The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-01-01
WRECK|NG Of
THE SCHOONER
DAVIS PALMER
CAPT. M. D. M'KoWN, OF THIS
CITY, RECEIVES LETTER CIV
ING DETAILS OF THE LOSS OF
THE VESSEL COMMANDED BY
CAPT. LEROY MKoWN.

Capt. Manson D. McKown, OF TINS
city, whose son commanded the i've
masted schooner Davis Palmer,
wrecked in the recent Christmas bilz.
zard which swept the New England
coast, has received letter from Geo:
l.. Dillaway, an admiralty lawyer CT
Boston, telling of the wreck and the
loss of the master and crew OF men.
Capt. McKown has also received
news that the schooner Margaret
Haskell, in command of another son,
Capt. Eugene S. McKown, is safe, pc
ing reported off Marthas vineyard.
She sailed from Newport News on the
same date as the Palmer, but was
more fortunate in weatherlng the
storm.
Regarding the Palmer, Mr.. Dillaway
writes as follows:
Boston, Dec. %, 1909. '
Capt. Manson D. McKown, Pensacola,
Fla.
Dear Father McKown: I presume
you have received the telegram which
I sent to you today about the Davis
| Palmer. Roy left Newport News the
21st for Boston. Saturday morning
he came off the shoals in st1ff north
west wind and soon afteryard Perry
! III lne He'll ". Ddi GU IVA
lowed hO about two hours behind.
Roy was next seen passing Pamet
river by a tug and barges coming
to Boston. That is the last that was
seen of him. The Barrett ran into the
snowstorm and the gale which mad
then shifted to the northeast about
the time she passed Race Point Sat.
urday evening She came along and
made the Boston lightship and anchor
ed at two o'clock Sunday morning
The wind was not very strong then
but increased so that Dunton put
out both anchors and then dragged
until he was close to Minot's light
Barrett had a very hard time of it
Ali the deck houses were filled witt
water and the cabin companionwayE
broken in and they hardly expected
Ito reach shore, but she lived through
it all right and was towed in yester
dav in distress. Roy apparently came
right along and probably anchored
somewhere northeast of the Grave!
and it blew very hard all day Sunda!
with a thick snow storm so that owe
foot of snow fell in "a hours. Some
time during this time Roy evidentl.
met with disaster, for early Monda.
morning wreckage was found on HUI
Beach which led to the belief tina
she was lost. The first picked u
was the Palmer's iburgee and SOM
of her signal flags, some cabin door
and sheathing and later in the da,
, the name board off her starboart
Quarter was picked up on Pembertol
T beach. Search was made for her al
day but no other trace of her wa
, found until this morning, when tn
Portland steamer reported passin
five masts projecting from the waite
mile and a half southwest of tn
Graves and this has been confirme
I by a tow boat of the Boston Toy
e Boat company, which saw them on he
wav to Lynn. 1t seems now that Their
: is no doubt that this is the Palmer
i She is lying in about 80 feet of waite
: with her topmasts out and the to
n of her lower masts at low tide. NotI
ing has been seen of any bodies c
:: anv other wreckage. Of course, hi
D wife and sisters are very much pro-
q trated with grief and we all are, an
:, lthev have some slight hope that b
Il NAV have been taken off on som
thing so that he may be saved, but
}, do not think that there is niue
L chance OF tnaL.
II i kDON IIob sou Will clil lCCl Vel
y bad over this as we do here and
e do not know that l can say anythin
to soften the blow, but will have I
g trust to your own strong mind an
e belief in all seeing Providence. {
:. course. we here are very much co
c Icerned oTer Mamie and have to loo
a after her until the first shock of 10.
n is over.
- Roy had a great many friends her
a both in shipping circles and in Ma
= den. where he had a wide acquair
u lance in his connection with the NJ
I den club and Masonic lodge, and
u both of which he was well-knoN
II and popular. and we have had nur
7, ,berless inquiries and coincidence
u from his friends I will mail VI
e copies Of newspapers giving fuller pa
ticulars.
e Yours truly,
s GEORGE"