The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1904-08-12
MAINEs MopERN P1RATEs.
And the Way They Descended on the

And the Way They Descended on the
Wreck Of the City of RockIand.
When a steamboat is wrecked on the
coast of Maine. then is a grand harvest
time for the fishermen and other coast
jewellers, who are described by the
steamboat men as pirates.
The wreck on Gangway Ledge, Penob-
scot Bay, of the big sidewheeI steamer
City Of RockIand affored the coast
pillagers a chance to get rich quick on
small scale. for the Rockland carried
a great cargo Of miscellaneous mer-
chandise, including everything from
laces to canned peaches and from
whisky to a $1,000 automobile. The
steamer struck at $3.50 a. m, in thick
fog, and it was three hours before her
passengers were taken off. Shortly
after ward the crew and all but one or
two Of the officers left, so that tbe
steamer and her rich freight were an
easy prey to the wreckers. In six hours
she was surrounded by a feet of small
boats estimated to number 200 sail. and
q wild scramble for the abandoned
wealth began. Clothing, jewely, sill
verWare, furniture. carpets, linen and
draperies were taken and thrown heller
SHELTER into the dories and smacks and
the began the pillaging OF the freight
deck.
Maine is prohibition State, but the
coast pirates like whisky, and they
found plenty of that and other LIQUORS
in the cargo. When a cask of whisky
or a a barrel of beer was discovered
there followed desperate fight for
ownership, and many man went over
board in the struggle. One fisherman
managed to fill his dory with whisky
and had got half way home with it
when he fell in with smack headed for
the wreck, on board of which were 10
men. The salvor of the "hot water,
was foolish enough to wave a bottle OF
the whisky at his friends on the smack.
Whereupon they at once hove to and
went after him in their dories. Then
followed naval battle. Men piled into
the whisky dory without the least re-
gard for their safety, and hand to
hand fight began for possession Of the
liquor Boathooks, oars and fists were
used, and several Of the men received
severe cuts, while two went overheard
and, burdened with their heavy boots
and oilskins. came near drowning. The
upshot of it was that the smack crew
captured all Of the whisky except two
barrels, which, in the sea that was run
ming, they could not handle conyenient-
".
The bay was covered with freight Of
all description most of which was picked
UP but some of which fioated away to
line the shores from Owls Head to Mo
hogan. The natives are feasting on
California fruits, which bob about in the I
water for miles, and the children of the
bay Islands pelt each other with pears
peaches and cantaloupes. Humble
dwellings, along the shore are now digni- I
lied with mahogany furniture and vel
vet carpets, lace curtains and the like,
while the barns and fish houses are /
stored full of all kinds Of goods. on 1
which the fisherman expect to get high
salvage. The freight of the Rockland
was worth about $4,000, and not much
# it will be saved without damage.
When the steamer Cambridge was
wrecked on Old Man Ledge February
q, 1885, somilar harvest was gathered 4
n by the coast wreckers, who on that
occasion, the wreck being the more sud
len complete, got all there. was in the 4
largo, the company recovering only Il
What 1T could pick UP along the shore at
ugh salvage. Many Of the fisherman /
n that occasion concealed the goods 4
hey had picked up, having an exag-
'erated notion of their value, and Is re-
uired great coaxing and some detective
YORK to discover the whereabouts Of L
much of the freight. The plano 81 the
cambridge was taken over to Monhegan
Y the crew Of a lobster boat, and there
nth three of its legs knocked off, was
anded on the beach
A man from Bangor who went down
9 get a story of the wreck played "The
Towers That Bloom in the Spring"
hen popular, for the ediflcation of the
ionheganites, and they were delighted
eyond measures. They thought the
iono was worth 1000, and demanded
nat much for 1t, but the steamboat
ompany was not at all anxious to get
le instrument back, and it still remains
n Monhegan, minus three legs, but still
apable of emitting fearful sounds
,anpnr .atter