Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-11-30
TwEHTY-sevEN VESSELS WRECKED
Near Proyincstown- Heroic Words Of Cant.
Dyer d Schooner Mott.

Provincetown. Mass, Nov. 29-After
nearly so hours Of complete isolation on
account Of the terrible storm Of Saturday
night and Sunday. news Of the situation
at this town is started for the outside
world by the only method of communica-
ton possible at present one of the Giou-
cester Fish Cos. steamers. Twenty-seven
vessels were driven ashore and totally
wrecked. From the majority Of these the
crews were saved. although several lives
were lost. -Four or five Of the wrecks
were coasters and the rest were fisher
men.
During the storms progress shipping
was destroyed, the beach was strewn
with wreckage, streets were flooded and
wharyes drifted out to sea. Four ice
houses and a lobster hatchery were de-
molished.
The list of casualties. includes the
schooners Daniel Boone. Mary Cabra,
Isaac Collins. the steamer A. B. Nicker-
son of Proyincetown, the schooners Clara
Sayward of Gloucester, Sylvester Whaleri
of Boston, F. p. Foster and r. r. Smith,
both of Provincetown. fishing schooner
Unique, and the fragments Of the schoon-
er r. Walker Of Gloucester. The coaster
Addie Snow of Rockland. Me-, drifted
ashore at RAGE Point, this afternoon.
Flour. pork, lard and whiskey barrels
tween Race Point and Highland life saw
ing station, today.
The Wood Island life savers made sew
eral gallant efforts, yesterday, to reach
the schooner Jordan L. Mott. bound from
New York to Rockland, with coal, and
finally succeeded. The Mott put In here,
on the 18th, for harbor and sank early
the same night. The captain and crew OF
five men took to the rigging for safety
A terrible sea and gale prevailed at the
time. The captain, Charles E.. Dyer,
dashed his father. Charles G. Dyer. who
acted as steward. to the mast. For 10
hours they were exposed before assistance
arrived. When the Wood Island crew
made their successful launch and came
within hailing distance Of the Mott, Capt.
Dyer said: II can hold on; save my crew:
my father is frozen dead to the mast; do
not wait to cut his body down, for the
crew are freezing"
The saddest wreck, so far as known.
was that of the three-master Lester "A.
Lewis, SdPt. GAAAlUdIis GLiAdDcth>
port, N. j., for Bangor, with cargo Of
phosphate and guano The Lewis came
in shortly after the Mott and Capt Dyer
of the latter thinks both capsised and
sank about the same time. The captain
and crew of the Lewis could not have had
any warning. for they all persisted to-
gether.
At 10 o'clock on the forenoon Of Mon
day, word was received from the Peaked
Hill life saving station that the schooner
Albert L. Butler, Capt. Leland, from
Black River. Jamaica. for Boston, went
ashore one mile east of the life saving
station, at 10 in the forenoon. Some OF
the crew were taken Oh by the whip"
the life savers having no time to rig the
breeches buoy. By this means the cap
tain and four men were saved. Mate
Rathburn, Sailor Offlander and colorel
passenger named Wetherburn, were
drowned. The Butler is total loss.
The body of Steward Dyer of the Mott
has been cut from the rigging and now
lies alongside the five bodies recovered
from the Lewis. all of which win prob
ably be buried at Provincetown.