January 12, 1937
Fisherman Goes To Doom On Middle Bank
Albert Blagdon, 38, Falls Overboard
After Being Relieved of Wheel
of Local Craft Early Today
A loose knob on the pilot house door of the
local auxiliary sch. Andrew and Rosalie, Capt. George
Goodwin, spelled death for Albert "Boxie" Blagdon, 38
years, single, native of Newfoundland, at 6 o'clock this morning on Middle Bank, 12 miles
southeast of Eastern point, when Blagdon lost his balance and drowned in
the sight of his shipmates. The craft arrived here at 8.30 o'clock this morning,
with the flag flying half-mast, to report the affair. Blagdon had
no known local relatives, and lived aboard the ship when in port.
The vessel left here Sunday, single dory
trawling, and had secured 10,000 pounds of groundfish on Middle bank, until the breeze
that swept the waters this morning prevented the crew of 15 men from fishing. Capt. Goodwin
decided to come closer into shore for harbor, and wait for the breeze to die down.
He had ordered halfhours tricks at the wheel and Blagdon had just
completed his 6 o'clock, being relieved by Edward Armstrong.
Armstrong on taking the
wheel, asked Blagdon to hook the door. The latter did so, and then
took hold of the knob of the door to steady himself as he began to walk down the narrow
way between the starboard rail and the house. His foot is believed to have caught on
ice on the deck, and as he held more tightly on the knob to keep his feet, the knob pulled
out and sent Blagdon hurling over the rail into the icy waters. The
last the crew saw of him was his boots disappearing into the ocean. He was
weighted down with oilskins, heavy underclothes, and heavy leather boots, which coupled
with the temperature of the water, probably prevented him from saving himself from
drowning. Capt. Goodwin immediately ordered a dory overboard, but
an hour's search failed to reveal where Blagdon had drowned, or any trace
of his body.
The unfortunate man had been one of the
vessel's crew since the middle of last November and was regarded as an able fisherman and
a willing worker. He had followed the sea from his childhood, and came here as a
young man to sail out of Gloucester. The sch. Andrew and Rosalie
will leave port again tonight to complete her fishing trip. |
