Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-03-23

Boston, March 22.-An appalling
total of 1919 lives and "a vessels have
been sacrificed to the storms and
treacherous coasts Of New England
and the maritime provinces for the
winter just ended. according to Stats
tics compiled by The Associated Press
today. of the vessels, no account has
been taken Of the dozens that have
been driven ashore but later foated
and repaired at an expense, including
the charges of the wreckinG com
panies, but little less than the cost OF
new craft, and the figures 90 not in
clude the loss in Connecticut waters.
The long list OF dead is swollen out
of all proportion to those of many pre-
vious years by the sinking OF the
steamer LarchmOnt in Block Island
sound the might of Feb. II, with AN
estimated loss Of $50 lives. This was
the one great disaster Of the year in
these waters, the remaining victims
Of the winter having been picked off
principally in ones and tWCs, the larg-
est loss of life in any other single
wreck occurring in the laundering this
month Of the Newfoundland schooner
Harry Louis with her entire crew OF
eight men.
While the winter has been one of the
coolest and most clustering for Years
on lands. seldom has the extreme cold
affected the mortality of the sea more
than the season just passed In the
medical report on the LarchmDnt hor-
ror the physicians found that in nearly
all instances the victims had met their
death by freezing. In the provinces
particularly has the cold finished the
work of the waters and sailors reach
ing shore from their stricken ships
nave succumbcd to the icy blasts Oh
some bleak and uninhabitcd beach.
Next to Block Island sound. with the
overwhelming balance of the Larch-
mont victims to it's record and with
only two other lives lost in it's waters
comes tn" wild coast Of Newfoundland
with 10 lives sacrificed. Cane Goa ana
Massachusetts bay have been respon-
sible for the loss of - lives. Nova
Scotia II and Maine 4.
As usual, the Nova Scotian coast has
proved the most disastrous to shipninr
its rocks and treacherous currents This
year claiming 16 vessels. New Found
land was not far behind and with n
large and adventuresome fishing fleet
lowering around its banks. its storms.
its fogs and ice have exacted 4 toll of
Ia craft. Nine vessels have been
wrecked in Massachusetts waters. six
on the granite lodges Of Maine. eight
within the vicinity Of Rhode Island and
one on the limited coast of New Hanp-
shire.
In nearly every instance the loss has
fallen upon the Coastwise vessels. those
OF American register being the heaviest
losers. with % ships and 175 lives.
while the British loss was IS ships and
"a lives. The French are the only other
nationality represented in the list. the
barkentine Emile and Rea having
been lost on the Nova Scotian coast in
December. The schooners being in
great numbers. have suffered the most,
So being lost as compared with l.
barges. steamers and the barkentine
above mentioned. February was the
stormiest month. when 166 lives were
lost and even excluding the LarchmOnt
list it still mad 16 to compare with i
lives lost in January. the next ranking
IltIllH Ill punt VI stNtic NCdliltl anu
casualties.
That more lives have not been lost
has been due largely to the govern
nlent's elaborate system of safeguard
ing shipping through the weather bu-
reau with its storm warnings and the
coast guard. Rarely has the courage
and devotion of the members of the
United States lifesaving service been
better demonstrated than in the work
of the Block Island lifeSaving crews in
the Larchmont wreck. The Larchmont
was rammed by the schooner Harry
knowlton off Watch Hill and while
the crew of the Knowlton succeeded in
saving themselves by Bleaching their
vessels, the Larchmont went down in
side of nalf an hour. The night was one
of the coolest of the winter. OF the
scores of passengers and crew who left
the ship in boats. on RATS and pieces
of wreckage. dozens died from freezing
and the survivors, nearly dead them
selves. drifted helplessly ashore on
Block Island.
The kecn-eyed coast patrol sried the
Grst ~ tI,a Is,J,nn tc ard ullin1r iDtD tho