The Republican journal., 1916-09-21
ChlIQren CrY
FOR FLETcHER'S
CA ST0RlA
SHIPPERS WIFE AT HELM.
And With the Daughter, assists in Getting
the Leaking Schooner Herman F. Kim
ball into Port

And With the Daughter, assists in Getting
the Leaking Schooner Herman F. Kim
ball into Port
PORTLAND, Sept. Is. Courage and the
ability of Mrs. Frank Thurston to sail a
coastwise vessel undoubtedly saved the
small two. masted schooner, Herman F.
Kimball which was towed into this port
this morning by the power boat of the
Cape Elizabeth Coast Guard Station.
While Mrs. Thurston's husband, who is
the captain of the Kimball, and the two
members of his crew were busy keeping
the schooner from sinking by bailing the
water from the hold Mrs. Thurston re-
manned at the wheel, kept the schooner
on her course for Portland and at times
helped her husband and the members of
the crew. Mrs. Thurston was assisted in
her part of the work by her daughter,
Madeline, who is only IA years of age and
VINO did not hesitate to lend hand in the
work of bailing and sailing the old
freighter.
Loaded deep with cargo of phosphate
the Kimball sailed from Boston yesterday
and was bound to Searsport The first
intimation the captain and his crew had
that the vessel was leaking was early
last night when off Boon Island. The
vessel commenced to settle and the pumps
were absolutely useless as they quickly
became choked with the phosphate and
the greater part of the water was in that
part of the vessel separated from the
main hold by bulkhead. 1t was neces-
sary for Capt. Thurston, his son, James
Thurston and Bert Wescott to 60 below
in to the hold and it was slow and tire
some work bailing out the water with
ordinary water buckets.
Throughout the greater part of the
night the captain and his crew were kept
at their task as there was grave danger
of the water reaching the forward part
of the vessel and causing her to sink or
to at least destroy the valuable cargo of
| phosphate.
| While the men bailed Mrs. Thurston
stood by the wheel and sailed her hus-
bands vessel and her young daughter re-
NAMED on deck doing her bit towards
getting the vessel safely into port.
| About this morning two fishermen
were hailed off the Cape and they went
ashore to the Cape Elizabeth Coast Guard
Station and notified Captain Dyer and
his crew of the plight of those on board
the Kimball. At $50 the Coast Guard
crew boarded the leaking schooner off
! the Cape and finally toWed her to this
port, the men from the coast guard sta
ton relieving Captain Thurston and his
men from their work in bailing the YES
| sci.
| When the schooner arrived in the har-
Dor she was deep in the water and her
decks were nearly awash. The towboat
Sebago was summoned and with the aid
of pumps the greater part of the water
was removed from the Kimball's hold
However, the Coast Guard crew stood
by the vessel throughout the forenoon
and assisted in bailipg out water in an eff
fort to locate the leak. Repairs will be
made on the schooner here before she re-
sumes her voyage to Searsport.
| Mrs. Thurston does not consider her
work of last night out of the ordinary
and the men on board point proudly to
the fact that she IS splendid skipper and
capable of sailing vessel as well as any
man on the coast.
| The Kimball is a vessel of 125 gross
tons, 84.6 feet in length, 26.5 feet beam,
IL feet depth and was built at Boothbay
in 1888. She halls from Boston. Captain
! Thurston is native of Rockport, Me.