Page 28. MAINE COASTAL NEWS October 2008
Maritime History:
Dec. 1907 and Jan. 1908
Continued from Page 27.
thought that marine vegetables would be and BROOKLYN was going from Boston to Carter) at Cliftondale, MA on 8 January at the
cultivated along the entire coast of the United Perth Amboy. The BARLOW was struck age of 76 years. Captain Carter was born at
News had just reached Belfast of the States. At the time only a very small portion forward and went down in five minutes. The Penobscot and when he was just a small boy
loss of the seven-masted schooner THO- was being gathered, such as Sea Spinach, crew managed to get into the yawl boat and his family moved to Montville. He came to
MAS W. LAWSON, off the Scilly Islands in which was being eaten in Philadelphia and made their way on board the LEHIGH. Belfast in 1847 and 12 years later he married
England. She had cleared Philadelphia, PA Sea Cabbage in Boston. The only saltwater 2 January: Additional information was Harriet M. Perkins. As captain he plied the
for London, England with a cargo of 2,003,063 plant being consumed regularly was Irish written about the steam yachts owned by Mr. East Coast, especially from Jacksonville. The
gallons of gasoline oil valued at $71,205 on 19 moss, which was shipped annually to Bos- Groeschener. GUENEVERE has arrived at last command he held was on the
November. Of the 18 men on board, which ton to make what was called blanc mange and Sebec Lake. The IDALETTE was hauled up PENOBSCOT. In 1864 he enlisted in the U. S.
includes the pilot Hicks, only three were as a clarifier of beer. There are seaweeds that at Camden after Mr. Groeschener died and Navy and served on the steamer SABINE. He
rescued. The survivors are Captain G. W. have a large commercial use, such as in was recently sold to C. A. Judkins, manager retired from the sea around 1893 and worked
Dow of Melrose, MA, who has a broken arm; chemicals, medicine, photography, paper and of the Kineo House, on Moosehead Lake. for C. P. Carter & Co.
Edward E. Rowe, the engineer of Wiscasset, fertilizer. In Japan they used kelp as windows She was lifted out of the water by the lighter The steamer EDNA, now owned by
Maine, and George Allen of Bradford, En- and in Europe seaweeds were used to feed RELIANCE’s derrick at Cape Jellison and Clarke & Robinson of Bowerbank, will be
gland, who died shortly after being rescued the farm animals. place on a railroad car. used with their other steamers ELSIE and
Oh this would not happen today, “Can- It was announced that the Percy & Small Why one reads further is that at times LEOLA on Sebec Lake. The EDNA is 50 feet
ning Factory at Castine” read the headline. yard in Bath had received a contract to build corrections appeared from more knowledge- in length, beam 10½ feet, powered with a
Those summer people have problems with a five-masted schooner for William E. Palmer able people. Further information appeared as compound engine and can carry 75 passen-
the Maine Maritime Academy buying prop- of Boston. She would be of the same model to the quick passages made by the ERSKINE gers.
erty in the town to make their operations as the DAVIS PALMER, which they built M. PHELPS, Captain Graham. This person There was a write up on Belfast’s Cap-
smoother and better. The factory proposed several years ago. Presently they are build- added that the bark SOLOMON PIPER, Cap- tain George W. Chase, who was now living in
was headed by W. A. Ricker and Horatio Crie ing a six-master for the J. S. Winslow Com- tain Libbeus Curtis of Searsport, departed Callao, Peru. He had attended high school at
and would pack sardines and clams. They pany of Portland. Searsport on 20 March 1850, passed the Belfast, but left before completion and went
had secured the wharf owned by W. H. A report was issued from the Lifesaving Straits of LeMaire 67 days later. She rounded to sea as cabin boy on the ship IVANHOE. He
Hooper at the foot of Green Street. Years Service’s general superintendent, S. I. the Horn the following day. Those that knew remained on board until he became her cap-
before Castine had a canning factory for Kimball. He stated that there had been 838 the PIPER said that she was not a full clipper tain. He then commanded the CITY OF
packing lobsters and clams, but when the disasters and only 55 were total loss. The model. This author also stated that the BROOKLYN for the South American Steam-
lobster fishery failed in the area this was total value of these 838 vessels was $8,83,585 PHELPS had not yet equaled the iron ship ship Company of Valparaiso, Chili. He would
moved to Deer Isle. and of this only $1,399,600 was lost. It was TILLIE E. STARBUCK, Captain Eben Curtis spend ten years working for this company.
It was reported by the steamer also stated that 611 of these vessels would of Searsport, who made the voyage from New He then went to work for the W. R. Grace &
CARACAS from New York to San Juan, have suffered serious or been total losses York to Portland, OR in 107 days. Company of New York managing their busi-
Porto Rico, that she had passed the 331-ton had it not been for the lifesavers. It was announced by the London Sal- ness on the islands off the coast of Peru and
schooner GARDINER B. REYNOLDS aban- Some were looking forward to a season vage Company that the attempt to salvage Chili. He then moved up to manage their
doned, decks awash and just one mast stand- of iceboating, especially at Quantabacook. It the wreck of the THOMAS W. LAWSON business at Salaverry, Peru. At the same time
ing. The schooner had departed Wilmingon, seems that A. C. Tuttle and Tain Smalley had had been abandoned. he also became the U. S. Consular agent for
NC for Portland, Maine with a cargo of lumber built a new boat, which they named TIN- The status of shipbuilding in the State of maritime affairs in South America. He then
on 27 November. It is no known if her crew TYPE. Maine had been declining for years. What is became general manager of Grace &
had been rescued. The four-masted schooner NIMBUS was interesting is to note that only 25 tons was Company’s ship chandlery business in Callao
26 December: One of the front page abandoned at sea and her crew was rescued built outside of Rockland within the District and a position he was still holding.
stories read “Decision in a Clam Case.” A and taken to Port Antonio. The NIMBUS was of Waldoboro. Thus, shipbuilding at In early January the Round Pond schoo-
resident of the town of Friendship had been built by McDonald & Brown of Belfast in Thomaston and Waldoboro by this time had ner LEONORA went to pieces off Diamond
given a complaint because he dug clams 1890. basically disappeared. During 1907 this dis- Shoals. She was carrying a cargo of fish
within the town limits of Cushing without a There were several reports of the speedy trict built 3,348 tons and more than half of this scraps for Charleston, SC. Some of the wreck-
written permit from that town, which was a passages that had been made by the steel was the six-masted schooner MERTIE B. age came ashore along with four bodies. The
regulation established by that town at its ship ERSKINE M. PHELPS, which had been CROWLEY. cook was rescued and regained conscious-
annual meeting in March 1906. It was the built at Bath in 1898. She was making a run 9 January: 1907 saw the launching of ness and confirmed the vessel’s name. One
opinion of the court that regulation estab- from Philadelphia to Puget Sound with 4,600 the triple screw steel turbine steamer crew member is still unaccounted for.
lished by Cushing was not authorized by the tons of coal. Her passages were: Norfolk to CAMDEN launched at Bath on 14 February Off Cutler the steamer MASSASOIT
statute of 1905 and was not the intent of the Honolulu, 15,000 miles, 97 days; Norfolk to for the Eastern Steamship Company. She was was blown ashore while making a passage
legislators when they wrote the regulation. Ombry Pass, 14,480 miles, 77 days; New York 335 feet in length, beam 40 feet, draws 10 feet from Lubec to Boston on 8 January. She is
One must realize that all the fish, as well as to Java Head 13,000 miles, 80 days; Java to and has 200 staterooms and accommoda- high on the beach and a part of her keel is
shellfish, within the limits of the State belong Chile, 11,600 miles, 58 days; Chile to Philadel- tions for 1,000 passengers. During the past missing.
to the people of the State and the legislature phia 10,000 miles, 95 days; Chile to Baltimore, season she was used on the Boston Bangor On 15 January came word of the passing
of the State has the power to regulate and 10,100 miles, 96 days; Across Indian Ocean, run. of Captain Elisha W. Pendleton of Islesboro
control the fisheries so as to protect the 6,500 miles, 26 days; and Equator to Hatteras, The lumber left over at the Verona Island at the age of 53. He was born on Islesboro and
public’s right. This right has been approved 3,100 miles, 18 days. Her best hourly run was yard, which built Peary’s Arctic steamer went to sea when young. He learned quickly
by the Supreme Court of the United States. 14 miles; best day’s run 320 miles, and best ROOSEVELT has been purchased by George and was soon a master working in the foreign
The 905 statute authorizes the town to “issue six day run 1,675 miles. Gilchrist of Belfast. He would use this for trade. He sailed as first officer of the bark
150 licenses” and set the “price for licenses It was stated that the steamers of the repair work. JOHN M. CLERK, Captain Joseph Conant,
at 25 cents.” The purpose the town of Cushing Eastern Steamship Company would not be A 34 foot cabin launched had been built running to China and Japan. When Captain
was aiming at was to prohibit non-residents powered with turbines the upcoming year. by the Duplex Roller Bushing Company for a Conant retired Captain Pendleton became
from taking clams in their town by not allow- Frank Sherman of Rockland, the superinten- customer from St. Paul, MN. They also built master of the CLERK. He was in command of
ing them to get a license there and thus the dent of the Bangor division of the company, a number of racing boats and a number of her when she was lost in the Indian Ocean.
penalty of digging clams without a permit. said that the route would need some exten- other small craft. It was also said that the The wind died and the tide set her down on
This regulation is not valid as to non-resi- sive changes made before that happened. He Macombers built two 33-foot launches, a 22- a reef causing her t become a total loss.
dents and thus they may take clams in said that the turbine boats needed to be as footer and two 18-foot launches. Captain Pendleton was commander of the
Cushing without incurring a statutory pen- quick landing as the sidewheelers, which A look at commercial fishing around schooner WILLIAM H. SUMNER, which he
alty and thus the court ruled in favour of the means they need to stop quick without car- Belfast said that smelt fishing had started out skippered until a few years ago.
defendant. rying away the docks. He thought that the well. The winter before there was plenty of 23 January: Anyone who has seen Boon
One area of history, which has been changes to the docks would not be com- smelts, but due to the severe cold weather the Island will be marveled that at one time eight
poorly researched, is that of the sea captains. pleted for three or four years. catch was small. During the past summer people where living there, and at that during
Fortunately newspapers began seeing the Another report was written stating that there were good catches of cod and it was the winter. Living there is the Lighthouse
value in detailed accounts of someone’s life. the cargo of the THOMAS W. LAWSON seen that bottom fish were returning to the Keeper, his wife, and their niece, the first and
There was an obituary for Captain Nathan T. was insured by Lloyd’s of London for $90,000. Bay. Lobster could be found for sale at a mere second assistant keepers, each with a wife,
Woodman, who passed over the bar at the It was also said that the vessel was broken in 28 cents a pound. and one with a little girl. It is the little girl who
age of 67 on 9 December. He was born in two between the fifth and sixth mast. The Another article appeared on the ship commands all the attention. The islanders
Frankfort, now Winterport, and at the age of forward portion was floating upside down, ERSKINE M. PHELPS arrived at San Fran- recently purchased a powerboat, which has
20 began following the sea. He married Lydia and the stern section had sunk in deep water. cisco while making a passage from Seattle to made a huge difference in getting back and
Conant of Winterport in 1886 and went to sea A cable arrived at Portland saying that Kahului. She was leaking 18 inches of water forth from the mainland. The only severe
with her husband for numerous voyages. He the captain and crew of the schooner a day and the cause was a broken side frame storm so far this year was back in November
sailed mostly to foreign countries and was GARDINER B. REYNOLDS had arrived at underneath the ceiling about 11 frames from when the waves washed clean over the is-
known as one of the best captains in the Liverpool. the sternpost. They also discovered several land, but caused no damage. Christmas was
State. One of his vessels was the MINNIE On 17 December the schooner JESSE loose rivets between the deck beams. This memorable as Santa Claus found the island
HUNTER built at Lubec. He retired from the BARLOW, Captain Gilchrist, was in a colli- was caused by a collision with the steamer without a problem, despite the fact that there
sea in 1878 and purchased the Page farm in sion with the tug LEHIGH off the Pollock Rip YUCATAN at Seattle on 9 November. was no tree. There were two baskets full of
Monroe where he spent the remainder of his Lightship. The BARLOW was making a pas- 16 January: The front page story was presents and was very happy night for the
days. sage from South Amboy to Rockland. The Captain George R. Carter passing over the
A very interesting articles was the LEHIGH, with the barges BANGOR, ECKLEY bar at his son’s home (Captain Alonzo M.
Continued on Page 29.
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