USA > Maine > Lincoln County > Wiscasset > Wiscasset in Pownalborough; a history of the shire town and the salient historical features of the territory between the Sheepscot and Kennebec rivers > Part 47
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All of these exports from Whangpoa had been obtained through the hong (security agent) by means of pidgin English, ere the Canton trader sailed away through the Bogue (Bocca Tigris) or Tiger's Gate.
From ports on the Indian Ocean came dress stuffs with their weird un- pronounceable names such as chilloes, betelees, deribands, tapsiels, surbet- tees, sannoes, gilongs, mulmuls and culashes.11
The arrival of the Canton trader was rare and epochal and perched on a coil of rope on the deck listening to the glamorous yarns of the sailors it required no atavistic yearning on the part of the youth of Wiscasset to yield to the lure of the open sea.
II. Todd, The Dutch and Guaker Colonies, II, 282, The City of New York.
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XIX Ships and Pirates Old Shipmasters of Wiscasset
T HE town of Wiscasset, in 1791, was the largest shipping port east of Boston and at that date had thirty square-rigged vessels aggregating 10,000 tons, of which the principal owner was Moses Carlton, considered one of the richest men of his day. Later on Maj. Abiel Wood was the largest ship-owner.
This town has ever been noted for its courageous and valiant shipmasters of whom the following men were some of the notable examples: Capt. Thomas Boyd, who died in 1835; Capt. Joshua Hilton, who died in 1811; Capt. Wil- liam Nickels, who died in 1815 (he belonged to the family who built the mansion on Main Street now owned by Mrs. Sortwell); Capt. Thomas Mc- Crate, who died in 1809; Capt. Ed. Payson, who died in 1800; Capt. Alex- ander Johnston, who died in 1857, at the age of seventy-seven years; Capt. John Johnston (an elder brother ), who died in 1854 at the age of seventy-six; Capt. Nathan Clark, who died in 1848, aged eighty-three; Capt. Alexander Askins who died in 1793; Capt. David Payson who died in 1800; Capt. Andrew Boyd who died on the island of Nevis, September 16, 1810; Capt. John Bell Patterson of Londonderry, New Hampshire, who died in this town November 26, 1810, aged twenty-six years; Capt. Elias Grant who died in Boston, March 20, 18II, aged thirty-five; Capt. Anthony Nutter, Capt. James Babbage, Alexander Cunningham; Capt. Spencer Clifford and many of their peers who lived in later days, among whom were Capt. William M. Boyd, Capt. Edward H. Wood; Capt. Richard Tucker and his son, Capt. R. H. Tucker, Jr., Capt. Joseph Tucker, Capt. Jonathan Edwards Scott, Capt. Jo- seph Tucker Hubbard, Capt. Baker McNear, Capt. Richard T. Rundlett and Capt. Dwight Tinkham, Capt. Alden Chaney, Capt. John K. Greenough, Capt. George Scott, Capt. Spencer Clifford, Capt. Samuel B. Doane, Capt. Robert Doane, Capt. William Taylor, and Capt. Alpheus Packard Boyd.
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Wiscasset in Pownalborough
List of Edgecomb Sea-captains
Capt. David S. Adams
Capt. Elbridge Orne
Capt. Charles Cate
Capt. Jotham Parsons
Capt. Enoch Chase
Capt. Stephen Parsons, Jr.
Capt. Fessenden Chase
Capt. Westbrook Parsons
Capt. James Chase
Capt. Alfred Patterson
Capt. John Chase
Capt. Augustus Patterson
Capt. Andrew Clifford
Capt. William M. Patterson
Capt. Jonathan Clifford
Capt. David Pinkham
Capt. William Clifford
Capt. Albert Ryan
Capt. Edward Dodge
Capt. William Ryan, Sr.
Capt. Edward Huff
Capt. William Ryan, Jr.
Capt. Elbridge Huff
Capt. Egbert T. Sewall
Capt. Stephen Merrill
Capt. Simon Merrill Sewall
Capt. John F. Merry
Capt. Samuel Sewall
Master Mariners before 1800
Benjamin Frizzel, commander of Reprisal, galley - 4 guns, 25 men, died at Liverpool, 1796.
Elijah Crooker, resident Wiscasset, 1793; master; ship Rebecca, owned by Peter Brayson. David Silvester died February 25, 1798.
David Silvester, Jr., died 1805.
Robert Erskine Morrison, resigned from Masons 1793.
Job Choate, master mariner, 1793; ship Lydia, ship Magnet.
James Blackington, master mariner; brig Pattern owned by Moses Carlton and Moses Carlton, Jr., 1792.
Simon Elliot; schooner Industry of Bristol.
Ebenezer Gove, Jr., master mariner, 1792; brigantine Juno, the Ranger.
John Savage, master mariner, 1792; ship Betsey of Wiscasset, ship Commerce.
Spencer Tinkham; ship Lydia 1791, owned by Abiel Wood; ship Margaret.
Benjamin Spooner, master mariner, 1794; schooner Columbus.
Thomas McCray; schooner Benevolence, brigantine William 1793, brig Betsey, brigantine Lydia of Newcastle.
Daniel Fegan, master mariner, 1794; Sally of Woolwich, brig Rambler.
Michael Campbell, master mariner ; sloop Sally of Newcastle.
Daniel Baker, master mariner, 1795; brig Betsey, schooner Hannah.
Henry Brookings, master mariner, 1795; ship Mary, belonging to Peter Brayson.
Alexander Askins; schooner Mary.
Samuel Patterson, master mariner, 1796; schooner Ranger.
Mikel Osborne of Westport.
Noah Bradford, master mariner, 1796.
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1
Ships and Pirates
Ebenezer Otis, master mariner, 1796; sloop Betsey of New Milford. Daniel McKenney, master mariner, 1797.
Joshua Hilton, master mariner, 1797; brig Friendship 1789. James Kennedy, master mariner, 1797; brigantine Belisarius, brigantine Fame.
Ichabod Pinkham, master mariner, 1797; sloop Patty of Bristol.
Zenas Stetson, master mariner, 1798; ship Wiscasset 1791. Asa Dodge, mariner, 1799; brigantine Neptune.
David Otis, 1801; schooner Betsey, brig Dolphin, Friendship of Newcastle. Stephen Clough; ship Fame, ship Sally. Benjamin Blyth; brigantine Franklin.
Ships of Abiel Wood and Abiel Wood, Jr.
Date built
Tons 195
Owner A. Wood, Jr.
Master Richard Tucker
1795
Ship Alnomac
Taken by the French. Returned Dec. 31, 1800.
1797
Brigantine America
142
A. Wood, Jr.
Joseph Decker
She sailed for Leith, Scotland and went ashore on Fowles' Point.
1792 1793
Brig Alexander
131
A. Wood, Jr.
Alexander Askins
Schooner Apollo
A. Wood, Jr.
John T. Hilton
1793
Ship Astrea Vessel lost
A. Wood, Jr.
Spencer Tinkham
1803
Brig Betsey
A. Wood
Elias Grant
Brigantine Brothers
A. Wood
1805
Ship Isabella
A. Wood
John Boyinton Joshua Boyinton
1810
Ship Rapid
291
A. Wood
Wm. Heddean
1799
Brigantine Belisarius
A. Wood, Jr.
James Kennedy
1798
Schooner Benevolence
A. Wood
Thomas McCray
1790 1791
Schooner Cleopatra
A. Wood, Jr.
Timothy Wood
1791
Schooner Columbus
A. Wood
Benjamin Spooner
1787
Sloop Dolphin
A. Wood
Abraham Copeland
1796
Schooner Hannah
A. Wood
Henry Mellus
1795 1790 1799
Ship Lydia
A. Wood
Spencer Tinkham
Schooner Milford
A. Wood, Jr.
John Thompson Hilton
1794
Brig Minerva
A. Wood, Jr.
Richard Tucker
1801
Ship Mount Vernon
A. Wood, Jr.
John Boyinton
1788
Brigantine Neptune
A. Wood
James Young
1796
Ship President
A. Wood, Jr.
John Boyinton
1790
Sloop Two Friends
A. Wood
Samuel Hall
1806
Ship Sally
A. Wood, Jr.
John Boyinton
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Ship Harmony
A. Wood
Thomas Winch
Ship Betsey
A. Wood
John Savage
1805-6 Ship Milford
A. Wood, Jr.
Wiscasset in Pownalborough
The Sally of Wiscasset
At least fourteen vessels by the name of Sally have been enrolled on the records of the port of Wiscasset, but the Sally which has so frequently been linked with the royal romance of Marie Antoinette was built at Bristol in 179I, as the following copy of the Customs Register of this port will show:
No. 14
In pursuance of an act of the Congress of the United States of America, entitled, "An act for registering and clearing vessels, regulating the coasting trade, and for other pur- poses" STEPHEN CLOUGH of POWNALBOROUGH County of Lincoln & State of Massa- chusetts Marinor ... having taken and subscribed the OATH required by said act, and having SWORN .. . that he the said Stephen Clough together with Joseph Decker of Edge- comb, County & State aforesaid Marinor & Matthew Bridge of Charlestown County of Middlesex Merchant are sole owner of the ship or vessel, called the Sally of Wiscasset, whereof Stephen Clough is at present master, and is a citizen of the United States, and that the said ship or vessel was Built at Bristol in the State of Massachusetts in the present year 1791. ..
And Francis Cook Surveyor of this district having certified to us that the said ship or vessel has two deck and three masts that her length is Eighty two feet six Inches, her breadth twenty-fore feet, five inches her depth twelve feet 21/2 in and that she measures Two Hudred & twelve 64/95 tons; that she is a square starned SHIP . .. has no Gal- leries .. . and no figure .. . head.
And the said subscribing owner having consented and agreed to the above description and measurement, and having caused sufficient security to be given as is required by said act, the said SHIP Sally has been duly registered at the port of
WISCASSETT
Given under our Hands and Seals of Office, at the port of WISCASSETT this sixteenth day of November .. . in the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety one.1
Late in the autumn of 1793, the Sally, then employed in the salt and spar trade between this port and France, entered out, bound for Havre, with a load of timber. Beside Capt. Joseph Decker and his son-in-law, Stephen Clough, both Col. James Swan of Dorchester, Massachusetts, and his agent Gen. Henry Jackson of Boston, were interested in this lumber trade with France. The Decker-Clough vessels were employed for carrying this product overseas. When Colonel Swan became a resident of Paris in 1789, he was represented in this country by General Jackson in Boston and Capt. Stephen Clough2 at Wiscasset.
1. Copied from the Customs Register of Wiscasset.
2. There exists a deposition of Capt. Stephen Clough, taken at Boston, February 9, 1801, in which he stated :
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A. N pur fuance ofan act of the Congrefor the United States. V 1'1, entiel 1, " In it for me filering and clearing vefis, regulation; the coalin man. d for Ii I patr "."Sphere Cringle y Pixemelte High Country of Linerti 8.11.11.
Is ing taket and lubicribed the reds .. . acquired by the hand at, an itoning . Wieein . that be the mist Alphan clough ky the with jungch' Dechaufféegrant, County & that. Countyg' Hardinx. Hernand Oo fole owner of the hip or veffel, called the fieldy. .. Mášcafull_ whereet Ážíhen Čicugái of is at prefent mafter, and is a citizen of the United States, and that the faid fhip or vefiel was Built at Birished in the Date of. Hoping falls in the present "year ofgr ..
And - Francis C.c.k ... Surveyor of this difrist having certified to s that the faid this or welfel has tuner deck, and it led mal that her length is digitsdie Horsfiel, ir Mscher, bet breadth twentyfre vel für inneres her depth furdie feel It and that the measures : für hundred 4/117/19 this; that theis a square starter . Mit). has no sound devers .. and ur figures Af head: And the faul fubferibing owner having contented and agreed to the above dertigs'il and measurement, and having caufed fulicient security to be given as is required by The uil act , the faid . filles Juliy ..
1
a 'le jeu
GIVEN under our Hands and Seals of Office, at the Port of this forteeach day of . foremberi One thousand foren hundred and merely i'm. 1
Register of the ship Sally.
Capt. Stephen Parsons lost with his vessel in 1843 (? ).
A model made of the Sally from measurements at the Wiscasset Custom House. Photograph by Brayton.
YYYYX
The Samoset, one of the Tucker ships.
Ships and Pirates
Commerce with France, as has already been stated, had been actively car- ried on in the Sheepscot Valley long before the Revolutionary War. France had lost a warship off Squam Point in 1778, and the Lafayette, while loading masts in this river, had been twice captured by the English.
When Captain Clough arrived at Havre, Paris was in the throes of the Reign of Terror. The words of Gregoire: "Royalty in Europe is extinct or expiring among its feudal ruins; and the declaration of the rights of man placed by the side of thrones shall prove a devouring fire and ere long consume them," were being fatally confirmed.
The contents of the secret iron cupboard in the palace wall had been re- vealed and the King of France beheaded. Liberty trees, the sans-culotte, the bonnet rouge, carmagnole dances and the cry of "Ça ira," were the order of the day. On the tenth of August, 1792, the tatterdemalion mob had sacked the Tuileries and scattered over the city, in sheer wantonness, all that they could carry off including the wardrobe of Marie Antoinette; and the scavengers of the sans-culotte had seized and sold whatever of the property belonging to aristocrats they could lay their hands upon. It is not surprising, then, that a traveler or sailor, looking for souvenirs, should choose for keepsakes royal robes or furnishings so desecrated, and sold for a mere song.
That Capt. Stephen Clough went to Paris while his ship was at Havre, was an eye-witness to the execution of Marie Antoinette, and that he brought back on the Sally some of her dresses and some furniture, has been well supported by the statements of contemporaries and descendants; but that the Decker house on Jeremy Squam Island was prepared for her reception in the event of her escape, is extremely doubtful.
In the cargoes sent over by Colonel Swan were furniture, tapestries, family plate and valuable paintings which the French, who intended to emigrate to America, had sent on board these vessels for safe keeping. When they fell by the guillotine or failed to reclaim their property, Colonel Swan as contract
"I, Stephen Clough of lawful age do testify and say, that in the year 1794, I was in France and Contracted with Mr. James Swan there for ten thousand pounds Steirling worth of Timber and Sparrs to be delivered to General Henry Jackson in America, and for which the said Jackson was to pay me." There is evidence that the timber and spars referred to were deposited in Spencer Decker's Cove, about a mile from Capt. Clough's house, and that four ships were loaded with timber so purchased by Capt. Clough, survey of same having been made in the years 1795 and 1796.
"Col. James Swan was the original purchaser of the twenty-five islands included in the 'Burnt Coat' group, lying off the coast of Maine, between the Penobscot and Union rivers, in what was then Lincoln County. The original deed and agreement are still in existence. The largest of these was named Swan's Island, for him. Champlain, the discoverer, gave it the name of Brulecote. Col. Swan bought the group from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts July 7, 1786. James Swan became well known in Paris through his work written on The Commerce of the United States with France."
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Wiscasset in Pownalborough
agent was entitled to his share of these goods. Francis Drake, who does honor to Colonel Swan's ability and defends his business course, states: "Much ele- gant furniture, family plate and fine portraits once embellished the interior of the Swan house (in Dorchester) which, it is said, was stored in one of Swan's vessels at the beginning of the Revolution, and, as their owners perished in the Reign of Terror, they were never reclaimed. Between Madame Guillotine who took off their heads and Swan who took off their trunks, there was little left of the unfortunate Frenchmen." The bulk of the Sally's cargo went to the Swan family, but there seems to be little doubt that at least two or three dresses that had belonged to French royalty, were brought to Wiscasset by Captain Clough. One of these was of white satin brocade and one of black satin, while a third which tradition says was brought in the Sally, was a rose brocade of the rich tinge which only carmine can produce. The white brocade with its garni- ture of passamenterie, of which a small piece still remains in the possession of Mrs. George Huff, the great-granddaughter of Stephen Clough, is framed and labeled "The execution dress of Marie Antoinette," although Mrs. Cut- ter, Clough's grandaughter, stated that it belonged to Madame Elizabeth. The black satin garment is said to have belonged to Louis XVI, a robe worn by him when he appeared in the Chamber of Deputies, which Madam Clough frugally made over for her own use.3 A piece of the third or rose brocade gown is said to have covered the cushion in the pulpit of the Edgecomb church. Revolutions produce far-flung effects.
The Sinking of the Tallapoosa
The Tallapoosa was a third-rate paddle-wheel steamer of 974 tons. During the Civil War she carried ten guns, but later had only two howitzers, being used exclusively for transport duty. Two of her commanders came from this vicinity: Capt. David G. McRitchie of Wiscasset and Capt. John F. Merry of Edgecomb.
The Tallapoosa made several visits to these waters. On August 3, 1871, she arrived in this harbor and remained until the next day. On board was a party of naval officers, including Admirals Smith and Shubrick with their families, who were making a tour of observation along the New England coast.
3. The statement was made by Abigail Whittier (1778-1864) the wife of Colonel Hilton to her grandson William Guild Hubbard, that she had often seen Madam Clough (Sarah Decker) on the street in Wiscasset, clad in a gown or a bonnet which they claimed had belonged to the unfortunate Queen, Marie Antoinette.
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Ships and Pirates
On the night of August 21, 1884, while off Cottage City, Martha's Vine- yard Island, she collided with a coal laden schooner, the James S. Lowell, Capt. Freeman Kennedy Reed, of Boothbay, and sank.
The Ships of Baker McNear4
1854 Mary McNear was built at Belfast, Maine, by C. P. Carter. A vessel of 992 tons. she was sold to the Germans in 1863, when her name was changed to Maria. She was lost in the southern Pacific, July 14, 1871.
1860 Inspector, ship, built at Belfast, by C. P. Carter & Co., 1,483 tons.
1864 Sardis, ship, built at Belfast, 1,249 tons.
1868 Emily McNear, ship, built at Belfast by White & McGilvery. She was wrecked in the Straits of Sunda on January 23, 1871, on a voyage from Cardiff to Hong- kong.
1872 The McNear, ship, launched December 14, 1872, at Belfast, Maine, from the yard of Henry McGilvery. 1,308 tons. Owned by Baker McNear, Benjamin Sewall and James Gammons, Jr., of Boston, William P. Lennox and Jonathan Edwards Scott of Wiscasset. William Taylor, master.
1873 Antelope, ship, built at Belfast, 1,306 tons. Owned by Baker McNear and others. Capt. Alden C. Chaney and Capt. Jon. E. Scott.
1874 R. B. Fuller, ship, built by C. P. Carter & Co., 1,360 tons. Commanded at one time by Capt. J. E. Scott, and also by Capt. P. Pendleton, Jr.
During the Civil War Capt. Baker McNear put his ships under the flag of Hamburg so that they would not be captured by Confederate cruisers.
The Catherine
The schooner Catherine (the Old Kate), 120 tons, built at Wiscasset in 1833, was a coaster between this port and Boston. Capt. John McNear was her owner and captain until the summer of 1872. The Catherine was sold at auction on December 23, 1873, by order of the United States District Court, and was purchased by Joseph Oakes, Esq., of Brewer for $ 375.
On the night of Tuesday, August 31, 1875, she was totally destroyed by fire while lying near Johnson and Palmer's mill at Brewer. The fire was prob- ably the work of an incendiary. She was a very old craft and of but little value.
4. Information furnished by William M. Rand, grandson of Baker McNear.
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Wiscasset in Pownalborough
Captain Dickinson
Capt. Wylie Rogers Dickinson was born at Wiscasset, July 20, 1846. He was the son of John Babson and Mary Elizabeth (Rogers) Dickinson. When quite young he removed with his parents to Bath, and at the age of seventeen, he shipped on the Comet, a bark named for the comet of 18 58. He served under Capt. Samuel Morrison, and later commanded the barque C. S. Rogers in 1870. This vessel sank off Nantucket, but all hands were rescued by the Protest.
In 1874, Captain Dickinson commanded the schooner Bessie E. Dickinson, which was named for his daughter, and of which he was part owner. He left her in 1878. Later he sold out of her and took command of the barque Halcyon and in 1882 he took command of the ship at San Francisco; left her in 1887; subsequently commanded the ships Yorktown, Willie Rosenfeld, McNear and Rappahannock.
The Cruise of the Franklin
The Franklin, a vessel of 67 tons, owned by William P. Lennox of this town, and Alfred Lennox, employed as a coaster between Boston and Wis- casset, had, in the spring of 1872, the following perilous experience :
The captain was William Colby, and the other three men, James Colby, At- well Smith and Charles West, were all of this town.
"On Sunday morning, March 3d, she set sail from Boston, bound for Wis- casset, and laden with several hundred bushels of corn, seventy-five barrels of flour and a general cargo, the total valued at about $4,000.
"When off Cape Elizabeth, on the night of the 4th, a severe gale was en- countered, that carried away the jib halyard and jib boom. The storm in- creased in fury, and the crew had to keep her off in order to get the boom in. During the night of the 4th and morning of the 5th, the gale was very high, but shortly after daylight it was succeeded by thick weather. On Thursday evening, the bowsprit, foresail, both jibs and one anchor were lost. On Wed- nesday morning, when the vessel was about twenty miles from Cape Elizabeth, the main throat halyards were cut away, and a portion of her mainmast saved. The gale continued, and the vessel scudded before it until Saturday noon, shipping water continually, and this froze so thickly that her waist was quickly filled with ice. On Saturday afternoon, the gale abating somewhat, a preventer stay was rigged to set the jib, and no event of interest occurred during the night. On Sunday, the 10th, the captain found himself in the afternoon off
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Ships and Pirates
Georgian Shoals, about sixty miles northeast of Cape Cod. On Monday the wind was northeast, and as the storm had abated slightly Captain Colby rigged a piece of the mainsail, and under a severe snow storm ran until eight o'clock A.M. Tuesday. On Wednesday they ran under bare poles before the gale, and on Thursday night, with the wind southeast, and remained on that course until Saturday, the 15th. On Sunday morning the Franklin ran into a snow storm and wind from the east, and again headed for the coast. The wind veered again during the night to the northwest, and again the vessel was driven to sea, being unable to make sufficient sail to reach port. On Tuesday the gale had some- what moderated, and the vessel, which was filled with ice, lay to until Wed- nesday morning, when the wind again went to the southwest and drove the vessel shoreward. All that day, and on Thursday and Friday, the craft was at the mercy of the gale. On Saturday a brief calm followed, and the captain again headed for the coast, but the wind giving out, he lay to until Monday morning.
"On Tuesday, the vessel was headed in a northerly direction in the hope of sighting land, or encountering a vessel, and this course was kept until Thurs- day morning, when they spoke an unknown vessel, from Boston to Baltimore, which supplied them with wood and water, and, assuring Capt. Colby that if he would keep on that course he would soon meet the New York pilot boats, parted company with the schooner. The prediction of the unknown captain proved true.
"Captain Colby reports that he has been forty-five years engaged as a coaster between Wiscasset and Boston and in voyages across the Atlantic, and never has he encountered such a severe and continuous gale as the one from which he was so miraculously saved by the promptness of the New York pilots.
"Captain Colby had no nautical instruments on the vessel, with the excep- tion of a compass, and if he had had them they would have been useless, as none of the crew understood navigation."5
The Barque Bierstadt
The barque Bierstadt was built in 1873, at the Birch Point shipyard of Brown & Hodgkins, for the account of Capt. W. H. Harrison, of Somerville, Massachusetts, who formerly commanded the barque Dorchester; and Sewall Southard of Wiscasset. Capt. William Henry Clark, also of this town, shipped
5. New York Herald via Seaside Oracle, Vol. IV, No. 14.
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Wiscasset in Pownalborough
as mate and assisted in fitting the Bierstadt for sea, but he did not make the voyage in her.
This vessel was 150 feet in length, 33 feet breadth of beam, 191/2 feet depth of hold, including 7 feet height between decks, and registered nearly 800 tons. The launching of the Bierstadt, October thirteenth, was one of the most spectacular sights that ever took place in this town. It was witnessed by fifteen hundred spectators, many of whom came from Bath on the morning train. The new Birch Point bridge, the wharves about Hobson's mill and all available places in the shipyard were crowded with onlookers. The barque was built on high land near Williamson's Point and had a declination of nearly two hundred feet to run before entering the water, and in that distance had to let herself down twenty feet. The launching ways were steep, and many were apprehensive as to the result, but as she slid into the river there was but one misadventure to mar the perfect launching. A small boy named Colby stood on the capsill of the wharf nearby gazing at the vessel as she splashed into the water, when a great wave came surging up and washed the boy completely over the wharf, into a dock on the other side, and then, by a singular coincidence, another wave came and washed him back again, leaving him on the wharf.
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