New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-13

have been of the many haling from Provincetown
that have gone down into the sea
Provncetown is place full of stories of wrecks and
of ships that have sailed from port and returned
more The Cora S. Mckay sailed for the Grand
Banks with a of thirty, and was never heard of
again. This in May, 1900 and since then three
of the PrOVinCetOwn fleet have shared her fate.
The Provincetown fleet sail for the Grand Bank
fisheries off Newfoundland in April May. and if the
ships return at all they arrive back in port in Sep
TENDER October The Grand Banks abound in
cod; but also in storms, and many a stout ship has
suffered a change after being driven by fierce
gales upon reef shoal Many is the tale of wrecks
and harbreadth escapes off the Grand Banks told by
the hardy fishermen.
But it is not only at the Grand Banks that the
ships of the fleets exposed to dangers for they
fish in many other waters and there grave perils
near home. Off the Race Point Lfe-Saving Station
about five miles from the Long Point light, which
marks the turn into PrOvnCetown Harbor, is the
terrible Peaked Hill Bar gruesomely and deservedy
known 1.-THE Graveyard of Cape Cod for this
bar has been strewn with numberless wrecks and is
regarded as the most dangerous all coast
All along the coast from the Race Point light
the Wood End light about two miles from Long
Point there is series of lifesaving stations Hardy
patrol the beach from the different stations and
meet at certain points. The stations are connected
with each other and with ProvinceOwn by telephone
in of a wreck anywhere along the coast of
it be quickly made known and help summoned.
But at times i'll great storms the wires swept away
great clouds of sand driven by the winds almost blind
the patrol; and such nights these God help the
ships that the bars!
On such night, that of November 27, 1903, the
steamer Portland dashed to pieces the bars,
and her wreckage and dead strewed the beach for
miles in the vicinity of Provncetown. One hundred
fifty souls lost with this ship that terrible
night, and there not a survivor left tell the
tale OF her Stranding But disaster confined
to the loss of the Portland for it extended even the
shipping at anchor in Provncetown harbor
1t was a Saturday evening, and there was large
gathering of coasters and fresh fishermen the harbor
while large fleet OF dOgger and small craft rode
safely at anchor when darkness fell At daybrca the
Sunday following major part of big and small craft
were sunk at anchor. piled high the shoals the
west end of the harbor, drifting helplessly
down into the breakers Twenty-Five men of the
crews of the vessels drowned in that terrible
gale and Others rescued with the greatest diff
Guilty. The damage to the shipping enormous
and brought ruin to many home in Provincetown
and vicinity Luckily the vessels were in harbor
the major parts of the had come ashore or the
loss of life would have been greater than was In
deed, all along the of Cape Cod was thickIv
perhaps the that has swept the cape since the
landing of the Pilgrims, will not soon fade from the
minds of those who experienced it.
But wrecks and disasters are old old stories to the
dwellers at this extreme end of the cape Away back
In revolutionary times the Hateful Peaked Hill Bar
was the scene of an extraordinary wreck About a mile
eastward of the le-savng station buried beneath
these sands lies the wreck of the English gate Somer-
set Authentic records give the information that the
Somerset was third-rate frigate built in Chatham
backwards, England and launched Tu1r