1842 — Nov 30, coastal storm and maritime losses, ME (20-21), MA (3), NH (5-6)       –28-30

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 8-6-2024 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

 Maine                         (20-21)

—     16  Reid, Harvey. The Wreck of the Isidore. Woodpecker Records, 2009.

—     15  Bark Isadore, grounds on rocks, Cape Neddock, Maine. (Perley 1891/2001, p. 244.)

–14-15  Barque Isadore, Maxfield Beach ~Wells, ME. The Globe. “Shipwreck…” 12-6-1842, 3.

—       6  Schooner Napoleon, from Calais ME for NYC.  (Perley 1891/2001, p. 245.)

Massachusetts            (       3)

–3  Boston. Perley, S. Historic Storms of New England. Salem, MA: Salem Press, 1891, 244.[1]

–1       “       Sch. Jane Fish. The Globe, City of Wash. “Tremendous Storm…” 12-5-1842, 1.

 New Hampshire         (    5-6)

—  6  James Clarke. The Globe, Washington. “Shipwreck and Loss of Life.” 12-6-1842, p. 3.

—  5  Rye Beach, schooner James Cook, grounds on beach. (Perley 1891/2001, pp. 245-246.)[2]

Narrative Information

Perley: “On Wednesday afternoon, November 30, 1842, a snow storm began, which turned to rain about nine o’clock in the evening. The wind had blown moderately through the day, but when night came on it increase until it blew with great violence from the east-southeast, shifting to the east-northeast at two o’clock in the morning, when it quickly subsided.  In some parts, a great deal of snow fell, and travel on the railroads was greatly obstructed, fifteen inches of snow being on the ground the next day at Dover, N.H. The storm began early in the morning as far south as Washington and Baltimore, and much snow fell there. The temperature was also low, being at Belfast, Maine, on the day before only six degrees above zero, the coldest November day that had been known there for several years.

 

“At Boston, the storm was much more severe than at any other port in that vicinity. Many vessels were anchored in the harbor when the storm came on, and they were driven from their moorings, being either jammed against each other or the wharves. They were badly chafed and broken, and several of them were sunk.  In the very heart of the city the sound of falling masts and of vessels crashing together was heard from time to time above the noise of the storm. It was deemed dangerous to go to the end of the wharves lest some large craft might dash against them, carrying them away. In the night, several sailors were drowned.

 

“Among the many wrecks caused by the storm in the few short hours it continued were two or three that made it memorable. One of them was that of the bark Isadore, a new and beautiful vessel of four hundred tons burden, commanded and owned by Capt. Leander Foss. This was its first trip, and it sailed on the morning of the storm from Kennebunk, Maine, for New Orleans. In the blinding snow and the tempest of that night the craft was driven on a point of rocks near Cape Neddock, Maine, called Bald head, and wrecked. The entire crew of fifteen belonged in Kennebunkport, and all perished. Five were fathers of families, and left in all twenty children. Two were young men, the only sons of widows.

 

“The schooner Napoleon, commanded by Capt. James York, sailed from Calais, Maine, for New York, with a cargo of lumber, on the twenty-eighth of the month. The gale struck the vessel out in the ocean on the night of the storm and carried away both masts. She capsized and righted, but was filled with water. The cook, a Scotch lad, was probably lost when the vessel went over, as he was not seen again. The others of the crew remained on deck, in the cold and darkness and tempest, and one after another they lay down and died. The craft was driven about by the mighty wind, but where no one knew or cared. The next day and another night passed away. Death was what they desired, and all but one of them found it. When the wreck had reached a point about forty miles south of Monhegan, it fell in with the schooner Echo of Thomaston, Maine. Captain York had survived until within an hour or two of their meeting with the Echo, and when the captain of that vessel came on board the wreck only the mate was found alive, he being badly frozen. The other six had all died, and their bodies had been washed away except that of one man, which was jammed in among the lumber in such a manner that it could not be extricated without great danger.

 

“The saddest wreck caused by the storm was that of the schooner James Clark, of sixty tons burden, belonging in St. John, N. B., commanded and owned by Captain Beck. It was on a trip from St. John to Boston, and there were twenty persons on board. They left Portland on the morning of the storm, and late that afternoon were driven ashore at Rye beach [NH], the vessel becoming a total wreck.  At six o’clock in the evening, which was soon after the vessel struck, the cabin was stove in, and the people were compelled to remain on deck. The heavy sea dashed over them, and they were washed from one side of the vessel to the other, their clothing being torn off from them. 

 

“They suffered intensely from the exposure to cold and water, and some died, the first being Mrs. Margaret Stewart’s six month’s old baby boy, named Willie, who expired in her arms. She had wrapped him so closely for protection from exposure that his death was probably hastened thereby.  The mother became insensible and when rescued was found among some lumber almost covered with water.  Her arms were stiffened in the position in which she had held her child, and remained so for some time after arriving at the land.  She was saved, however, to mourn the loss of her boy. 

 

“Mrs. Mary Hebersen, a widow of about fifty, accompanied by her daughter Hannah, who was twelve years old, was on her way to an aunt’s in Holden, Mass.  For hours they kept together in their hopeless condition as well as the waves would permit.  At length the daughter, becoming benumbed with cold, lay down upon the deck at her mother’s feet and died.  While she lay there, her life fast ebbing away, her mother watched over her, and raising her eyes to heaven commended her daughter’s spirit to her Maker. This excellent mother was no sooner apprehensive of the death of her daughter than she forgot the tempest and laid herself down by the side of her child.  In fifteen minutes her spirit also had fled.

 

“As soon as it was possible, one of the sailors took a long rope, fastened one end of it on the deck, and jumped into the raging surf with the other end tied to him. He fought his way to the shore, and by means of the rope the captain and crew and ten of the passengers, five women, two men, a girl and a boy, and a child sixteen months old, were saved. Only one person, Dennis Mahaney, perished while attempting to reach the shore on the rope. Mrs. Hebersen and Mr. Mahaney were the only adults lost, the rest being children. Five bodies were recovered.

 

“Those most instrumental in saving these people were a Mr. Yeaton and his son, who unweariedly and at imminent peril of their lives assisted in getting them on shore.  But for their efforts many more would have perished. Mr. Yeaton’s family generously placed everything they had at the disposal of the sufferers. They gave them the use of the whole house and freely distributed their extra clothing among them, both mariners and passengers having lost theirs, except what they wore when rescued, some of them being nearly naked.” (Perley, Sidney. Historic Storms of New England. Salem, MA: Salem Press, 1891, pp. 244-246.)

 

Dec 5, The Globe: “From the Boston Post of Thursday [Dec 1].  The weather during the early part of yesterday was cloudy and the wind variable.  In the evening, about six o’clock, a southeast snow-storm set in, which continued until about nine o’clock, when it commenced raining; and the wind, which up to that time had blown moderately, burst forth from ESE, with tremendous fury.  Many vessels, which were riding at anchor in the harbor, were driven from their moorings, and either dashed against the ends of the wharves, or jammed alongside of each other.

 

“A large vessel at the end of Russia wharf was almost blown on her beam ends, and several schooners and brigs were jammed together, chafing and cracking – some of them with no person on board.  One or two small vessels were also sunk at this wharf.

 

“At Fort Hill wharf, several vessels were more or less damaged.  A small schooner, (the Jane Fish, of St. George, Maine,) was driven from her anchor against the wharf, and Nathan Fuller, an elderly sailor, in attempting to leave the vessel, fell between her side and the wharf, and was drowned.  The crew of this vessel state that the brig Uncle Sam had been blown adrift, and was then driving about the harbor; and that the ship Tyrone had parted her head-fasts, had swung round, and sustained considerable damage.

 

“The space between India and Central wharves was filling up fast with drifting wrecks; and those vessels at the end of these wharves were careening as if their tall masts would turn them over.

 

“The end of Long wharf brought up several small craft, which, probably, were sunk.  The space between this wharf and the Central wharf was also the scene of great destruction.  The noise of falling masts and the crashing of drifting wrecks rose, at intervals, above the storm, and might have been heard even at the centre of the city.

 

“At the northern wharves, and, in fact, at all the wharves, more or less damage was sustained by a great portion of the shipping.  Such was the terrific violence of the gale, that it was dangerous for an individual to venture to the ends of the wharves; and such was the confusion that reigned around, that little, if anything definite, could be obtained of the people who had left their vessels.

 

“We were informed that more than a dozen vessels had been sunk, and that the crews of one or two of them had perished; but the names of the vessels we could not learn.  This leads us o hope that such reports are exaggerated.

 

“At 2 a.m., we took another stroll along the wharves, and found things comparatively quiet – the wind having shifted to ENE. although we saw nearly twenty vessels more or less damaged, we could not obtain any particulars; for most of them were deserted.  The schooner Conclusion, of Gloucester, lying at the north end of T wharf, had her stern stove in, and sustained other damage.  A large ship (said to be the Riga) was driven up the dock at Long wharf, and had her bowsprit carried away close to the knight-heads.  One of the ships which arrived yesterday was reported to have drifted from her anchors, and sustained great damage.  A ship at the end of Commercial wharf, was also reported to have suffered considerably.  The barque Anita, too, was said to have sustained some damage.

 

“P.S.  The wind still blows with great violence, but we expect it will moderate about daylight.  Perhaps no gale that has visited this place for some time, has destroyed so much property in so short a time.  We fear that a few days will unfold tales of shipwreck and death along our coasts, that will bring pain and sorrow to many a bereaved bosom; for no vessel close in with land could carry sail, or ride at anchor, in exposed situations, and weather such a tempest….”  (The Globe, City of Washington. “Tremendous Storm – Shipwrecks – Loss of Life.” 12-5-1842, p. 1.)

 

Dec 6: “The barque Isadore, Captain Foss, sailed from Kennebunk for New Orleans on the morning of the 30th ult., and during the gale of the same night was driven ashore on Maxfield beach, near Wells, Maine, wrecked; and all hands perished, fourteen or fifteen in number.  On the same night, the schooner James Clarke, Captain Beck, of and from St. John, N.B., via Portland, for Boston, went ashore or Rye Beach, N.H., and six passengers perished.  Their names were Daniel Mahoney, _____ Barry, a lady, and her daughter 5 years old; a child of Mrs. Stewart, and a little girl named Peggy.  The vessel is a total loss. – Balt. Sun.”  (The Globe, City of Washington. “Shipwreck and Loss of Life.” 12-6-1842, p. 3.)

 

Sources

 

Perley, Sidney. Historic Storms of New England. Salem, MA: The Salem Press Publishing and Printing Co., 1891. Google digital preview accessed 10-26-2017 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=Z2kAAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Perley, Sidney. Historic Storms of New England.  Beverly MA:  Commonwealth Editions, 2001 (originally published 1891, in Salem MA: The Salem Press).

 

Reid, Harvey. The Wreck of the Isidore. Woodpecker Records, 2009. Accessed 2-10-2013 at: http://www.woodpecker.com/isidore/index.html

 

The Globe, City of Washington. “Tremendous Storm – Shipwrecks – Loss of Life.” 12-5-1842, p. 1. Accessed at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=186917707&sterm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Writes of “several’ deaths of sailors at Boston harbor the first night of the storm – we convert ‘several” to three.

[2] Does not state the number of fatalities, just the number of bodies recovered.