The record-union., 1898-11-29


Which, if True, Will Swell the
List Of Casualties to/one Hun
dred and Forty-Over a Hun
dred Vessels Ashore, Two Score
of Them Total Wrecks, and
Many Others Probably Beneath
the Waters.
BOSTON, Nov. %. - It is known
definitely tonight that more than
seventy lives have been lost in the
wrecks of tugs, schooners and coal
barges during the storm of Saturday
night and Sunday morning, and II the
steamer Portland has also gone down,
as now seems possible, the list OF
casualties will rise to a hundred and
forty, with over 100 vessels of all de-
scriptions ashore, two score OF them
total wrecks, and an unknown number
probably beneath the waves of Massa-
chusetts Bay. There is scarcely a bay,
harbor or inlet from Penobscot to New
London that has not on it's shores the
bones of some stauch craft, while all
along Massachusetts Bay, especially
Boston harbor, the beaches are piled
high with the wreckage of schooners
and coal barges. The record, although
hourly lengthening, is stiH incomplete,
for that ocean graveyard of Cape Cod
is still to be heard from.
The annoyance and inconvenience Of
the railroad and street car embargo,
covering the whole of Southern New
England, sunk into insignificance be-
fore the story of destruction wrought
by wind and wave. yet it will be
many day before the full import OF
the disaster is known or even real
lied. The islands of Boston harbor
are without exception strewn with
wrecks and wreckage: no less than
twenty-nine vessels are ashore at
Gloucester, and over twenty in the
supposed safe harbor of Vineyard Ha-
ven parted their anchor chains yester-
day, and are high and dry on the
beach. Nantasket Beach saw two
schooners and a coal barge dash to
pieces on it's sands; the rocks of Co
hasset claimed a stanch fisherman;
Scituate, a well-knoWn pilotboat; Man
chester, down-east lumberman,
while one tug and three barges known
to have been between Cape Cod and
Boston are unaccounted for, and prob
ably lost. The upper harbors of Bos-
ton, Plymouth, Salem, Portsmouth,
Portland and other places where ves-
sells were supposed to be comparatively
safe were the scenes of numerous COL
lisions between the ships and the
wharves.
Every life-saving crew performed
deeds of heroism in rescuing crews
from stranded vessels, and tugboat
Captains risked life and property in
their endeavor to safe life.
Tugs returning to this city after a
tour of the harbor report about thirty
five vessels of all sizes ashore or sunk
in and near Boston harbor. Seven
large schooners and two Baltimore
coal barges are completely wrecked,
and it is estimated that between
twenty-five and thirty lives have been
lost. Only one body has yet been
recovered. More than dozen are
reported in the surf at Hull, and
efforts are making to recover them.
The steamer Ohio is high and dry on
Spectacle Island. 1t is very doubtful
if she can be f1oated until channel
has been dug.
The ocean going tug Tamquanntam-
qua is on the rocks at Rainsford ISL
and and will be total wreck.
The management of the Portland
Steamship Company announced at
noon to-day that they had no informa-
ton as to the whereabouts of the
steamer Portland, which left this city
on Saturday night for Portland. Dur
ing the forenoon a report was in cir
culation that the Portland was at an
chor in Gloucester harbor, but the
Captain of the steamer Gloucester,
which arrived from that port, says the
Portland is not at Gloucester. The
company has received a dispatch from
Portsmouth stating that their vessel
has not put in at that port. A number
of steamers are at anchor in Lower
Boston harbor, but owing to the thick
weather their names cannot be made
out The Portland steamship people
think that possibly the Portland is
among the number. The Portland had
a fair-sized cargo and about twenty
five or thirty passengers.
Not until daylight did the awful
havoc wrought by the storm in Boston
harbor and vicinity become apparent.
Not since 1852 has storm caused
such destruction of property and loss
of life so near the city. The tugs
that started early to-day to explore
the harbor and offer assistance where
it was needed found a condition of
affairs almost unprecedented in the
marine history of Boston. On every
shoa1 and reef in the harbor was
found some wrecked craft over which
a wild sea still dashed, carrying the
vessel higher up on the shore or slowly
grinding it to fragments. Many ves-
sells were covered with ice, and this.
and the fact that a terrific sea was
running, made it impossible to learn
their names. The raging waters also
prevented any attempt to recover bod
les known to be in some of the wrecks,
and it is probable that it will be sew
eral days before complete official list
Of those can be obtained
Among the tugs which started down
the harbor as soon as daylight came
was the police boat Guardian. which
last night was caught in the thick
weather off Deer Island while endeavor-
ing to ascertain the meaning Of the dis
tress signals flying from the light
house She made for the tiny beacon
which marked the inner harbor channel
again this morning, and with q tossing
sea and strong incoming tide tried to
answer the signals. Finally it was
learned that the lighthouse had no fresh
water, for the heavy seas had broken
IL