The Portland daily press., 1900-12-07

| Proyincetown, Mass, December 6.-The
Oueen of the Provinoetown Grand Banks
fishing fleet the Cora 5. Mckay, has been
given up for lost with all her crew OF
thirty souls, by the people of this fishing
town. Hoping against hope, after walt
ing and Watching for weeks, for mes
sage from the sea that might tell of the
disaster which befell the craft, the sad
hearted kindred Of the fishermen now say
the vessel Will never return. Every olr-
cumstanoe points to her destruction In
the terrible storm of September IL to
18th, known on lan5 as the Galveston
hurricane, which swept both land and
! seq ana rolled up q death list greater
than ever before was counted in this land
| from a similar cause " W.ss In this tar
rifle storm that the Provincetown
schooper of the same family name the
Willie A. Mckay was wrecked on Quero
bank. her crew being rescued save one.
The Cora S. Mckay sailed from here
last May with one of the best fishing
crews ever gotten together on the deck oil
a Provincetown fisherman. Her master
was Roger MathesoD, known and thought
well OF from Cape COD to New Found
land, a Nova Scotian by birth, but u
Provincetowner by choice for many years,
young in age, but veteran at his risky
calling. The crew were mostly from here
only claiming residence In other towns,
these latter being either Scotchmen or
Frenchmen. The Others, save the cook
and his son, who were Germans. were
Portuguese by birth.
The vessel went to Quero bank for God,
but from time to time came word that
the catch was disappointment. for COD
was singularly scarce on the banks,
where enormous drafts had been made In
recent years. The Mckay then sailed to
the Virgin Rocks and to her crew list
were added Fred Baker and Neil Mclean
from the Bucksport schooner Il. III.
Nicholson, which had a full fare and was
leaving for home. Fishing on the
Crooks proved but little better than
that on Quero bank, and 1t became ap-
parent that the voyage must extend far
beyond the usual limit in order to ac-
quire full load of cod. The craft had
taken about 5000 quintals and required
1000 quintals more TO finish loading, on
the morning OF September IL. On the
evening OF that uay a destructive gale
came down on the Grand Bank fleet 1t
was the last outpouring Of the terrific
storm that swept thousands to death In
the Gulf of Mexico and 1t lasted from the
evening OF the 18th to the morning OF the
14th, too long Tor some of the craft that
were caught within It's radius. The Cora
has not been seen since that gale. The
supposition Is that sne foundered at that
time. Her lights were ssen at the COM
meucemsnt OF the gale but they became
hidden later.
Some days after the gale a vessel came
up from the southward, This was the
Edith McIntlre of Boothnay, returning to
than one hundred miles. Her crew got o
glimpse of vessels anchor huoys upon
the surface OF the sea at distance ana to
this vacated set of moorings they present
Iy fastened their own craft.
The buoys bore the Cora's name and
marked the spot where that craft lay at
anchor at the beginning of the storm.
Inc Crews VI Noseots ehaO reeurneu 70 tho
''Rocks'p subsequent to the storm,
naturally expected that the big three
master Cora $. Mckay would presently
appear, for they considered her to be the
least likely of all the hundred which had
bean anchored there to succumb to the
gale. But the Cora 8. Mckay did not re-
turn, and later were found all the evil
dences of sunken craft That 1t was the
Provincetown fisherman there seems lit.
tie doubt, for she was not heard Of again
and until this day she has not returned
to port, necessity 1t would have been to
II she had lived out che gale. after losing
all her ground anchorage. The forcs OF