The Washington bee., 1902-02-08
AN OLD FIGUREHEAD
1t Tells the Story of Wreck and a
Sailors Romance.
The Carved Bust OF Edith Lorne sim
Rests at Bakers Bay, Wash, Its
Time-WOrn Head Pointing
to Scotland.


High up on little platform in
front of an old shack overlooking
Bakers bay at Ilwaco, Wash, is an
old fgurehead. 1t leans forward as
is characteristic with figureheads, and
points toward Scotland. 1t is the
form of a woman, a strong-faced,
strOng-armed woman, with rugged
features and stern expression. The
figure is sawed off just below the
waist, and this, too, is a part of the
story.
More than 20 years ago, when the
channel at the entrance of the Co
lumbia was less known and more dam
gerOus than now, the alarm was
spread along the beaches at the en-
trance from the ocean among the
small population of fishermen that a
ship had gotten within the two-mile
limit, and was drifting merciIessIy
to the sands. The people ashore
slgnaled frantically to the sailors,
and they, in desperation, signaled
back, but they did not understand
each other. and the ship went on to
its doom. 1t soon lost the course Of
the channel, and a little later stuck
its nose in the sand, and the heavy
breakers drove it on and on until the
hull was almost buried and she was
filling with water. The men dared
not risk, their small boats in the
fOaming breakers, and they clung to
the masts. The water rose higher
and higher, and the vessel sank her
nose deeper and deeper in the sand.
The shipwrecked crew waved more
frantirslly to the people on the shore,
and the people on the shore waved
more fTantically back. But it was
useless. At early dawn the follow
ing morning they were seen working
about the deck, which was now high
bedded deep in the sand. The fish
ermen went to their rescue. Their
cargo was principally ballast, and
they had but little to bring ashore.
1t was utterly hopeless to save the
ship. They are rarely ever saved
when once imbedded in these sands.
After the last load had been sent
ashore the captain began TO work on
the tigurehead.
Il must save this, at least" he said.
He worked at it long time. They
are put on substantially. But he sue
ceeded and brought it ashore. The
E1I 10 h.a 10 nd
but before going he left the figure
head in the care of fisherman, with
the injunction that he should take
good care of it until he called for it.
81 shall try to cake it with me on my
! return, but if l do not, will some day
make this port and shall call for il"
| he said.
But the captain took train to
| New York and sailed from there to
his home The old fisherman took
| the figurehead to his shack and kept
it for many years-until his death
but the captain of the vessel-it was
| the Edith Lorne-never called for his
property. 1t became common prop
| erty in the community. It's history
was forgotten by all but few. In
| the course of time it was carried
from place to place as some one took
| a fancy to it. Then it was stolen.
! The fishing industry was now on a
boom and a large number of men
were employed there. The old shack
used as a messhouse stood on high
] palr no
| The fisherman stole the fgurehead
| from its last claimant and started to
| place it on a little platform high up
in front of the shack. The figure was
too tall, and they sawed it off below
the waist, still giving it the forward
| inclination.
One day upon the arrival of the
boat from Portland gruff old
| Scotchman came. He saw from the
wharf his figurehead adorning the
| shack of an "Onery" land lubber, as
he called it. 4 little closer, and he
! discovered that his Edith had been
! desecrated by land lubbers. She had
| been sawed off below the waist. He
| looked at the statue for moment,
wiped away a tear, probably the first
for years, and turning without a
word went aboard the local steamer
and returned to Portland.
There was all kinds of speculation
there at the tiIae about the matter.
Some people said they thought it was
the image of his wife; others thought
if was the image of his daughter, but
il was afterwards learned that he had
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