December 1898
Given Up - Lost With All Hands
Again we hear the tidings dread,
On storm king's wings so quickly sped,
Telling the loss of men so brave,
On Cape Cod sands, 'mid wind and wave.
Ant their good craft, storm-tossed and torn
Went down with them to ocean's bourne.
Gone from us all, no more to see
Their friends, their home, their family.
Lost the craft and lost the crew,
Gone from all they loved and knew,
As others have and others may,
Who sail from Gloucester town away.
Another vessel has sailed form this port,
never to return. Another whole crew, who have braved the winter storms on the ocean in
pursuit of their hard earned living have "turned the Point" for the last time.
The sch. F. R. Walker has undoubtedly made her last voyage and
stout hearts who manner her are no more in this world. 'Midst the terrible hurricane which
recently visited the New England coast, leaving death and devastation in its wake, she
went down with all on board, seized by the treacherous waves and hurled to her doom on the
sands of Cape Cod.
The Walker sailed
from this port Oct. 27, on a haddocking trip, under command of Capt. Frank Miller,
with a crew of 15 men. She put into Portland November 7 and there landed her market fish.
While there, two of her crew, George Parsons and Frank Duffy, left
the vessel, Parsons shipping in the Vanguard of that port, which
recently went ashore in Boothbay harbor. In a letter written by him recently to a friend
in this city, he states that he thinks that Duffy went back in the vessel before she
sailed.
At Portland, when the Walker
was there the schooner Bertha M. Miller of this port, and her
cook, known as "Baltimore" Brown, left her there and shipped on
board the Walker. It is probable that if Duffy went back, as he
probably did, that Brown went dorymate with him, taking the place of Parsons who left as
above stated.
The last seen of the Walker
was on the evening of November 26, when the memorable gale came on. At that time she was
sighted by the schooner Ramona of this port. Capt. Julius
Anderson, 40 miles south-half east from Seguin light. Nothing further was known
of the vessel until the morning of November 29, when the coast patrol near Race Point,
Cape Cod picked up pen and skid board, sails, batches and other wreckage, some of it
marked F. R. Walker , indicating that the vessel had met
disaster near that point. Later more wreckage and a dory, the latter marked with the
vessel's name came shore near the same place.
Time has gone by and it is now two weeks since
the great gale and all or nearly all of the fleet have returned to port or have been heard
from, but there has been no sign of tidings from the Walker ,
and at last all hope of her home coming is abandoned and her owners have reluctantly given
her up.
A gentleman, whose name for various reasons is
not made public, but who lad a relative in the vessel and who is very anxious to recover
the body of the latter, was here Friday afternoon, and told a representative that he had
knowledge that a party at Cape Cod had possession of the taffrail of the vessel with her
name on it. This gentleman had been to see Governor Wolcott, who told him that Chief Wade
would receive orders that all bodies recovered should be sent to the morgue at Boston,
whether or not they were victims of the Portland disaster, thus
if any of the crew of the Walker should come ashore, they would
be brought to Boston, where their relatives and friends from here would be afforded a
better opportunity of recognizing them. the gentleman in question is going to Cape Cod to
pursue his investigations and if possible recover the body of his lost relative.
The crew list of the F. R. Walker
was as follows:
Isaac J. Tilden, cook, 45, a
native of Cape Cod, resided at 4 Liberty street of this city, leaves a widow and four
stepsons, Mark A., Frank, Walter, and Edward Como. He was one of the best known cooks
sailing form this port.
Albert Inmanson, 22, single, native of Sweden
David Dalton, 28, single, native of St. Mary's Bay, N. F.
Charles Keen, former master mariner, 45, native of Frankefort, Me.,
leaves widow and one child in Maine
Harry Olson, 26, single, native of Norway
Thomas Keating, also known as Boran, 30, single, native
of Arichat, C. B.
Edward Anderson, 21, single, of Sweden
Frank L. Ericson, 25, single, native of Sweden
Theodore Johnson, 35, single, native of Gothenburg, Sweden
Lars Heljson, 25, single, native of Norway
Leander Joyce, 40, native of Arichat, C. B., leaves widow and five
children
Charles Wilson, 50, native of Sweden. This was to be the last trip for
the winter season, he not being well
Albert Hanson, 27, single, native of Norway
Frank Duffy, 26, single, born in this city, leaves father and brother in
Boston
"Baltimore" Brown, 40, single, native of Sweden. (Brown's
surname was Thomas)
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