Daily Kennebec journal., 1913-11-06
Found by Liner
With Sails All Set.

New Bedford. Mass, Nov. 1.-THE
faded yellow pages of the log books
Of the New Bedford whaling fleet fail
to record a mystery of the sea as baf-
fling as that presented, today. when
the revenue cutter Gresham towed
into port the Gloucester fishing schoon-
er. Annie II. Parker, which was picked
up. with all sails set, her hold filled
with fish, and without a soul on board,
60 miles east of the Nantucket light
ship. There is no trace of any of the
19 men composing the schoeners crew.
In it's details the mystery of the An
nie NJ. Parker recalls the case of the
Boston brig Marie Celeste, which was
found abandoned at sea. some 40 years
ago. and the fate Of whose crew was
never known.
The British steamer Astrakhan
bound from New York for France,
sighted the Parker. on Monday, drift
ing about with all sails set. Board
ing the schooner, the officers of the
steamer learned that she had evidently
been abandoned in haste. Four of the
eight deries usually carried on the
fisherman were "Nested" and lashed
to the deck. The other dories We're
missing The clothing and Valises of
the captain and crew We're found in
their hunks. 4 few burned pieces of
bread in the galley was all the food
found aboard, and indicated that the
crew had hastily gathered together all
available food. The schooner was not
leaking and appeared to be in perfect
Ia
that probably had been carried away
after the vessel was abandoned to
drift unguided upon the ocean. Salt
fish, valued at about Ssoe0. filled the
hold. \ prize crew fl ON the Astrakhan
was put in charge of the Parker and
started to work her into port, and on
reaching the Nantucket lightship the
crew were permitted to moor their
craft to that famous beacon, and a
wireless message for a convoy was
sent To shore. The revenue cutter
Gresham answered the wireless call
and towed the schooner into port. ar
riving here, today. after a hard bat
tie against a southeast gale.
From the owners of the Annie NJ.
Parker, the Gorton-Pew Fisheries Co,
of Gloucester, it WAS learned that the
schooner sailed from, sydney, \. s..
for her home port, on Oct. 26, after a
fishing trip TO the New Foundland
Grand Banks. She was in command of
Capt. Vincent Nelson, one of the ables-
shippers sailing out of Gloucester and
was manned by a crew of Is men.
The owners could offer no explana-
| tion for the abandonment of the yes-
sell The men that make up the fish
ing fleet are traditicnally famous for
standing by their craft as long as it
will stay afioat. and the uninjured con-
dition Of the Parker gives no indica-
| ton that she was at any time in dam
ger of sinking.
| On this account it Is thought unlike
| iy that the vessel was buffeted by the
same storm that forced the abandon
rnent of the schooner Gypsum Empe-
ror a few days ago. When the crew
were taken on board the Hamburg
American Line steamer Barcelona,
bound for Hamburg. The Gypsum En-
peror was later reported as drifting,
dismasted derelict.
There is a possibility that the crew
of the Parker was picked up by some
sailing vessel Had they been taken
on board a steamer, it is probable that
the rescue would have been reported
| by wireless. Capt. Nelson, the Par
kers skipper, was about As years OF
age and had passed practically all his
life as a Gloucester fisherman. His
wife and family live at Salem.
The Annie NJ. Parker was built al
Essex. Mass, : years ago. She reg
| isters 100 tons net.