directions to the contrary from the
Boston and Portland Steam Packet Com
pany. He paid for his error with his own
life and those Of all on board.
The top OF the Portland was thrown high
On the beach near Peaked Hill station. 1t
was split into pieces almost as fne as KIN
Hing wood. Pieces of the wheel and other
parts of the steamer were strewn about.
The hill was not to be SEEN
The whole shore presented most tragic
appearance. A score or more dead bodies
were lying on the sands and more were
coming. In one place the bodies OF TWO
women, one about forty years old and the
other about twenty. came ashore IN quick
succession, followed by the body OF a col
ored man. The bodies came in all the way
from Peaked Hill bars 70 Highland Sta
ton.
1t is impossible to tell in just what man
uer the steamer had been lost. 1t is the
opinion that, blown out Of her course, she
had attempted TO make ProVincetoWn
Harbor. failed, and had gone ashore of the
Peaked Hill bar, one OF the most dangerous
places on that part OF the coast.
The bodies that have been recovered
have been cared for by the residents OF
Truro and other places, and held for iden-
tification by relatives or friends. On some
of the bodies were life preservers.
The Portland carried miscellaneous
cargo OF 100 tons of merchandise. The
vessel was built in Bath in 1890, and was q
side-wheel steamer of 1917 tons net burden
Her length is 230 feet, beam AZ, depth Il
feet. She was ~alued at S25O,OOO, and Is
fully insured.
The insurance upon the hull Of the Port
land was placed in Boston, partly in the
Boston Marine Insurance Company and
partly through the Boston office OF John,
SON h Higgins. 1t was valued at aoou,
S2OO, 900. The insurance upon the cargo Of
the steamer, which consisted OF dry goods,
boots and shoes, flour, etc., was placed IN
New York and amounted to S45.OOO.