Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1910-12-14
CAPT. 0EoRas r. BusxER.

ssScVcA OOu1ty 0klpV0R Mikes
Poetry sad salt Water.
Fifty years spent at - only served to
Develop the poetic instinct In Cape. George
W. Bunker, Of the schooner George e.
wolcott, Of Portland.
Renowned - life saver, . veteran Of
the Civil war and the oldest Merchant
commander ON the New England coast, hs
has written many verses, chiefly about the
ocean over which he has roamsd for half
century, thus gaining the sobriquet OF
THE saltwater poet".
Although declining to reveal his age, be
admits having passed his ssventieth mile
stone. He was born ct Cranberry Isles,
and ID descended from . long line OF
sailors. A distant relative Of the poet
Longfellow, be never wearies in telling At
his boyhood days and the stories be heard
OF biz distinguished relative.
To his boyish fancy, the boats plying
back and forth on the Maine coast meant
that sonew here there was world grander
and broader than the little island ON
which he lived, and in his teens be
decided to find that world a. did his
ancestors.
Capt. Bunker smokes cigars, but says be
has yet to take his first drink of intoxicat-
ing liquors. He is the last OF six brothers,
and his home 10 in Portland when he il
not aboard ship. The early part of his
career was sailing between Maine ports
and Hayti. He built and was part owner
OF the Alexander Campbell, and for four
| teen years commanded her.
While OF Rock Island, with q cargo OF
stone, the Campbell sprung leak. There
was heavy gale, and Capt. Bunker saw
there was no hope OF saving the vessel.
He lowered the life- boats just a. the
barkentine went down, and managed to
reach shore with the crew.
Capt. Bunker commanded the big Bath
built schooner Alicia b. Crosby the night
the steamer Portland went down in
Massachusetts, bay, the King Philip was
lost and also many other vessels all along
the Atlantic coast. He was forty miles
Oh shore, but rode into the harbor Of
Portland late at night, and his schooner
was the only one that arrived there safely.
Years ago he found q coal schooner on
the Nova Scotia coast. She was disa bled
and covered with ice. Owing to the
vessels condition his crew had great
difficulty in taking OF the crew of the
disabled craft, but, as the captain says;
"I've RESCUED SO many crews and saved 20
many ships in my day that l just can't
recall the names OF all OF them.p
During the Civil war Capt. Bunker kept
constantly at sea in charge OF vessel. II
kept the flag flying through it ALL" says
he. He tells OF how he ran the blockade
and Of many narrow escapes he had.
During the Spanish war Capt. Bunker
visited the waters in which spain had her
warships, and he takes great delight in
telling how one night he almost ran into
one OF Spain's big cruisers, but saw her in
time and made good his escape.
The Onward, owned and built by Capt.
Bunker and his brother, WAS caught in
the big hurricane OF 1873 at Cow bay, OF
Cape Breton. The Onward parted her
chains, and was cast upon the rocks. Capt.
Bunker and his crew were in the water for
hours before they finally reached the
shore.
Nowadays it is getting quite tame and
uninteresting," said Capt. Bunker, with q
sigh. Zone day we see q ship and the
next day we ship a sea. Nothing in
particular happens now. 1t is not like
the old dayS, when we used to fight our
way about the seas"
Before the war with Spain Capt. Bunker
helped to save some OF the crew OF the
steamer j. w. Hawkins, which was
chartered by Cubans to carry 120 men
from New York to Cuba with q cargo of
military supplies to the patriots then
fighting against Spain.
The officials OF the United States were
evsded, but a storm arose and the old
steamer was doomed. Capt. Bunker, with
his schooner, was close by and saved many
OF those on board the Inflated Hawkins.
st was dangerous work." said Capt.
Bunker. "The sea was tremendously high
and the wind at hurricane pitch. The
Eleven men were drowned and the rest l
took aboard"
Since the death of his wife several years
ago, Capt. Bunker has written many
pieces OF verse on his wife and children
and his old home. Nearly all the captain 3
verses were composed aboard the schooner
which he has commanded Tor eleven years.
Capt. Bunker's sonnet, "Relief in
Tears" was inspired when storm bound
at anchor off Nantucket shoals while play
ing on the organ in his cabin the hymn,
~ Hear, Tonight, the Old Bells Chime"
This was fsvorite hymn Of his wife.
Here is a part OF the poem:
Think not tits weak to shed a tear, o thou
heroic man,
A weighty cross is hsrd-to bear; relieve it il
you can.
| Then let thy tears Of sorrow flow when grief
! be thy deep portion,
Nor heed, though others see thee bow in ten
derest emotion.
oh brave heart, 50 gentle thou, when griev-
ing for thy loved,
f, AS sorrow deep o'erwhelms thee, now thy
Low .lty is proved,