Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1925-06-17
ANOTHER SEA TALE.
The Old Hancock Schooner MAY
Queen in 1.-THE Angus. Gale"

All item III your paper recently OF
Bucksport boys experience coming
nome lIom the BANKS on board the
May Queen, prompts me t. write my
e@periencc On board The lme vessel !
d few years later ] refer to the
AUGUST gale ffty-thtee Years ago,
and anyone WHO was on tie water IN
the vicinity of Sable Island in that
storm has not forgotten il.
The May Queen, | think, was built
in Orland, and sailed from that port
a Bumber Of years, until she was
bought by Capt. J. II. Foss, OF Han
cock, who fitted her for the Banks
and put his son Ulmore il command
William Cotton was mate and Jesse
Tracy was cook. Then there We're
the Tracy brothers from Gouldsboro,
Griffin of Bucksport, Asa Wasgatt
Of Franklin and I. E. Jellison,
Charles Smith and j. w. Jellison of
South Hancock; and there you have
the bunch" that made the crew OF
the May CUeon ffty-three years ago.
After some delay in starting, ow-
ing to calm weather, we finally got
away and in due time we reached
the Virgin Rocks, a notable fishing
ground, hundred miles to south
east Of Cape st. Pierre. We anchored
to northeast of main ledge, and
south of Maloney Shoal, where we
were to catch our load of fish.
There was quite a large fleet of
vessels there in those days, and per-
haps there are vessels that go there
now, | don't know. | think Bucks
port still sends fishermen.
Our summer was uneventful with
the Haydall, Carey chickens, fog
and rough water, until August 10,
when our vessel was full of fish and
we started for home All went well
until the morning of the oath, when
the wind came in from the southeast,
with rain squalls, and each squall
was a little heavier than the last,
until at 0 a. M, we began to
shorten san. soon we mad her down
to two-reef foresail, and for the
next seven hours the old craft made
westward pretty fast.
At 5 p. m. the wind, which had in
creased all day, was blowing with
terrific force, and night was coming,
so ii was thought best to heave to,
and after a time the feat was ac-
complished, but it's no fool job to
bring vessel to the wind after she
has been run hours too long. How
ever, we got the foresheet in, and
the craft started in for the most
furious washing that she ever got.
About thirty minutes after we
hove to, our foresail went clean to
the ropes, and it was practically
new sail. Then a drag was put out,
but, being imprOpelly ri5ged, we
soon lost it.
Then ii was decided to keep her
off before the gale, and it was tried,
but just as the wheel was hove I'D.
a furious sea crashed in over the
port quarter. and away went both
wheel posts, it being an old
fashioned wheel
Wei, sir; there we were, with no
sail that was suitable to use, no drag,
no wheel, and to add to our discom-
future, both captain and mate gave
up, saying there was not one chance
for us, as the craft was leaking
badly; it was only question of
time, and we would go to join the
hundreds that had gone down before
us.
Well, that didn't taste very good
to bunch of boys nineteen to
twenty-five years old. We had just
started life, and SO decided to put up
fight for it, and you bet it was a
fight, but we won out. 1t was
question of keeping the water out of
her and for wonder those old
pumps didn't give out. From Sun
day noon to Wednesday noon they
were kept constantly going.
Our food was wind pudding, with
salt water dessert. Perhaps it proves
McFadden's theory that a fast is
good for a person; anyway, none of
us starved, but speaking for one,
hunger was close to me all the time
that ! was not too scared to be
hungry.
Many incidents happened in that
storm of which person accustomed
to writing could make an interesting
story, but l will skip over the most
of them. Sufficient to say that
Charles, who had charge of the
pumps, kept them going, and the
boy we nicknamed juniper" was
the star man on the pump brake.
Yes, Eleck and l got the bait
buckets out of the forecastle. He
has not forgotten our coming back
to the gangway to be let out by
Farmer, and when we thought he
had been washed overheard, it gave
one of us lonesome feeling, to say
the least.
Well, sir, we got the staysail out
of the forecastle, where it had been
put for safe keeping, and after sew
eral attempts, got it on over the
main hatch. Ivory got the cabin
doors nailed up, after they had been
smashed in Our object in getting
the pals was to bail water out of
the cabin.
One more item, and l quit While
standing in the main rigging, | saw
har l.n ho