The Portland daily press., 1900-09-19
The Barge S. L. Watson
Sunk.
Not Known Whether Her Crew
Went Down With Her.


Highland Light, Mass, September 18.
The tremendous seas which followed
last night's easterIy storm made naviga-
tion around Cape COD hazardous pro-
ceeding today and before the sun set to-
night, there had been one wreck and one
lie lost, possibly more. For suddenness
and energy the gale which lasted through
eight hours, was almost a record breaker
and it caught IL it's rough embrace the
fleet of tugs and barges which left Boston
or the Vineyard yesterday, anticipating
good trip over the shoals. This morning
the wind had not abateu from the terrific
velocity which had all the shrieking char
acteristios of the equinootials on the
Grand Banks, and AS the tugs came out
from the shelter of the shoals and at.
tempted to round the end of Cape Coo.
they got all the wind and sea they cared
to stagger under. That only the Reading
barge S. l.. Watson was lost perhaps with
her entire crew of three or four men.
seemed almost remarkable to the several
life saving. crews along the Cape and to
the hundreds Of Cape Cod folks who,
Drawing the gale, stood out on the bluffs
at Highland light, and watched the bat
tie for life going on just outside the
breakers between Racs Point and Peaked
Hin bars. The tug Joshua Lovett OF the
Commercial Wharf company, towing
barges Alice and Weenawken, was well
around Race Point when the gale began
and was able to bear up for Province
town. Following her closely was the Del
aware and Lackawanna tug Scranton,
with barges Pequest Tobyhann and
Chanango. She too, after a struggle,
reached safe anchorage.
| Then came the Hokendaqua of the Bee
Line company with barges Bonita Bal
loon and Boyant. The storm caught her
in it's fury as 1t did the Gladiator, towing
the S. l.. Watson and Stroudsburg off the
whistling buoy at Peaked Hill bars,
while just behind came the Bee Line tug
Wyalusing with the barges Bangor.
Buffalo and BIackbird. These three tows
headed into the gale with determine
ton to weather Race Point If their yes
sells would hold together. Every moment
the wind grew wilder, the sea roug her
and for hours these tugs battled against
odds that were slowly but surely over
coming them. The Wyalusing was the
first to meet disaster, when at 1890 a.
m, the big hawser which held her in
tow, unable longer to stand the strain
snapped like thread of yarn and her
barges went adrift in the seething sea
that foamed and roared about them. 1t
was wonderful that they did not go right
into the white streak Of foam which
marked the outer breakers, but the wind
caught them full and whirled them away
to the southeast, although the tide set
them slowly towards the shore. OH
Welldeet finding that he could not recov-
er the barge. .Blackbird, the captain of the
tug advised those on the barge to let go
the anchor and if need be save them
selves in their boat.
Captain Kelly and his crew cut loose
the big mud-hook and as the chain was
rattIing out OF the hase-hole, the barge
came up into the breakers. The anchor
held and for the time the barge
was safe, but her perilous posi-
Uion must have made Captain
Kelly ana the deck hands think that she
would go to pieces for they Immediately
got into the dory and lowered it with the
idea OF making the shore. But no Ord1n-
airy ships boat could live in that heave
and roll OF water and the dory went over