January 25, 1929
Hunt Steam Trawler Some Days Overdue
Radio orders were broadcast yesterday to every
coast guard ship in North Atlantic waters to start search for the steam trawler Seiner,
which has not been heard from since January 13. The Seiner
carried a crew of 20 men, most of whom are believed to be from Boston. She was due
in New London, CT., Tuesday, but failed to arrive, and all efforts to communicate with her
by radio failed, although she is radio-equipped.
The craft is owned by the Portland Trawling
Company of Groton, CT. The owners notified the Coast Guard yesterday, and Capt. Eugene
Blake, commander of the eastern division, sent craft to start search and also
notified all shipping in these waters to be on the lookout.
The Seiner was seen
a week ago Sunday on Georges Banks. Since that time a continuous series of storms,
gales and high seas have swept over the fishing grounds. Fishing craft have limped
into port badly damaged by the storms, and it is feared the Seiner
may have foundered.
President John Graham of the
trawler company sent messages from his New London office ordering out 15 other vessels of
his fishing fleet to search for the missing trawler. He insisted, despite that
order, that there was no cause for alarm among relatives of the crew. He said the Seiner
was a "staunch boat" which had weathered "much worse weather"
than that of the past week or two, and insisted that there were "a thousand things
which can happen to a vessel at sea, none of which means disaster."
February 2, 1929
Abandon Last Hope for Missing Steam Trawler
Bringing Up of Life Boat Would Indicate Seiner Met Doom
on Southeast Part of Georges Bank
Hope that the missing beam trawler Seiner
and her crew of 20 are still safe was practically abandoned yesterday, with the
announcement by President John Graham of the Portland Trawling Company,
at New London, Conn., that a damaged lifeboat from the missing craft was dragged up on the
southeast part of Georges in 35 fathoms of water, Thursday afternoon.
Simultaneously, Coast Guard officers at New London announced that the extensive Coast
Guard search, which has been carried on for the Seiner during
the past week, was brought to an end.
The lifeboat was brought to the surface by the
trawler Brant, under Capt. John Hall, which
with other trawlers of the Portland fleet, have been searching for trace of the Seiner
for the past week. It was readily identified as being one of the Seiner
lifeboats.
According to a wireless report of the finding
to Pres. Graham, the lifeboat's air tanks were crushed and there were
several dents in the metal bottom. President Graham explained the
crushed tanks as resulting from the terrific pressure at 180 feet, and the dents as
possibly resulting from the boat being dragged on a rough bottom.
The finding of the lifeboat is the first
definite trace of the Seiner since January 13, when it was last
reported by radio. The craft sailed from New London January 9, and was due to make
port January 22. President Graham declined to give out the crew list of the
vessel. The exact position where the Seiner's lifeboat was
dragged to the surface was given at latitude 41.05 and longitude 6710.
Mrs. Hazel Greenleaf on this
city, wife of Capt. Merill Greenleaf, who is mate on the Seiner,
received word of the finding of the lifeboat through her family physician. Capt. Greenleaf
was a lieutenant in the United States Navy during the World War. |
