Spotted 60 Years Later, Old Barque Is Named: Schooner Days CCCXXXI (331)

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CLEAR-EYED, white moustached and erect, although he began his sailing the year the compiler of these chronicles was born, Mr. John E. Willis, 294 Gerrard street east, came into The Telegram office with what seems a very probable identification of the old barquentine loading lumber in Parry Sound sixty years ago.

The battered photograph, recently turned up by Capt. James McCannel of Port McNicoll, had that veteran master mariner guessing, and many others. The trail broke last week with the Fellowcraft of St. Catharines picked as probable, but Mr. Willis has convincing reasons for thinking it another although similar vessel.

"Seeing the picture in The Telegram of the old barque without a name at Parry Sound I thought you might like my opinion," said he.

"Most of my navigating was done in steam vessels, but I had my taste of sail first, and I believe it was in the vessel you have shown.

"My father was a British navy man and he brought us to Collingwood after his time expired. He didn't want me to be a sailor, but gave me some very sensible advice about what to do if I tried to become one. One thing was about never letting go one handgrip until I was sure had a better one in the other hand, and to use my hands as much as my feet—-but you want to hear about the old barque.

"In 1879 I couldn't wait any longer to get afloat, and I got a passage up to Chicago in the old steamer Canada. I went to Chicago because it was the big centre of the west. Chicago Creek was one forest of masts in those days.

"When I left the Canada with all the world before me I walked along the river front to the old Twelfth Street Bridge.

"Here I got talking with a man who turned out to be Capt. Tompkins of the barquentine M. L. Higgie, lying in the river. The upshot of it was that he asked me how I would like to sail with him as apprentice, which sounded big, and I said very gladly that I would.

"The M. L. Higgie was a black barquentine with a red stripe around her, very much like, but not quite like, the one in your picture. She had square sails on one mast; and fore-and-aft sails on two others. The reason for the difference from the picture I'll tell you soon. She had a captain, two mates, a cook, four sailors in the forecastle, and I, the apprentice, or ship's boy, made the fifth. They were all Norwegians or Swedes except the captain and the cook. That was the usual thing in vessels hailing from Lake Michigan. The cook was Irish, and gave me some good advice which I profited by.

"We loaded twenty thousand bushels or so of wheat and sailed for my home town of Collingwood. I felt important to be coming back with an assured position so soon, although a little dubious about my reception at home, for I had really run away when I left in the Canada.

"Going down Lake Michigan we ran into fog near Skillagalee Light, and before morning we ran into something much worse — another vessel, a schooner. It was then that the transformation began which changed the M. L. Higgie until she looked as she does in the picture.

"The two vessels met almost head on. Our jibboom, projecting forty or fifty feet ahead, got the worst of it. There was a twang of snapping shrouds and stays and backropes and chains, a tearing of canvas, and a splintering of wood. Our spritsail yard was broken. Our heavy bowsprit, below the jibboom, hit the other vessel so hard that it split our own bows open from above. After much hard work and hard cursing the two vessels were separated. I never knew the name of the other schooner. Perhaps no one did. She went on for Chicago, and we stood in for the shore and anchored in shallow water. It was so shallow we could see the sandy bottom. We worked all day making repairs, caulking around the stem and fishing the sprung jibboom, but as the wind held fair we weighed anchor and stood on for the Straits of Mackinaw and across Lake Huron and into Georgian Bay for Collingwood.

"We got there without further mishap, and were considered to be in good enough shape to go back to Traverse City, Mich. There we had to load hardwood lumber for Chicago, which was rebuilding and growing by leaps and bounds after the great fire. That was the M. L. Higgie's regular run—-to Collingwood, grain laden, to Traverse City, light, and back to Chicago with a lumber cargo.

"We unloaded the lumber at Annalee's yards near the Twelfth street bridge, and then Capt. Tompkins said to me, "You won't be much use to us while we're refitting these next two days, and I'll have to lay you off while we're here, but make the ship your home and go uptown and see the sights."

They took out the splintered jibboom and laid it on the dock and they struck the mizzen topmast, knocking the fid out at the trestle-trees and sending the spar down with a headrope. The mizzen gafftopsail was the easiest sail for those old lake vessels to do without. It was of small area, and often had to be clewed down to keep them from griping on the helm. Our mizzen topmast was used in the place of the jibboom. It was short, but, as Capt. Tompkins said, it would serve for the season. The jibtopsail couldn't be carried on it, but that only balanced the mizzen gafftopsail which had been taken off when the topmast was struck.

"So that is why the barquentine looked like a muley, as the one does in the picture, and that is why I think the picture is one of the Higgie. She had been trading to Parry Sound and Moon River earlier, in the square timber trade, and it is altogether likely that she went back there that summer or later for lumber, instead of to Traverse City. I wasn't in her in Parry Sound, for I did not stay with her all season—but that's another story.

"The Higgie's cook told me there was no future in sail, except for Swedes and Norwegians and Finns, and maybe not for them. He advised me to get into steam—and I did. I was in the old City of Toronto. And I was in the Lothair, steam barge, when we used to tow the Straubenzee and the Corisande, schooners with their topmasts out."

IDENTIFIED—a Toronto gentleman is sure this photograph of an unknown barquentine in Parry Sound represents one in which he sailed in 1879—the M. L. HIGGIE OF CHICAGO.