The Portland daily press., 1899-10-05
UNKNOWN SAILOR DEAD.
Monument win he Erected al vineyard
Haven to the victims Of Wrecks, Acct
dents and Diseases.

A monument to the unknown sailor
dead Is to be erected in Vineyard Haven.
IL will be the iiiss Of its kind OH tho At
lsntic seaboasd. and will be a unique tes-
timonial Of the regard OF the men who
earn their living from the eea for tina
comrades who will "go down to the sea"
no mere.
The idea of erecting some memorial
over the graves OF the victims OF wrecks
In and about Martha's Vineyard sound
belongs to some of the mariners and those
interested In the shipping of Vineyard
Haven, says the Boston Globe. Conspiou-
Gus among the latter Is the superint endsnt
OF the Seamen's bethel OF tbs Haven,
Madison Edwards. The bethel is branch
OF the good work being accomplished by
the members of the Boston Seamen's
Friend society, ard was established about
10 years ago
The money which Ia to build the monu-
nent Is to come mainly from the sailors
among the crews OF the coastwise ship
ping that made the sound the third larg-
est waterway In the world. For many of
these vessels, Vineyard Haven Is the first
harbor OF refuge made for whenever
storm begins to blow. IL Is the haven,
too, that Jack Identities as nearly as any
thing else with his rscollectloDs OF home
for he has anchored there more often than
In any other port along the coast.
The quiet old town Is likewise the per-
manent habitation of many retired mar
liner who Tor years has been accustomed
to choose 1t as the place to pass his de-
clining days.
The proposition of building such a
monument has brought to light an inter-
esting custom not generally known out
side the limits OF the town. The custom
referred to Is the manner in which the
bodies Of unknown sailors who die In the
harbor, or who are washed ashore from
wrecks In the sound, are disposed of. No
spot OF consecrated earth has hitherto
been granted them, but after the "a hours
prescribed by law for keeping them above
ground had passed, some three or four
kindly disposed citizens, usually led BY
The superintendent of tine bethel, would
dig grave In the Deighporing woods
and place the remains there In their last
port. Neither token or sign Of the man
who lay below was often placed over the
rough grave.
In these unmar ked graves IN the woods
twelve Of the under titled victims Of
wrecks have been laid away during the
past half dozen years.
"There was nothing else to do. az Mr.
Edwards explained it. 'We would gladly
have laid them away In thR cemetery over
In the other side Of the town, Tut no lots
were reserved there Tor them. Whenever
q body was washed ashore or some sailor
died as the result of an accident while
In the harbor. the first thing we would
do was to lind out II possible where he
hailed from or who his relatives were.
II We succeeded in ascsrtaining this We
at once communicated with bis family
and would keep the body till 1t WINS
clnimed.
"But Jack Tar usually carries about
his person little or no means OF identid-
cation. so We were left no other alterna-
tive but tn bury these unclaimed ones out
there In the woods, where few of the
boys would dig grave and say prayer
tor the poor fellow when we laid him
away.
"But now things are going to be
different We have secured large lot
out in the cemetery where all these I'M
known sailors are to be buried hereafter
1t Is over this lot that we ipe to erect
the monument when we get enough
money to go ahead"
The cemetery lies toward West Chop
the fashionable summer home of SO many
wealthy Bostonians. Il l. somewhat re-
move from the sea, but still In sight of
the water
The design has not yet tesn determined
upon, but 1t Is to be of simple charac-
ter. typical of the lives of these men
which 1t Is meant to commemorate -
Boston Globe.