Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-09-19
RUM WAS FREE.
And Schooner Dora Mathews
Is a Total Loss.
Captain Undertook to Show New
Channel and Wrecked Vessel.
All Hands Saved in ereeches Buoy
A Maine Craft.

Chatham, Mass. Sept. 1S.-The three
masted schooner Dora Mathews. bound
from Newburyport to New York City
went ashore. at | o'clock Thursday
morning. on Logwood Hill bar. Off
Chatham. and will be total loss. The
captain and crew OF seven men We're
taken off in the breeches buoy
Considerable mystery is attached to
the circumstances surrounding the loss
Of the vessel. According to the state
ments of the crew who freely discussed
the situation after they had been res
cued by the men of the Monomoy life
saving station. the sailors had been
using liquor and from this remark and
others the life savers have come to the
conclusion that the conditions on board
the schooner must have been out of the
ordinary. All of the seven men con-
stituting the crew are negroes. the on
~ white man on board having been
Capt. Bonzey.
Although the crew We're removed
from the ship shortly after she went
ashore on the bar Capt. BonZey refused
to leave the vessel. There was con-
slant danger that the vessel would go
to pieces, but it was not until S o'clock
Thursday morning that the captain left
his ship. He stated that he did not
care to abandon the schooner until he
became assured that she would almost
certainly be total wreck.
Capt. BonZey refused to say any
thing. in regard to the allegations of
some of his men as to the conditions
existing on board the Mathews pre-
vious to the time that she was wrecked.
The Dora Mathews left Newburyport.
Wednesday morning. She had no car
go and intended to run for New York
City Nothing Of consequence oc-
CURED. until the schooner reached a
point of Chatham beach.
At A. NJ. Patrolman Edwin Stud
lev Of the Monomoy life saving station.
observed that the schooner was run
ming dangerously near to the shore. He
immediately burned signals to warn
the vessel of her danger. These sig
nails were not Needed and the schooner
struck very soon afterward on Log
wood Hill bar.
general alarm was sounded and
Capt. Ellis of the life saving station
with his crew went at once To the res
cue of the men on the ship. The life
saving apparatus was arranged and "
line was thrown out to the Dora Math-
ews. The schooner seemed to be in IL
bad position. and the life savers be-
lieved that the crew should leave the
vessel Immediately. The work of the
life savers was entirely successful and
in a short space of time the seven
members of the crew were landed on
Chatham beach.
Both crew and life savers were
greatly surprised that Capt. Bonzey
l.
in the breaches buoy at that time.
Some of the crew were very much
excited When they reached their place
of safety and talked incoherently Of
what had happened on board. One OF
the men declared that the crew had
wished to anchor. but that the captain
had refused. At the time Of the ac-
cident the vessel was proceeding with
4 fair wind. 1t is believed the loss OF
the schooner must have been due to u
miscalculation.
After Capt. Bonzey had been taken
from his ship. Thursday. preparations
were made TO strip the schooner since
it was seen that the vessel would break
up very soon. The crew of negroes ex-
pected TO leave for Boston on the after
noon train.
The Dora Mathews was built in Cam
den Me-, in 1852 and she was owned in
New York City. She was vessel or
So tons gross and 372 tons net. She
was 1876 feet long, SO feet wide and II
feet deep.
1t is now fairly well accepted that
liquor was free on board the vessel.
last night. Everybody on board had
Joined the vessel at Newburyport. yes
terday. Even the captain was new.
The mate. a Norwegian. says the trip
down the coast was made without In
CONTINUED on page 81