Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-09-02

capt Samuel Haskell of Deer Isle
was Il skipper of the sloop AMI all of
the victims were among the best known
among the summer people here and
were prominent in social and euuca-
tional circles in their winter homes.
The bodies of Lutte Kellogg aud
Miss Evans were recovered. There
was some hopes that Mr.. Hutchns
had been saved as the last seen of
him he was making a brave struggle
through the choppy seas towards Bar
rem island, nearby. a boat was sent
from this town tonight in the effort
to locate him if possible.
With Capt. Samuel Haskell, the
party of gay summer people started
out this afternoon for a sail in Penob-
scot bay. 1t was drawing near the
close of the vacation season for some
of them and they had planned this as
their last outing together. The sloop
was of the open" variety, that is it
had no deck forward and no cabin as
many of the small Maine boats have
and contained no ballast, as the party
of 10 weighed the boat down quite
heavily. and Captain Haskell, an ex-
perienced navigator in these waters,
thought the human ballast sufficient.
The party had scarcely been gone
an hour before the wind freshened up,
hceing the sloop well over and DASH
ing the spray upon the occupants.
much to their glee. There was no
thought of danger. until the afternoon
was drawing to a close, when Capt.
Haskell decided that the wind was
too heavy for his boat and the sea
too choppy, 50 he brought the boat
around and started track homewa"d.
All the party were perched high up
on the weather side as the sloop cut
through the waves with the water al
| most coming over the gunwale on the
lee side, when Capt. Haskell gave a
shout of warning that he was going
to tack, and then threw over the tillcr.
Just at this moment the boat rose
high upon wave exposing her to
the full brunt Of the wind A heavy
gust struck her and in a twinkling
the sloop was over on her beam ends
and the party of 10 was in the water.
For one brief moment it was every
one for themselves. Capt. Haskell,
however, took in the situation in one
quick glance He had been clinging
to the sheet and his tenacious hold
had not been loosened by the sudden
plunge into the ice-cold waters of the
Maine coast. He saw that the boats
tender was still rightsde up and
shouting to Prot Crawley and Henry
Evans, who were nearest to him, he
directed them to make for the tender,
doing so at the same time himself.
Prof. Crawley, however. still chung to
the overturned sloop. looking for his
wife, while Evans was trying vainly
to locate his sister.
In the meantime Haskell gained the
tender and had clambered aboard.
Cutting it loose from the overturned
sloop. he picked up the oars, and bring
ing the boat up near CraWley and
Evans helped them aboard, persuad
ing them that the only way they could
help the women folks was from the
row boat
But even then the women We're he
yond help Weighted down by their
water soaked clothes. and chilled
through by the cold waters, they had
been unable to keep themselves atioat.
Some of them had seized the person
nearest them by the neck and in some
instances they had gone down together,
clasped in each others arms
The three men in the tender found
that they We're almost as incapable Of
giving assistance in their boats as they
had been in the water. The wind was
too high and the sea too rough for
them to handle the small boat They
were in grave danger themselves ot be-
ing thrown once more into the water.
The upset. however, had been seen
from Eagle island. not far from the ac-
cident and as soon as possible a Sloop
was sent out to pick up the survivors.
They reached the tender just in time,
and pulled the three exhausted men
aboard. OF the rest of the party but
two were in sight. and the boat was
headed for them They were Lutte kel-
iogg and Miss Evans. Although the
rescuers worked vigorously over them
all efforts to restore life failed.
The boat was well back on it's way
to the island before the fate of Hutchins
was recalled. Then someone remem-
bered that he had seen Hutchins swim
ming strongly for Barren island. 1t
was too late then to change the boats
course for by that time the young man
had either gone to the bottom or had
managed to reach the rocks. The sur
vivors already in the boat were urgent
ly in need of attention.
Hutchins was student in the Ban
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