Following is a column that appeared in the South Portland – Cape Elizabeth Sentry on Dec. 1, 2017.
As we continue looking at the workhorses of Portland Harbor in the early-1900s, we look to the very first of the six-masted schooners, the “George W. Wells. “As with the other six-masters, the “Wells” was built to carry coal, lumber and other heavy goods, and had a carrying capacity of 5,000 tons of coal.
While many people were skeptical of the maneuverability of a six-masted vessel, the “George W. Wells” proved to be up to the task.
The beautiful six-masted schooner, “George W. Wells,” tied up at a pier on the Portland waterfront. The large building behind is one of the grain elevators at the old Grand Trunk Railroad. Etta Gregory Watts Collection/South Portland Historical Society
Built at the Holly M. Bean shipyard in Camden, the “Wells” was launched on Aug. 14, 1900, with a crowd of nearly 10,000 spectators on hand to see the amazing sight. While the Wells was owned by Capt. John Crowley of Taunton, Massachusetts, the vessel was named for a major investor in the vessel, George Washington Wells.
After the launch, Capt. Crowley took the “Wells” out for its first sea trial, then turned the command over to his brother, Capt. Arthur Crowley. The six-master would have several different captains over its 13-year life, but one was of special note for us: Capt. Joe York.
Captain York was a South Portland resident and a familiar face on several of the large schooners in Portland Harbor. I’ll share more about him in a future column.
One interesting event that happened to the “George W. Wells” occurred in June of 1901. While off the coast of Massachusetts, the “Wells” collided with what was then the only other six-master on the ocean, the “Eleanor A. Percy.” Even though the weather was fine, the two huge schooners collided and both made their way into Boston Harbor. The two ships ended up back up at the Percy & Small Shipyard in Bath for repairs.
Unfortunately, the “George W. Wells” suffered a similar fate to many of the large schooners.
On Sept. 3, 1913, while on a trip from Boston to Fernandino, Florida, with a load of lumber, the “Wells” got caught in a gale off Diamond Shoals, Cape Hatteras, and was blown toward shore. The ship struck bottom, two masts broke, and Capt. York and the other 20 people on board had to be rescued.
In an interview afterward, Capt. York contradicted the reports that the crew of the Hatteras Lifesaving Station had risked their lives to save them. “Risked their lives!” he said, “They never even left the beach! The lifeboat was not taken from the station and the breeches buoy was not connected with the ship. We had to send a rope in by a barrel in order to get the breeches buoy in connection.”
He further stated that two of the members of the life-saving crew had bought the “George W. Wells” at auction afterward for $800. He felt that it was (or should be) against the law for members of a life-saving crew to be in the business of purchasing wrecked vessels.
Do you have any early photos or information to share on the large schooners that used to do business in Portland Harbor? We’d love to hear from you. Please contact the South Portland Historical Society by phone at 207-767-7299, by email at sphistory04106@gmail.com, or by mail at 55 Bug Light Park, South Portland, ME 04106.
Kathryn Onos DiPhilippo is executive director of the South Portland Historical Society. She can be reached at sphistory04106@gmail.com.
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