Cushing Island, ME Schooner SUSAN P. THURLOW Wreck, Dec 1897

SIX SAILORS DROWNED.

TOTAL WRECK OF THE SCHOONER SUSAN P. THURLOW OFF MAINE'S COAST.

ONLY ONE MAN ESCAPED DEATH.

HE CLUNG TO A SPAR UNTIL FINALLY THROWN ON THE BEACH BY THE WAVES, THE ACTING CAPTAIN AND THE MATE AMONG THOSE LOST.

Portland, Me., Dec. 16. -- The schooner SUSAN P. THURLOW, bound from Hillsboro, N.B., for New York, with a cargo of plaster rock, went to pieces on Cushing Island, and the acting captain and five members of the crew were lost. One sailor managed to reach the land, and he informed the inhabitants of the wreck. The Thurlow was built in Harrington, Me., and hailed from New York.
The single survivor of the disaster is E. REIMANN.
He tells the story of the wreck as follows:
The Thurlow encountered rough weather off the Maine coast Tuesday night, and as the storm increased the captain decided to make Portland harbor, for shelter. He was only a few miles out from Portland when the rudder rope parted, and the vessel became disabled and was left at the mercy of a heavy sea. The captain and crew tried to repair the steering gear, but even while they were thus engaged the schooner struck on the reef.
All three masts were carried away by the force of the impact, one of the topmasts striking the captain and crushing one of his legs. The captain and mate ordered the men to jump for their lives. REIMANN was caught by a huge wave and hurled into the sea. He was washed upon the beach on the island three times, but was unable to obtain a foothold and was swept back by the undertow. He managed to get hold of one of the spars and clung to it for a long time, finally being carried upon the beach by the waves.
He lay on the beach, benumbed with cold, and exhausted by his battle with the waves, for some time. At length he dragged himself in the hut of a fisherman, where he was cared for until morning, when he was brought to this city, and the story of the disaster became known.
The bodies of the acting captain, Mate McLEAN and three sailors were washed ashore on the island during the night. Nothing was left of the vessel in the morning. The beach is strewn with spars and other wreckage.
The mate of the Thurlow, L. HEIJERSEN, of New York, was in charge of the vessel, the captain having left her when the schooner was at Philadelphia because of illness.

Daily Times New Brunswick New Jersey 1897-12-16
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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!