by Wallace J. Gleekman

The Boston waterfront was alive with the hustle and bustle of a busy harbor on a Saturday just after the Thanksgiving holiday. There were more passengers than usual on that November 26, 1898 when many who were returning to Maine came from New York, Philadelphia and other points south after having spent the holiday with their family. The weather that morning was fine, there was sunshine and a slight breeze. As the day wore on, however, clouds began to form over Boston getting heavier and heavier.

The dark clouds were the first indication of a major storm which started from the Gulf of Mexico and headed northward. This storm was about to join forces with another storm sweeping across from the Great Lakes. At India Wharf, meanwhile, freight was being loaded aboard the Portland and passengers began arriving. At 10:30 a.m., the Boston weather bureau informed C.F. Williams, the line's Boston agent, that a storm of great intensity was about to strike Boston. At 3:00 p.m. a special report from New York said that snow was falling and the wind had shifted around to northeast which, in New England, was a grave warning of danger. The barometer was falling, another omen of bad weather ahead. But for now all preparations were being made to depart Boston at 7:00 p.m., the scheduled time of sailing. The general manager of the Portland Steam Packet Company, John Liscomb, headquartered in Portland, had a reputation of having his steamers leave on time. The Portland's sister ship, the Bay State was due to leave Portland at the same time and head toward Boston.

The S.S.Portland was a 291-foot steamer designed by William Pattee and built at Bath, Maine. It was unusually spacious and comfortable with a beam of 42 feet and drew only 11 feet of water which enabled her to cruise the Broad Sound Channel in Boston's outer harbor with no difficulty (but made her less seaworthy in rough seas). It was one of the outstanding paddle-wheelers of its time and presented a beautiful picture with its white and gold trimming as it sailed out of Boston Harbor on its way to Portland.

Passengers had started to board in the late afternoon. There were more than one hundred of them. Some passengers had canceled but most, more than 125, were on board when the ship departed. Passengers and crew totaled 176 persons on board according to the manifest left at the dock.

Liscomb tried to contact the captain of the Portland , Hollis H. Blanchard, at about 5:30 p.m. to delay his departure for two hours when a report from New York said it was snowing heavily. He was unable to get through. He instructed the captain of the Bay State, Alexander Dennison, to remain at the dock in Portland until 9:00 p.m. when the storm could better be evaluated. Blanchard talked over the phone to Dennison who told him of Liscomb's suggestion to also hold the Portland until 9:00 p.m. According to Dennison, Blanchard replied that the Portland would sail at 7:00 p.m. as scheduled. He told Dennison that he would be sailing before the storm and would probably dock in Portland before the storm hit. However he advised Dennison not to sail because Dennison would be heading directly into the path of the storm before he landed at Boston. He would see Dennison at the wharf in the Bay State when he brought his ship in. Dennison, meanwhile, left the dock, sailed out into Portland Harbor and then turned around.

While the ship-is tied up to the dock, it is under control of the company even if there is but one line attached. Boston agent Williams has claimed that at 7:00 p.m. when he realized the severity of the approaching storm he raced from his office and ran down the wharf toward the Portland screaming, "Belay! Belayl" But it was to no avail. The ship had dropped all its lines and was underway heading for Portland. There were some, however, who testified that Williams left India Wharf at 6:07 p.m. and headed toward his home.

The 6:00 p.m. weather report arrived at 6:07 p.m. It said it was continuing to snow in New York but the wind had shifted over to northwest. The barometer had fallen from 29.70 mm Hg to 29.44 mm Hg. This wind shift gave Captain Blanchard the confidence that he could outrun the storm and make it to Portland. This would not be the first time that he had beaten storms into Portland. But he had not reckoned with this particular storm. The whistle from the Portland was sounded as the first flakes of snow began to fall. It was the last thing ever heard from her again.

Many people believe that the Portland was never seen again. But that is not what the records say. Captain Timothy Collins of the Kennebec dropped anchor in President Roads having decided not to sail for Bangor and saw the Portland steam by. He sounded his whistle as a warning but Blanchard continued out to sea. A short time later the incoming Mount Desert piloted by Captain William Roix passed the Portland and expected it to come about but she followed her regular course.

The course Captain Blanchard normally took carried him across Broad Sound and then up to Salem and Marblehead and on to Cape Ann and Thatcher's Island. From there it was a straight run into Portland. Captain William Thomas of the fishing vessel Maud S. reported that he thought he saw the Portland about 3 miles south of Thatcher's Island. But it was snowing and the visibility was getting worse. By 10:00 p.m. the wind had shifted to northeast and picked up to over 30 knots with gusts up to 60 knots. Shipping all along the coast raced for shelter. Those that were unable to reach a safe harbor were beached and wrecked along the South and North Shore of Massachusetts. Ships in Boston Harbor were driven into the wharves and splintered.

At around 11:00 p.m. Captain Reuben Cameron of the Grayling sighted a sidewheeler that had changed course and was heading directly toward her. She fired a flare to warn the steamer away. The paddle-wheeler, he reported, was rolling and pitching badly. At about 11:15 p.m. Captain Frank Stearns of the schooner Florence E. Stearns passed a paddle-wheeler. A half hour later Captain D. Pellier of the schooner Edgar Randall reported a large vessel bearing down on him out of the darkness. He turned his ship away avoiding a collision and noticed the other vessel was a paddle-wheel steamer with some of its superstructure blown away. Captain Samuel Fisher at Race Point on the tip of Cape Cod said he heard four sharp blasts from a steamer's whistle sometime around 7:00 a.m.

The storm continued well through Sunday morning. A little after 9:00 a.m., the schooner Ruth M. Martin, south of Cape Cod, saw a large white steamer and put up a distress flag to attract attention. The Martin escaped while the Portland did not. The intense damage caused by the wild sea finally must have opened her up and the sea poured in shutting down her engines. Broadside to the waves, she stood no chance. As she was torn apart, those on board not killed by the collapsing deckhouse were plunged into the frigid water.

That evening the storm began to abate. Two surfmen walking along the beach spotted a life belt and, dashing through the breakers, retrieved it. It was stenciled with the words Steamer Portland of Portland. The next morning along the south shore of Cape Cod between Race Point and Peaked Hill wreckage of the sidewheeler came ashore along with bodies. There were no survivors. Watches found on the bodies of victims were practically all stopped at 9:15. The blizzard of `98 was the worst marine tragedy to hit Boston and New England with the greatest loss of lives ever.

Blame for the sinking of the Portland lies among the following: Did the Boston agent, Williams, really try to warn the ship before she left or did he go home? Did the general manager, Liscomb, enforce his principle of on time departures so strictly that ship captains were afraid of disobeying? Did Captain Blanchard ignore warnings and become so enamored of his own sailing skills that he challenged the blizzard thinking he could conquer it? The true answer remains a mystery.

References:

Boston Globe, November 26 through December 3. 1898

Boston Traveler, November 27 through December 3, 1898

Snow, Edward R., Great Storms and Famous Shipwrecks...., Yankee Publishing, Boston, 1943.