The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-05-18
A Lake Craft.
-gS Square Rigeer Seen in the Port
of Saco for Years.

! Fsss Square Rigeer Seen in the Port
of Saco for Years.
,Fiddeford Journal
rssr4 5 now wing at Island wharf in
}. one Of the queerest looking craft
srr came up Saco river. 1t would
ii. a greet stretch of the imagination
mrl Of Fer as somewhat resembling
historic ship of the Hon. Richard
he's the first white mans vessel to
rre waters of this historic stream.
HE raft now in the river is the top
,hao1er Oliver Mitchell of Port
Md Nea AS her hailing port would
hate. she Is a 'Laker, that is, she
;hjt &c one Of the Great Lakes and
Mia native laughter of salt water,
u. adopted. Her peculiar rig at
. attracted attention among the sail
ND near sailors of the port. Her
mast rigging, seen above the coal
d from Main street, led many to
h tt5t a barkentine was in port.
lIe rigging is now very rare in our
Is and anything approaching it is
VI raw he attention of lovers of
sea f sea stories and sea history.
.r-ft O. the Mitchell resulted in get
"a REF history of the vessel. Of
is anil sailors We're very obliging and
e .7eegfJiIy all the information
dit The Mitchell was built at Port
Ion. Mich, in 1873, and was designed
The grain carrying trade on the
les Her model is of the canal boat
and soc was very evidently built
a carrier as she carries COG tons of
Jon 26l tons register and II 2 feet
f. She IS very full built, round-bot-
led and has plumb stem like. the
ges 7ov so familiar. She is really
leg Her deck is almost flush, there
,ga GIT rise of one low step at the
n OF !uarter deck. Her cabin has
Nme If ber officers calls cottage"
dow Her forecastle is a small
Str structure on the forward deck
look much ike the "caboose" of
l7at.l craft and is not built into the
Y a9.l IN the way that forecastles
zaE are on coast vessels.
a- Alc6ell has three masts, the
@1ast 'elog considerably taller than
!o' 4lt mi2zen and the latter being
afgr aEh, and pole like looking stick
Li'5 lender topmast. The main and
-&a o1N rather 'naked," much of
ianHi4i rigging of our coast schoon-
lsng absent. There are no spring
@ o. 0afNstays and the gaff topsails
lv paw rop be shifted over, but take
1 Ut themselves.
No. has -ohg booms and gaffs and her
aal aft sails are of good size. The
asst POPULARITY about her rig is the
4'le rigging on the foremost. On the
9lsal ~chooners of the Atlantic
y '4srg was always fore and aft
w Tie toremast with one or two
- NJ 'opsalIs on the foretopmast. On
.AI,ehell there is the fore and aft
'@aI on the foremost but the topsails
i'o- Doth square in shape.
Jug yard fastened to the front of
.s"enast serves to extend the foot
II lo"er toretopsail, which is square,
I.aF from a yard of its own. This
+ loFetopsail yard in its turn serves
|@.snl The foot of the upper foretop-
sn!e1 has no yard of it's own but is a
|rs! shaped piece of cloth the peak
'r.l Is holsted up the foretopmast
'aole height of the sail when set.
l., Triangular sail is called by the
4 rally" and sometimes a
n u the rig of the Mitchell is
" sailors a "raffy." Where
%fiH originated is hard to say,
gu probably in the original mind
,|le 9'd sailor. No square fore
earned, though one might be rig
n. " Slt long lower yard.
M. Altchell is now in command of
N s'4 rogers and came to Saco from
h iaa'boy, N. j., via New York,
| j. Ioad Of coal. She came out from
-1 ", last fall via the St. Lawrence
/, p p canals around Niagara and
r Manageable places on the route.
i ' 81 brst to a stone port on the
|,o " Name, where she took. on a
krct VI granite. She was laid up
r ~ me winter. From Saco she is
sm mi windsor, N. S., to load cargo
Et1 e. Tor some coast city of the
M yates. The Mitchell is now
kGd u b. New York, though the name of
h MI pdlllng port, Port Huron, still ap-
n vi nef stern after her name.
\ VI two other lake built vessels
si,,;t; IN the port of Saco, and all had
~ Of rig which distinguished
n once from the coast built ves-
\ , hue Mitchell is the first one, how
h nea. mas shown any square rigging
h P PSi 10 Tor years. The old hermaph-
su m,g katahdin of Bangor was the
NIL 1ts'e figger that was anything like
kas }" visitor to Saco. AS to square
H. /, recent issue of the Maritime
Yo " d marine journal published in
brt 4 gave list of the vessels in
|sr,o u New York on a certain day
SM There was but one full rig
sm u the list. Steamers, schoon-
h.s Jarges have supplanted the
Ehpstks' barquentines and briggs.
Gt,' a mentioned the fact that so
4r1 aaoWn there was but one of the
IA , r clippers afloat under her
paaag' She is ship, under the
o II and with an Italian name in
liDn aer baptismal one. Most of the
tasrna.ss and others now afloat have
NAed into barges.