The Republican journal., 1917-05-24
1t Begins to Look Like
Old Times in Thomaston.

Via lines IN lhOmaStOtl.
IHOMASTON, May Is. The launching
OF four-masted schooner, from the Dunn
Elliot yard next Tuesday will be the first
event of the kind which has taken place
IN mat town for II years, and is expected
10 draW a crowd from far and near. The
rising banks of the Georges River form
anatural grandstand and when they are
thronged once more with happy spectators,
l'the older residents will look back to the
eays "hen Ihomaston's thrifty joiners
.asiiioheo the famous ships which gave
Inc town It's reputation as a seaport.
Are those days coming back? Probably
not, to the extent of building those ma.
leStlc square-rigged craft, which sailed to
all corners of the world, but with all the
work ahead that Thomaston can handle
Tor at least another year the townspeople
are viewing the situation much more com
placently than they were a few months
ago when the waterfront was in state
OF almost silent and profitless glory.
Inc schooner which is now receiving
us finishing touches in the Dunn-Elliot
yard was built by George A. Gilchrest,
whose lease OF that shipyaTd expires when
the launching takes place
Mr.. Gilchrest has played the shipbuild-
ing game many years, but this is the first
vessel that he has constructed in Knox
county shipyard since he launched the
steamer Ruth south of the Snow yard in
Rockland
Mr.. Gilchrist went from Rockland to
Belfast, where he built such fine crafts
as the three land four-masted schooners
named Theoline, the schooner Henry B.
Fiske and Frank Barnette, and the gov
eminent dredges Cumberland and Kew
West. He sold the shipyard six or seven
years ago, and it was turned into mill
property, which seemed wise judgment,
with shipbuilding so much below par
The war, with consequent high freights,
and abnormal demand for wooden vessels,
evoked an early response from Mr.. Gil
chrest, who leased the Dunn-Elliot Co s
yard more than year ago, and contract
ed with Frank b. and Fred McQuesten of
Boston for the construction of a four
masted schooner, with a dead weight
carrying capacity of about 1000 tons
The McQuestens wanted her for the hard
pine trade, but much as they wanted her
they were not insensible to the allurements
of a handsome offer made by New York
parties, and they sold her on the stocks.
Mr.. Gilchrest does not know the names
of the new owners, and dosen't even
know what the new name of the vessel
will be. Nancy Hanks was to have been
the name, and it had been painted in the
proper places, but the builder is prepared
| to eliminate it and to put on whatever
title the new owners may decide upon
It's one thing to lease a shipyard and
get your contract to build a vessel, but in
these days it is quite another thing to get
your materials. The frame which was to
have been delivered to Mr., GiIchrest last
July didn't arrive until October, and the
last of the hard pine was not in the yard
until the winter snowstorIns had come on,
Mr. Gilchrest is philosophical to the
last degree, however, and through all
these eXasperating delays the genial play
Of his ruddy features never abated an
iota. The keel was laid in September,
and Is men have pushed forward the
work with all possible speed, until the
nearly finished product stands on the river
bank compelling the admiration of all be-
holders
The new schooner is built on Dunn
Elliot model-and will practically duph-
cate the Helen E. Taft, which was con-
structed by that firm. 1t has gross ton
mage of 116O and net tonnage of 1000.
lCSlSlCiC0 ullIiClSlOAS dlC. lLCuSI Ill VI
keel, 100 feet; breadth of beam, Al feet;
depth of hold, 10 feet.
The oak frame was cut in Pemaquid.
The moment this schooner goes over
board Dunn & Elliot Co. will begin the
construction of craft which will be
practically it's duplicate. The yard is al
ready Uttered with materials for the pro-
posed craft, which will enjoy the novelty
| of having a frame which was cut on the
western coast.
Thomaston's greatest shipbuilding &C
tivity, however, will be found in what
was formerly known as the WaShburn
yard, where the Atlantic Coast Co. al
ready has a large four-masted schooner
ceiled up and deck beams in. When it
launches next August the vacant ways
will be used for the construction of sim
liar craft.
Meantime, however, the yard will have
been sufficiently enlarged for the laying
of still another keel, ensuring steady
work in this yard for at least another
year.
These vessels will register about 1000
tons gross, and will have carrying cap
acity of 24OO tons. They will be dupl-
Gates of the schooner Joseph B. Thomas,
which the Washburns built II years ago.
Their approximate dimensions will be:
Length of keel, 21O feet; breadth of beam,
Al feet; depth of hold, % feet.
The frame for the schooner now on the
stocks is composite in character if not in
material, having been cut in four widely
scattered localities. The floor is the
product of an Aroostook forest, the oak
was cut in Virginia, the spruce top came
from Nova Scotia, while the oak top
timbers were hewn in the woods of our
own Warren town. Ira Vinal of Thomas
ton is master builder-and the name is
synonymous with first class Thomaston
vessel products.
The Washburn's built in this yard ex-
actly 20 vessels, the largest of which was
the five-masted schooner Washington B.
Thomas, which was wrecked near Old
Orchard on her second voyage.
With the decline of shipbuilding the
yard was sold to j. A. Creighton & Co.,
from whom it is now leased for 10 years
by the Atlantic Coast Co. Walter D.
Noyes of Boston is president of the latter
concern, Lewis X. Thurlow of Boston is
treasurer, and w. G. Washburn, formerly
of Washburn Bros, is manager.
The company is employing at the pres
ent time 38 men in vessel construction
and 10 men in extending the yard, SO that
it may be made ready for laying another
keel.