The Republican journal., 1907-10-24
Passing Of Searsport Commanders,

The passing of the Searsport CON-
manders of full-rigged ships is worthy
of note, writes our correspondent. The
resignation of Capt. Phineas B. Blanch-
ard from the command of the ship Ban
galore, which arrived some time ago
from Honolulu, and who is about to
enter the EN- loy of the American
Hawaiian Steamship Co. of New York,
leaves SARrsport to-day without single
commah Ter of full-rigged ship. The
first commander of full-rigged ship
from Searsport was Captain Jeremiah
Sweetser, 1st, who had the ship Henry
Leeds of $40 tons built for him at the
Marsh stream in Prospect in 1884. She
was followed by the ship Vistula of 365
tons, built for Capt. Phineas PendletQn
at the Head of the Tide in Belfast in
1887, and the ship Dunbarton of 400
tons, built for Capt. Nathan Pendleton
in Belfast in 1S41. In 1910 the first ship
built in Prospect, now Searsport, was
the Benjamin Aylmar of $40 tons for
Capt. Benz. Carver From 1884 to 1907,
inclusive, a period of 70 years, Sears
port furnished $50 commanders of full
rugged ships. In 1885 she had SO COM
manders of full-rigged ships in active
service, being one-tenth of the ships
sailing under the United States flag.
One of the most northern ports ever
visited by Searsport shipmaster was
Vladivostock in Siberia by Capt. Sewell
Lancaster in the ship William j. Rotch
with a cargo of flour from San Fran
cisco in the '9O's The command of the
Bangalore was offered to several Sears
port shipmasters who have been ashore
for some years and had settled down
to a good easy life, which they prefer
red to the pyramidal seas of great SYM
metrical beauty and snow storms ex-
perienced off Cape Horn in a coal laden
ship. 1t is reported that Captain Col
ley of Thomaston has been placed in
command of the Bangalore, which is
to load coal at Baltimore for Honolulu.
At the present time ships are not so
numerous off Cape Horn as they were
on the night of the 10th of August, 1890,
when the ship st. Marys, commanded
by Captain Jesse T. Carver of Sears
port, is supposed to have collided with
the Boston ship Magellan, which was
afterward seen abandoned and the fate
of her crew never known. The st.
Marys, in endeavoring to reach Port
Stanley, Falkland Islands, struck a
rock at the entrance to the port and
became total loss. Capt. Carver died
on the 18th of August. Capt, Drum
mond in the ship George Curtis report
ed that there were Is ships in sight at
shutdown the night before the St. Mary's
was in collision.
The smallest ship commanded by a
Searsport captain was the Vistula of
365 tons, and the largest was the ship
May Flint of 3,2ss tons, commanded
by Capt. Edward D. 2. Nickels. Capt.
Phineas Pendleton, End, who was born
August 20, 1906, and died July 10, 1895,
had command of more vessels than any
other shipmaster-25 in all, including
seven ships, as follows: Vistula, Char
ter Oak, Solferino, Bosphorus, B. F.
Carver, Phineas Pendleton and Alice
Buck Phineas Pendleton, 3rd, had
command of eight ships, as follows:
David Brown, Bosphorus, r. B. Fuller,
Nancy Pendleton, Manuel Llaguno, st.
Elizabeth and Henry B. Hyde.
Captain John W. McGilvery had COM
mand of eight ships, as follows: Premier,
LIST, Premier, End, Oneida, Republic,
Rembrandt, Pharos, Wauchusetts and
Wandering Jew. Capt. Joshua B. Mich
OILS had command of six ships, as fol
lows: n. Boynton, John Bunyan, G, B.
Carver S. p. Hitchcock, A. G. Ropes
and Henry B. Hyde. Capt. J. c. Nick
els had command of six ships as follows:
E. Sherman, Wild Rover,
Resolute, Moonlight and Henrietta.
Capt. James P. Butman had command
of seven, as follows: John Bunyan, Will
liam H. Conner, Abner Coburn, Gov.
ROBBIE, Elizabeth, Henry B. Hyde and
E. B. Sutton.