The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-10-08
MARINE RELICS.
Quarterboards of Many Unfortunate Yes
sells in Maine Mans Little Museum.

~~NssAS 49, >o~SAA~-
Entirely covered with ancient carved
nameboards from defunct vessels of all
descriptions, one side of the little work
shop of George S. WATSON, an author, at
Kittery Point, comes more nearly being a
miniature marine museum than anything
else in these parts. The collection was
made by Mr.. Wasson's younger son,
Lewis, now cadet at the Naval Acad-
envy, on numerous summer cruises Of the
family yacht Lorna along the Maine
coast.
At the top of the list is the massive
quarterboard of big West Indiaman,
the Daniel Pierson, which is now rotting,
with dozen of her sister ships, on the
beach in Tenants Harbor, Me. The
Pierson had but two masts, but was of
266 tons register, and had her after
house below decks, deep water idea.
! Next is the name of the Josie Hook, a
coasting schooner which was wrecked in
the Musselridge Channel several years
ago, and after being f1oated was towed
into Rockland, where she was found to
be not worth repairing.
The old schooner Medford comes next
On October 81, 1902, the Medford, lum-
Der laden, was abandoned full of water
off Boon Island, to be later picked up by
the fishing schooner Eliza A. Benner and
towed into Portsmouth Harbor, where
she was discovered to be literally falling
to pieces. When she was broken up,
soon after, her quarterboard fell into the
hands of the young souvenir hunter.
The Medford was built in 1913 and was
said to have engaged in blockade running
during the Civil War. Her ribs and
planking, together with those of another
schooner, the Bramhall, which met a
similar fate, are now built into a wharf
at Portsmouth.
Another name is that of the old schoon-
err Mentora, which lies dead on the banks
of the Penobscot river at Bucksport.
The Mentora, which was built in 1847,
was originally topsail schooner, and
was one of the very last on the coast to
send down her yards. Thirty years ago
she was one of nine of the rig owned on
the Atlantic seaboard
The name of the schooner Adeliza, Of
Portsmouth, is of much interest. This
vessel, big two-master, was command
ed by Mr. Wasson's next door neighbor,
Captain Charles w. Frisbee. On De-
cember IL, 1886, she was running for
home up Long Island Sound with cargo
of coal when she was run into by an I'M
known steamship. With a big hole in
her side she was navigated into the lee
of Fishers Island and anchored, where,
however, she soon foundered proving a
total loss.
The stern board of the 30-foot sloop
yacht Sabrina w., owned by Benjamin
D. Hyde of Boston, figures prominently
in the collection This yacht was wreck
ed at the mouth of Little Harbor on the
night of July 80, 1906, her crew of three
getting to shore on an air mattress. The
prize was obtained by crawling feet first
into the lazarette through hole in the
side and kicking off the stern, which was
in rather dilapidated condition. A few
days before the wreck the yacht name
had been changed from Sauquoit.
The slightly charred but elaborate
black and gold name board of the tug M.
Mitchell Davis of Portsmouth, is the
gem Of the lot. This tug, one OF the
finest on the northern coast, caught fire
at night several years ago, and her pilot
house was entirely burned, the name
board being the only thing saved. Her
total destruction, indeed, was narrowly
averted T. Burton Hoyt, the tugs cap
tain, is another next door neighbor of
the midshipman, so another addition to
the gallery was Forthcoming.
The name of the smart auxiliary sloop
Mystic Belle, one Of the few fishermen
remaining in the port of Kittery, is also
to be seen. She, unlike the others, met
with no accident to occasion the presence
of the name.
Two fgureheads also grace the collec-
tion-those of the schooner Delaware,
built in 1926, which ''died' several years
since at Bass Harbor, Me-, and the
schooner yacht Mona, wrecked at Kit
terry Point March 20, 1902.
Other interesting relics about the
premises, not to mention many IN the
artist-author's house, are fiagpole.
which was formerly the mainmast and
maintopmast of the Mona; landing pier
built Of wreckage from the schooner
Helen, wrecked at the harbor mouth
May 5, 1901; a ships bell from. the
Helen; carving from the stern of the
schooner Oliver Dyer, wrecked at the
mouth of the harbor November 26, 1889;
model bark, fully rugged, four feet
long, and sloop, five feet long, made
from the bowsprit of the schooner Geo.
w. Glover, burned in the harbor July ~,
1903, and three foot sloop made from
the mast of the British schooner Frank
lin Gould, lost outside in 1890. Since Mr..
Mason's younger son entered the navy
these latter craft have been leading
life of inactivity.
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