Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-03-01
FROSTBITTEN AND EXHAUSTED.
Terrible Experience Of Crew Of Schooner Mail
OF the Maine Coast.

Late, Tuesday afternoon, the crippled
Boston schooner, Mail, Capt David !.
Copes, was towed into Portland, and
the experience of her crew can be safe
ly set down as the worst reported
along the Maine coast. this winter. The
crew consists of Capt. Copes, Mate
Henry Macomber, Steward Daniel Eng
Iish ana Seamcn Robert Mcdonald and
Peter Coyne.
They left Digby, n. S. for Portland,
with a cargo Of pulp, Feb. IL, and en-
countered storm after storm, and the
vessel spent the greater part Of the
time lodging in and out of harbors.
I'VE never had such weather. said
t he captain. They put into Cutler, Ma
chias Bass Harhor. Fox island and
Seal Harbor, ana left the latt-r port,
Monday morning. at 6. with every pros
pcct Of a good trip the rest Of The way
to Portland.
They had just four hours Of good
weather and then ran into a storm. TIL
wind was a gale. it was fearfully cold,
and from the time the storm struck in
the men suffered constantly.
There was a heavy vapor. making it
impossible to see even a few feet ahead
waves broke oyer the vessel constantly
and the night was one Of terror The
spray froze wherever il touched. ana
while the men worked for long hours
cutting away the ice. before morning
the vessel was cncumbered with many
tons.
"a Il FI-tr.,
the crew managed to reach Half Way
rock, but there the hcadsails blew
away the captain was suffering from
a bad injury and the mcn Wer" used
up and could do but little.
They set signal Of distress. which
was seen by the crew of the lobster
steamer Nina ana Lizzie. capt {. H.
Beal of Jonesport. The steamer part
er a hawser in an attempt to take tn
schooner in toW. ANA capt. Beal said ii
was fortunate the hawser broke, for
her condition was such that the
schooner could never have been tow ed
to Portland
The signals We're also seen by the
life saving crew of the Popham beach
station, and they went at once u the
schooner's assistance. When they
reached the schooner her wornout CREW
gave up the fight. Peter Cnyne's hand
We're frozen, and during the morning.
Copes got his right hand So badly
damned i'll the main sheet that it was
helpless
Had not help reached US just as il
did" said the captain. I'VE should
have gone down with the schooner. We
could not have kept her atloat an hour
longer. We had to cut the halyards in
order to get the foreslil down. We
Were entirely played cut ana helpless"
The men Of the life saving station
took charge of the wreck. for ii was
but little better. They sent the cap
tain and crew below, ana taking the
place Of the Wornout men worked the
vessel into Portland. Even with their
help it was a long and desperate fight
and they hardly knew whether She
could reach that city.
All her remaining sails are split.
head gear is carried away, a boat on
deck was smashed by big wave and
the huh was almost torn apart by the
sea ana ice. The men Of the life saving
crew say they never saw a vessel in
such 4 condition before.
1t will take capt. CopeS and his men
a long time to recover from the effects
of their fearful trip. and in advance.
of taking out her cargo ii is impossible
To say what can be done with the
schooner. She is owned by &. q. Ross.
l35 Commercial street. Boston.