The Republican journal., 1922-10-12
LOSS OF SHIP HUALCO
.ditor Of the Republican journal:

mere, occasionally get chance TO read
your paper which used to be so familiar
in days gone by and some time in Feb
ruary some one was writing Up reminis.
cences Of old time ship building in and
around Belfast, and it vividly brought
back to me my young days when my
ambitions were leaning toward sea life.
This brought back to my memory very
clearly the loss of the ship "Hualco,"
for was one of the unfortunate seamen
on board. 1t was my second venture at
sea, as first went i'll the ship Western
Chief" Capt John Dyer, somewhere be-
tween 1858 81, but soon gave it up OF
as the sailors say "kiled the sailor
and after working about 2 years at the
blacks NTH trade | again had second
attack of the sea fever and shipped on
board the new ship the "Hualco." We
sailed from Belfast somewhere between
lO and II a. m. with heavy N. N. W.
gale blowing. We singled reefed the top /
sails before we weighed our anchor for
that was before double topsail yards
D
p m. she struck on Saddle Back ledge
and sank in about 20 or 80 minutes giving
US Just barely time to put our boats out
and saving only what we stood in at the
time. Our only chance for our lives was
to pull our boats dead to windward about |
three or four miles against gale of
wind and dirty chop of sea, and a
col1er day never grew in Maine for
every drop OF spray drenched us to the
skin and icing our boats up inside and
out, froze as soon as it struck, but we
made out at last to land on the south side
OF barren island called "Brimstone,"
with no shelter and no fuel whatever to
build fire even if we had had the
means OF doing so Some one saw the
ship when she struck that afternoon and
rode horseback into Vinalhaven and re-
ported the loss and the whole town turned
out and cut out. the schooner packet
Grey Hound" aud a volunteer crew
came down and found US about D. M,
bright starlight night but blowing beay.
q
cove on the southwest side and we
launched our boats and went on board
where we got warmth and food, and uo
anchor we beat back to Vinalhaven, ar
irving there about or a. m. and guess
every house IN Vinalhaven had a welcome
for us with warm fllnnels, hanging around
the fire and warm food, awaiting. | see
the one that was writing of her loss, says
it was reported in Belfast that night.
That could not be for at that time the
only communication between Vinalhaven
was by this schooner that rescued US as
she carried the mails to the main land at
Rockland, and IL was several days before
she would venture across the bay for she
was under bonds to carry the mails
Just such day, but in the Intervening G
g time we had had a terrible snow storm
i so that dal we were taken to Rockland
d and started for Belfast in one big coach
and several small teams The ground
}, was bare the greater part of the way
:, but there was some heavy drifts where
: w hadto shovel path through When
d we arrived at Rockland there was no
y communication to Belfast, the wires
;, being down in places, but about the
n time We got started they managed to
| get message through that read by mis-
, take 'ship Hualco lost and all hands"
: but before we reached Belfast in the early
morning they had the wires in good shape
t and the proper message went through
"all hands saved and on the way home"
I where we arrived somewhere about a.
: m. and | guess the whole town was around
e the old american House" to see US.
am not aware of another survivor of
e this ship The last one l knew of was
DR.. Winsow who died a few years ago.
d He had shipped as boy on his first ven-
r ture at sea and it was his last in the
!, merchant marine, but years after he be-
d came a cadet at Annapolis and think
e graduated Soon after he left the service
4 and started to study medicine, but in the
j Civil War he joined the navy again and
became Lieutenant but went back to
J, his studies again on the close of the war.
D If there is another survivor of that i'll
: fated ship | would like to correspond
d with him or meet him, but | know the
officers are all dead, Capt John Morse,
y master, Cornelius Hines. first mate, Henry
t Hall, Swede WHO lived in Belfast many
d years, second mate, George Smell, third
g mate, Sam Walker, carpe nter, and
: Henry Gray, cook, with his wife stew
o ardess. The greater part of the seamen
a belonged in and around Belfast. have
h forgotten half their names, and many of
I them never knew, but as they were all
G older than myself they must have all
!, passed to the beyond W 5 one of the
= youngest of the crew and am So years
n old.
p l have in mind many square rugged
q vessels built in those years know the
q following spring as soon as the ice was
d clear above the bridge a little barque
t called the "Colln McRae" was launched.
: | worked on the rigging and went to sea
I in her. She was built by Master Wood
n cock for the Pierce firm and commanded
by Capt. John Bramhall. We went to
Wilmington, N c., as she was built for
firm there in the naval stores trade to
Liverpool. She made one voyage and
a was lost in a hurricane at anchor off Cape
n Fear. She parted her chains and dragged
+ ashore and was total loss, but all hands
I were saved.
- In cloS;no fhic lettar 7 will mentinn one