The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-09
SHIPWRECKED FAR INLAND.
THE ODD FATE or arc CUMMINGS'S
LAST SCHOONER.

Four In Succession lie Built in His Door
| yard, Two Miles from the Sea, and
! Launched Surccssfully--T Fifth, tho
Bctsey. Was Lost In IL Fashion That
Is without Parallel In History.
| PROSPECT. Me-. July 7.-On warm summer
! days when the wind is west and the air Ia free
| from germs of rheumatism. the four surviving
| sons of Alexander Cummings hobble over to
| the Post Oll'cc and tell how their father
was the only man in Maine who ever owned
| and conducted "A shipyard two miles away
| from nnvigablo waters. and made money
enough to lift the mortgage on his place
| by building coastng craft in his own door
| yard This was away back in the forties,
| Just after the close of tho Mexican war, when
| kiln wood was worth 81 n cord to the lime
| burners Of Rockland. and when thrifty skip
| pcrS engaged in tho West Indian trade made
| fortunes by smuggling sugar and hiding 1t
| away until the talk passed over and the Gus
| tom House officials were properly fixed"
| from the profits of the venture.
| The elder Cummings was too honest TO try
| hand at smuggling. but having a large FAM
| lily of healthy and handy boys. ho helped out
| American commerce by putting M four trim
| little schooncrs at the back Of his house and
| then launching them by OK power over two
| miles o: country road, finally hauling them
| on top of the ice in Marsh Creek, whence
| they settled to their future home in salt water
| as soon as the spring thaw opened UP the
| stream. The vessels which Cummings built
| were siNty-fout schooners. shonl Of draugh and
| wide Of beam. and made ON purpose to carry big
| loads Of round corlwood to the lime kilns. He
| made one schooner u year for five years laying
| the keel in September aud holding his great
| hauling bee and launching late in February.
| the construction Of the craft required long
! hours Of hard labor Cummings and his six
| lusty sons working all day and far into the
| night with all and broadaXc in order to get
| the Job finished on time Tho event OF the
| year was the launching. which lasted two days,
| furnishing labor for ilftymen and twenty yoke
OF oxen and recurring the expenditure of forty
| gallons OF New England rum and two barrels
| Of brown sugar
Cummings had built aud launched four
| schooners in as many years and had made a
snug sum Of money. so he was considered one
when be laid the keel of his Nth schooner he
made mp hi; mind 70 GU tdo himself. She was
baT was to es GeEGy Il Eye way ~ thnn any OF
| and two hired ship carpenters. work was has
#ashnst o"s rthiay Y8ffa" "S There itar' %e T@
start. Firmly wedE"d inside hardwood
cradle which was Ilaeed upon slotted logs
tor of the 6ig hiiI leading to III" creek. Hers ere
which should hold tho snub line to t steady tea the
craft on her downhill course.
The next morning the BetScy went down the
hilI in safety, and was toned at right angles
to complete her, journey. The way la down
reached out from til" farming lands f to 't tie
south marsh through which the creek ebbei
Of house the road being on the ri dc" H
while on each side were stecp. wooded slopes
that descended to gullirS twenty rods below.
mlrl hauling
the men, were weary from much drinking
nsa I'll h" n Sf''ey s5r01 The dd hS Vast
warm. melting the snow and causing the
schooner to slew Fom Sd, ITO to sido but with
felt sure he would have his pet upon salt water
S %iISS assy" TTSyn aa isr,
came on. Chains broke, oxen baked and tho
schooner danced from side to side as II she had
from his place, On II" quarter deck which were
not oeeySd Thy WL b. grew angry and lsap"d
preserved in local tradit ion to-day az a speci-
men OF vigorous speech, The betscy moved
"abnr d,on ial " e"ae s =" Af" "v men " re-
m9HWItr a y Win ymmmnGs lor his rafnhness
risk. II YOU land her on POI Marks oxb?w
before sunset there is n barrel of rum in i for
| you and II good supper at my house. III do
the bossnE and you do the work;
At a narrow, part Of the road the B"tsey slowed
70 starbo4rd ami began t" run stern first down
the steer hill Cummings yelled to the men to
., SRnsT TO Gvgry tsamsteg I'm 1Hs
| lings and all I'll" rum h" can drink"
lie broke Hr tai mapI" suplinE. and. rush
%T bS WhS h w" S9t aR1 h 9S
self into rag" and tho poor cattle. were Dig
ing bank tho fraycd snuD line parted and tho
Brtssy began To keel over. Cumming! saw the
list; and. running back. placed MS shoulders
he could hold the schooner on an even keel un-
I'll the lin" was m,endr The tenmsters. see.
Ing him put gu; his giants strength forgot
was riskng his If" Tor his weasel Tn" moment
the oxen stopped pulling the Bctsey topped to
starboard. crushing Cummings to the ground,
and, making two comll"t" Solnersaults, landed
in the gully twenty rods iI"low.
1t was year before Cummings was able to
get out doors again. Though, crippled for life,
ways for tho launching Of the B"tsry. As the
schooner had fallen t" the hot'9n Of narrow
Cummings was trying T.! accomplish al impos-
sihle ina is Hn in .hp' 2 adIiCS and reasoning
stranded craft until hi, wife. diod in 1860.
Then he gave NJ III" idea Of launching the
there from daylight to dark. drinking rum
out Of black Jug In the locker and playing
Kin ,%M @ T RI" h @%hy hs E%g1 K%Tp
hlyays sraiCl down and her hull aud deck duly
EninteI and ,cak"d while the Old man lived.
| When h" died SIX years ago At tn" age of SO.
his sons allow"d tn" schooner t. 90 10 decay.
Her decks became ShrvrlI"d aud warped and
TIA" ralk ing Tell ont from n" seams. 50 her hull
wa, converted into an icrhouS" Meantime
til" woods had been cut awayan the land con-
verified into hay field.
THIS summer Alexander Cummings, the
fourth Of the name and tn" EHu isOn Of the
Shiphuilisr went On board the B"rS"y and
found Tint swarm of h@g"r hoes had taken
possession Of tn" cabin Wh,'e h" was irving
to smoke them ont and got the honey. the Bet
10Y caught fire and was burned TO the ground.
III" ole men vii" worked AZ her building say
thar she wa tilnI u0 waiting 10 q" launched
and pcrish"d from spontaneous combustion.
The Skirui Negro SI"dgemnn.