Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-01-16
Foundered off Maine Coast
MEN Battle with Waves.
For Nearly 28 Hours We're Swept
100 Miles in an Open Boat.
Steamer A. W. Perry Picks Them Up
lone of Best Five.Masters.


ed mariners and Negro stewardess.
the crew of the schooner Grace A.
Martin, which foundered yesterday 80
miles off Matinicus rock, were brought
to port here late today by the steamer
A. w. Perry. They were picked up aft
er they had been tossed about in an
open boat for q hours, with the tenn
perature near zero.
Covered with ice, unable to direct
the movements of the little craft, and
with but scanty supply of food and
wtaer the shipwrecked crew were al
most helpless. Four were so badly frost
bitten that they had to be taken to
hospitals on their arrival here. Mrs
Lorraine Phillips, the stewardess,
came through the ordeal in better
physical condition than any of her
companions.
The Martin, which left Norfolk Jan.
3, with a cargo of coal for Portland,
Me-, ran into the northwest gale off the
Maine coast Tuesday night. Under the
strain of the pounding seas she began
to leak dangerously. BY early morning
the weight of ice on her decks and of
water in her hold had produced a Sc
rious list forward.
Capt Wallace thought II possible
that his vessel might survive, and in
stead of abandoning her entirely,
dropped a gasoline boat over the side,
into which all on board scrambled. The
boat remained astern for time at
tached to the schooner, but as she
settled fast, all hope that she would
remain above water faded, and the
skipper was forced to give the order
to cut away.
Precaution had been taken to stock
the small boat will supplies and with
water and all the crew were we'll
clothed, but in the bitter weather con-
ditions they suffered greatly The en-
gine of the boat was iced up badly
and ii could not be operated, but as
they made little progress with the
oars, it was agreed that the engine
would have to be started in order to
bring them toward shore. They were
trying to thaw out the machinery,
sacrificing their little supply of water
in the process, when the Perry. from
Halifax, was sighted. The rescue was
accomplished without mishap.
Boston, Jan. 15.-A report of the
laundering of the Bath schooner Grace
A Martin off the Maine coast yester-
day and the rescue of II of her crew
from an open boat in which they We're
being swept to sea, by the steamer A.
W. Perry, Halifax for Boston, was re-
ceived here today.
The schooner sank 80 miles south
of Matinicus Rock. The Perry reported
the rescue of the crew by wireless.
The battle of the II men of the
Martin against several kinds of death,
for nearly "a hours in an open boat
100 miles off shore and in the bitterest
of winter conditions, was regarded to-
day as almost as remarkable as their
rescue by the Perry
From the point where the schooner
foundered to the Perry's course from
Halifax to Boston is so miles. which
represents the drift of the Martins
long boat from shortly after sunrise
Yesterday until about dawn today
The drift carried the boat over unfre-
quented waters until the course to
Halifax was reached, but steamers
along that ocean highway are COM
paratively few at this time of the
year.
The Grace A. Martin sailed from
Norfolk for Portland, heavily loaded
with coal, on Jan. 4. She was among
the fleet that was caught in the west
erly gale off Cape Cod on Monday,
but instead of running back under the
lee of the Cape her skipper decided
to continue across to the Maine shore.
The vessel was driven farther and
farther off shore Tuesday although
making some casting. until she was
nearly so miles off Cape Elizabeth.
1t is believed that two days of hard
pounding opened up her seams Tor
ward. The crew probably had sufh-
cient warning of the disaster TO take
some provisions and clothing before
jumping into their boat.
The Martin sank yesterday in near
ly 100 fathoms of water well Off Ma
tinicus Rock on which are the outer
most of the Penobscot Bay lights.
The deck watch of the Perry sigis4d
the longboat this morning and the
work of rescue was soon accomplished.
CAPTAIN Ellis of the Perry reported
to his agents by radio that he had
the crew on board and that they all
we're we'll.
The Grace A. Martin was Ave-
masted schooner, registering 267o tons
net. She was built at Bath, Me-, in
1904. i