| On February 27, 1890, the Messrs. James G. Tarr & Bro.
reluctantly were compelled to give up the Sch. Isaac A. Chapman up
as lost with all on board. The Chapman
sailed form Gloucester about the middle of December of 1889 on a frozen herring trip to
Placentia Bay, and having secured a cargo put into St. Pierre, Miq., on the passage home.
She sailed from that port Jan. 16, in company with schs. Dora A. Lawson,
Valkyrie and Hattie E. Worcester,
since which time there has been no trace of her.
On the night of the 16th a southeasterly snow-storm set in,
the wind changing gradually to the northwest and increasing to a gale, but whether the
missing vessel was driven to sea and caught in the ice, or went down in the storm, will
never be known.
The Chapman was 80.81 tons, built
at Essex in 1879, but had been ashore on Plum Island a little over a year ago, got off and
thoroughly rebuilt. She was valued with outfits at $5000, and there was an insurance of
$3000 on the vessel in the Gloucester Mutual Fishing Insurance Company, with nothing on
the cargo or outfits.
She was commanded by Capt. Ozro B. Fitch,
an experienced, careful and successful master-mariner and estimable citizen. He was a
native of Boothbay, Me, about 49 years of age, and has been master mariner from this port
several years. He leaves a wife and four children residing on Mt. Vernon street in this
city.
The Crew List
Ozro B. Fitch, captain, about
49 years, native of Boothbay, Me., married, leaving a widow and four children
Ole Nelson, mate, single, about 28 years, a native of Mendal, Norway
John K. Baker, cook, widower, a native of Langsund, Norway
Benjamin F. Lunt, seaman, age 27, a native of Tremont, ME
Edward Jordan, alias Charles E. Jargen, seaman, age 29, a native of
Kurland, Russia
Jacob Whynot, seaman, age 20 years, a native of Lockeport, N.S.
Manuel D. Silva, seaman, age 29 years, a native of this city.
There was also one passenger on board, Wm.
Erickson, one of the crew of sch. Pathfinder of this
port, who left that vessel at St. Pierre to come home on the Chapman.
He was a native of Stockholm Sweden, but had long been engaged in fishing from Gloucester,
having been a resident of this country for twenty-one years. He was master of sch. Mattie
Winship when seized by the Canadian Cutter Vigilant
last spring for illegally fishing in Canadian waters. |
