Sea Captain's Memorial

Sea Captain's Memorial

Friday, May 13, 2016

Captain Sturdeon Stahl of Waldoboro, Maine and Whole Family/Crew

Seaman: Capt. Sturdeon Stahl (with whole family and crew)
From: Waldoboro, Maine, USA
Ship: Bark "Cheshire" out of Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Cargo/Fishing: Cargo/Sugar
Coming from: Cienfuego, Cuba
Going to: Delaware Bay or vicinity
Date of Last Location: Cuba, March 24, 1893
Latitude:
Longitude:
Cemetery of Memorial: Dutch Neck Cemetery
Town/State: Waldoboro, Maine



The STAHL Family:

On the stone-
"They sailed from Cienfuegos, Cuba on March 24, 1893 on board (the) Bark, "Cheshire", and no tidings ever received from them." (In other words, They were never heard from again.)



NOTE:  A "Bark" is a large cargo type ship, and there would have been a hefty Ship's crew that also lost their lives on that fateful day their ship was lost.

Bark, Barc, or Barque
However it’s spelled, historians believe a bark was originally a barge and, over time, the name has been altered. The earliest barques were noted in Portugal with square sails and oars. In the 1440s, Mediterranean barques carried three masts and lateen rigs. Eventually, there was a difference between a barge and a bark, which began to have sails. The French called a ship, “barque,” and the English, bark. In the 18th century, the British Navy used the term bark to cover ships that did not fall in any other categories. Ships of exploration such as Captain James Cook’s Endeavour were colliers that were converted to ships of exploration. That’s why the Navy referred to Cook’s ship as the HMS Bark Endeavour.
The word bark (which seems to be the American spelling) evolved by the 19th century to mean how a ship was rigged. The ship could have three or more masts and a particular sail configuration. The advantage of the bark-rig was that the ship needed fewer sailors to work the sails.
http://ageofex.marinersmuseum.org/index.php?type=shiptype&id=2

On the Other Side, the Stone reads:




Capt. Spurdeon K. Stahl
1861-1893

Fannie E. Webb
His Wife
1867-1893

Kelsey W.
Their Son
1890-1893












Lewiston Evening Journal
June 7th, 1893

Waldoboro
"Nothing has been heard from Capt. Spurdeon Stahl of this town who sailed from Cuba the last of March in command of the bark "Cheshire" hailing from Boston, with a cargo of sugar bound for some port in Delaware Bay or vicinity, and so much time has elapsed since the vessel was due, that his rescue is considered very improbable. It is possible that the crew were picked up by an outward bound vessel, but very little hope is placed in that. Capt. Stahl was accompanied by his wife and child. His wife was the daughter of Mr. A. T. Webb, a well known citizen of this town. It is also reported as a curious coincidence that another vessel left the same Cuban port with a similar cargo on the same day as the "Cheshire", the fate of which is also unknown. It is thought by some that the two vessels may have collided during a gail resulting in a wreck of both." (Unlikely.)



I looked up Cheshire in Google.  Here is what I found:

1-
https://books.google.com/books?id=x2BGAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA28&lpg=PA28&dq=The+Bark+Ship+Cheshire&source=bl&ots=aOnnIh8gSe&sig=c8RKRt16RUDrQ8_Qxm_jMezS4E4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi59sanpcnMAhVB7SYKHSVsC6oQ6AEIMTAE#v=onepage&q=The%20Bark%20Ship%20Cheshire&f=false

2-
http://immigrantships.net/1800/cheshire18540413.html


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