The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-11-30
III DRIES OF THE WRec
opno $ of Sea. Faring Men AS To How
1t Happened.


All along the water front yesterday
WHARF steamboat men and mariners were
gathered, the wreck of the Portland was
the subject of discussion, and while it
was admitted, of course. that too many
uncertain quantities entered into the
equation, SO to speak, to make any solu-
ton at all satisfactory, many theorits
were advanced as to the way in which
the disaster happened.
One sea captain. whose experience is
wide, thought the steamer might have
met her fate in this way: He took it for
granted that the steamer left Boston at
O'Clock Saturday evening and hoping to
keep ahead of the stor a which always
increases to the leeward, put on speed
and possibly advanced good way on
her course before the storm in it's great
fury overlook her. He Thought it was
possible that the steamer had got beyond
Thatcher's island and had tried to reach
Portsmouth. As no report was received
of her from Portsmouth 1t seemed prob
able that the storm had SO increased in
intensity that the captain finding that
he could not make port as a last resort
had turned back and borne away for Cape
Cod bay with the view of getting harbor
at Proyincetown, or under the hook of
Race Point where he could make Il lee
under the land, as the bay is commodious
for entrance.
The captain who was talking over the
matter did not think it likely that up
to this time the steamer had made a dead
drift or was in helpless condition, for
If such had been the case the wind,
which must have been blowing heavily
from the northeast at the time, wou.u
have driven the vessel nearer Cape Ann
or perhaps Boston. So he assumed that
she must have tried to make more
southerly course which would take her
to Cape Cod harbor and Provincetown,
hoping to get hold of the Race Point
light.
Evidently the weather was SO thick
that the captain could not see anything
and the boat made to tho eastward of the
observed objective point at Race Point
and then was carried to the ocean side
of the Race. and not being able to see any
considerable distance and no lights, be
was ashore before he was aware of it on
the ocean side of the Cape 1t is a sandy
shore and the surf must have been ire
mendous from the intensity of the storm.
When the vessel was driven against it she
must have gone to pieces by the fury OF
the sea and wind. No doubt her top work
was washed off in little or no time, but
her hull might have been driven up by
the sea further along on the beach. 1t is
all sand and the land is high to the east
of the Race and in the vicinity of the
Highland Light.
As one approaches to the southwark
from Race Point and when near the vi
cinity of Highland Light, on the High.
lands of Truro as IL is called, the coast
is holder and the land high.
The steamer could not have struck a
more exposed point. sas
1t was thought probable by the speaker
that the Portland struck inside of
Peaked Hill bar, south of the Race and.
was afterwards driven down in the di-
rection of the lights, striking the shore
broadsides and soon being knocked to-
pieces.
A group of captains listened to the
talk of the one just quoted, and the opin-
ion was expressed by another captain
that it was little strange that some
one did not get out of the vessel for
from his knowledge of the shore at the
point where she struck she ought to have
gone up nigh and dry on the beach when
tie first sea struck her, even If she did
not go head on. He thought that, how
ever she struck she should have beached
and could not understand why this
did not happen unless the steamer was
disabled and was on the dead drift a
long while before she struck and in the
meantime had sustained severe damage
letting in more or less water and max
ing her an easy victim when the final
crash came.
Another captain prominent in steam
boat circles, thought that if the Portland
had not been disabled somewhat early
on her trip it was likely that her captain
would have tried to carry her towards
Portsmouth or some shore point and hold
her to her anchorage, if such thing
we're possible. He did not think that the
captain of the Portland would have
turned back and attempted to reach
Provincetown as the sea was enough to
swamp him. He believed the steamer
was carried over to Cape Cod in help.
less condition.
THREE LEWISTON MEN,
Two shoe,nakers and Principal of Bus
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