The Republican journal., 1898-02-10
The Wreck of the James Holmes.

Particulars of the Disaster and of the Loss
of Life Attending it. Her Captain and
Crew!Belfast Men. Others Lost on Schoon-
Marcellus.
The worst has been confirmed in regard to
the loss of life and property in the snow
storm on the coast the night of January 31st
and February 1st, and the result proves to
be more disastrous to the lives of Belfast's
citizens than any calamity which has come
upon us since October 5, 1860, when the fish
ing schooner Foaming Billow was lost near
Prince Edwards Island with all on board
She had crew of fourteen men, nine of
whom belonged in Belfast.
The first dispatches received after the
storm of last week stated that Monday after
noon five schooners, including the James
Holmes of Belfast and one unknown, were
at anchor near Houghs Neck at the en-
trance of Gloucester Harbor, but that none
Were in sight the next morning. 1t was
hoped that the vessels had been able to put
to sea when the storm became severe, but
the next reports showed that one vessel, the
George W. Jewett of Taunton, Mass, had
gone ashore, but that her captain and crew
We're saved The captain reported that jus.
before he left his vessel the James Holmes
and one other vessel drifted past his schoon-
er and probably went ashore near by.
a search of the beach in the vicinity re-
vealed the bodies of four men, and descrip-
tl0ns were at once sent out.
The principal points relied on for identiti-
cation were the India ink marks which
many sailors have upon their persons. One
man had on one arm a picture of girl with
a basket of flowers and the initials E. P. NJ .
On the other wrist he had a chain bracelet,
and on the hand star. These marks cor
responded with those on the arms of Alfred
Staples, one of the crew of the Holmes.
Another body was described as having on
one arm a picture of a sailor and his sweet
heart embracing and underneath the initials
G. E. B. and l, F. S. A seal ring on his
finger had an initial "B.'' in Old English
Relatives recognized this as George E. Bean
of East Belfast, who was returning from
sea voyage, as a passenger on schooner Mar
cellus.
Another body had shield and the word
Union worked in India ink, and one hand
covered with warts, which description
applied to John Jackson, cook of the
Holmes.
When the owners of the Holmes became
convinced that the vessel was wrecked they
sent Capt. Wallace W. Turner of sch. Maria
Webster to the scene of the disaster. When
Capt. Turner arrived at Gloucester Friday
afternoon he found Capt. j. W. Ferguson of
Ciftondale, Mass, there, and in company
with L. T. Shales, who went down to Glou-
oester while on his way to Boston, they visit
ed the undertaking rooms of John Lloyd.
There they found four bodies, three of which
they readily identified as those of John Jack
son, Alfred Staples and Fred Gordon. They
did not then know of the loss of Mr.. Bean,
and the fourth body was not identified by
them. 1t was subsequently identified, after
description had been forwarded from friends
in Belfast.
From the statement of Captain NJ. B. Nc
Kowen of the Jewett and the fact of the
bodies of Staples and Jackson coming ashore
near by there was little doubt that one of
the two vessels ashore near the Jewett was
the Holmes, but all doubts were set at rest
Friday, when a wrecking crew raised the
stern of the sunken vessel sufficient to read
the name, james Holmes, Belfast" The
vessel was entangled with the wreck of an
other vessel, thought to be the Marcelus.
Letters received by Capt. Ryan from
Captains Ferguson and Turner and from a
wreckmaster III Gloucester state that the
Holmes lay easily about 100 yards from the
beach, her rail just awash at low water.
Her spars were saved, very badly damaged,
and her sails were torn into shreds OF the
hay covers, which were Capt. Geo. f.
Ryan's, one was saved whole, the others
badly torn. Capt. George Ryan owned set
of valuable nautical instruments and other
valuable property on board.
The James Holmes was built at the yard
of Horace S. Perkins at the mouth of Goose
River, East Belfast, in 1874. She was 81 feet
long, 25 3 feet beam, 60 feet depth Her
gross tonnage was 1873 S. net, 1869. She
was a two-masted schooner, built for the
New York coasting trade. She was always
kept in excellent repair, and was well found
in everything, her anchors and chains being
specially strong and heavy, and large enough
for a vessel of twice her size. She was first
commanded by Capt, Ephraim D. Ryder
and used to carry slaves to Rondout and
bring back cement and coal from ports in
that vicinity. In 1884 an exchange of ves-
sells was made and the Holmes came into
the command of Capt. George F. Ryan, who
for several years had been in the Boston and
Belfast packet business. Since that time
she has been under his command in the
same business, except for an occasional
trip when his son Capt. Franklin G. Ryan
would relieve him. Last fall Capt. George
Ryan injured his knee and has since been
confined to the house. Frank, who was
then in the Miantonomah, hauled his vessel
up at the Upper Bridge, Belfast, and took
command of the Holmes.
The records of the Custom House show
her ownership as follows: Capt. Geo. F.
Ryan, 2-32; William B. Swan, / 80; E. d.
Ryder, 2 80; Samuel Otis, 2 80; John Has
SELL 2 49, Robert Burgess, 332 A. B. Fergu-
son, John w. Ferguson, j. W. Frederick &
Co , A. G. Gilmore, j. FL. Perkins, Ellen G.
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