100 years ago this month, a four-masted schooner Estelle Krieger Stranded off Shipbottom, New Jersey Although not remembered as one of Long Beach Island’s most famous voyage stories, research into its background and the fate of the schooner has revealed some interesting facts. .
The schooner was originally built in 1899 Mary T. Quimbybut 11 years later it was sold and renamed Estelle KriegerBy 1915, the ship, like hundreds of other schooners, was mostly involved in the coastal trade, facing several hazards of running aground and being hit by storms.
It was in 1915 that I was involved in a controversial trip.of missionary herald The ship “carries 210,000 gallons of New England rum and is bound for the west coast of Africa, Boston’s contribution to the salvation of the Dark Continent. Cargo also includes timber, flour, food, and large quantities of There is tobacco, but the main commodity is liquor, the largest shipment of this type of cargo from America to Africa in recent years.”
Despite attempts to stop Rum Runner, “Estelle Krieger fled Boston’s Constitution Wharf on a long journey on July 10. By the time this memo is read, she is in Portugal.” Territorial West Africa may have an ominous appearance: a nation of missionaries thus making their work difficult, this nation of light and liberty strengthening the bonds that keep Africans in depravity and misery. When will the vicious traffic stop?”
of republican journal I confirmed that the trip had been beneficial, stating that there was a second visit on May 4, 1916. “The four-masted schooner Estelle Krieger sailed from Boston to Africa on Tuesday with 30 cars and a cargo including 200,000 gallons of rum, tobacco, flour and lumber.”
When Prohibition was enacted in the United States, the manufacture of alcohol became illegal under the Volstead Act, Krieger Returned to coastal trade. Little has been written about the cargo and travel the schooner carried during this time, leading to speculation that it had become a rum runner and was bringing alcohol to the United States.
This may explain the events of February 1923. Asbury Park Press Ninth reported, “The four-masted schooner Estelle Krieger landed about midnight last night, half a mile south of the ship’s bottom, ten miles below Barnegut Cove, and about 40 miles south of the city. Local coast. The ship was washed ashore with a broken rudder, officers said.By noon today, it was reported that a Coast Guard cutter, Kickapoo, was on its way to rescue the nine crew members the schooner was carrying. She was on a cargo of soft coal … It is believed that the sea was almost nonexistent and likely to resurface.”
According to the next day, pressshe “still runs aground on Shipbottom Shoal, about ten miles south of Barnegut. The schooner is above the bar, about fifty yards offshore, and can rest easily.”
what happened? “Captain Emil Bowman reported that his vessel struck the wreck early yesterday morning, breaking the rudder. The schooner drifted to the bar while efforts were made to repair the damage As a precautionary measure, Coast Guard Cutter Kickapoo will set sail from Cape May and attempt to pull the hampered vessel out of the bed of sand.”
I see a little hope.
“Merritt Chapman Wrecking Tug is also on standby with Kickapoo and will attempt to pull her up at high tide this afternoon. There is 18 inches of water, which is considered a relatively trivial matter, and cargo jetting is done until it is proven that she cannot be pulled straight from the bar.”
February 15 article Tuckerton Beacon There are some inconsistencies. “When the four-masted schooner Delacrigger landed at dawn last Friday, 11 men and her one woman were rescued by the Coast Guard at her station on the bottom of the ship.”
Another captain told a different story.
“Captain Genemé told the Coast Guard that he was disoriented in the thick fog that had covered the coast during the night. A surf boat was ordered by the Coast Guard Station Commander Falkenberg to rescue them, and they were rowed out on a schooner despite being on the high seas. The women were roped off first.The men followed.It took half an hour to unload the crew.The ship was raised on Saturday and continued sailing.”
Merritt’s Wrecking Company records found at the New Jersey Maritime Museum in Beach Haven show that the schooner was towed to New York, where it was sold at auction by a U.S. Marshal for $16,433.32. The demolition company received half of the proceeds.
The schooner’s final fate was revealed in a British newspaper on 20 September 1928:
The schooner never sailed again. A 1988 report stated, “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to remove wrecks and flotsam, including historic hulls such as the Esther Krieger, from New York Harbor.” .
By May 2004 new york times found in Bayonne, New Jersey, at the abandoned coal harbor known as Port Johnson, a collection of tall shipwrecks, including the four-masted schooner Estelle Krieger and the five-masted Birkentin Marcerata, all of which were announced that it was slowly decaying.” Away in the passing tide.
A Google Earth search today clearly shows the outline of the Statue of Liberty submerged less than five miles away. Estelle KriegerShips that are part of LBI shipwreck lore still exist and should be remembered.
next week: Lucy Evelyn.
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