The Merriam Tragedy

Captain D. S. Howard of Parrsboro built some of the largest and finest ships ever constructed there. They included the four he built between 1890 and 1892 for the gypsum trade: Gypsum King, Gypsum Queen, Gypsum Princess and Gypsum Emperor. These were very well-built ships and had to be because carrying gypsum trade was very hard on wooden ships.

The Gypsum Princess was completed in 1892 and now in June of 1898 she was under the command of Captain David Merriam, a mariner with many years of experience. It was not unusual for a captain to take his family to sea with him, especially on these larger ships (the Princess was rated at 665 tons). On this trip the captain had taken his wife, his 14-year-old daughter Ruth and young son Elvin. His older son Edgar was first mate.

It had been foggy for several days and the heavily-loaded Princess was on a starboard tack and not making very good time. About 9 oclock the lookout reported a fog horn off the port bow and about a minute later Edgar Merriam, the officer on watch, shouted: All hands on deck! Steamer close on port bow! All hands on deck

Captain Merriam was on deck moments later, saw that a collision was imminent and rushed below for his family. Second mate Fulton Lake, who was also aft, hurried up on deck and ran forward. Two of the off-watch seamen, including donkeyman Churchill Parker, had also got on deck.

The Captain had managed to gather his family on the afterdeck and Paulson, the helmsman, despite a badly broken leg, helped him lower the stern lifeboat. Unfortunately, the time it took to get them into it was their undoing. Within a few short minutes after she was struck, the schooner sank, and the suction took the lifeboat and its occupants down with it. Paulson came to the surface and was eventually rescued.

When the other ship, the German liner Ems, struck the Gypsum Princess amidships, it cut her nearly in two. The first mate was flung into the sea, the schooners mainmast fell across the steamer and some of the Princess's seamen climbed to the liner's deck. The lookout attempted to climb one of the dangling halyards but fell into the sea. He was finally pulled on deck.

The Ems lowered a boat which rescued Paulson and two other seaman. One of them was nearly a half mile behind the ship, calling and clinging to a piece of wreckage. Murray Sandford, the cook, was never seen again.

The Ems was travelling at ten knots and could hear the schooner's fog horn, but had mistaken it for the Nantucket lightship. They were actually about ten miles off the Nantucket shoals. When they finally sighted the Gypsum Princess, they assumed because she was under full sail, that she was travelling much faster then she actually was. They increased speed and turned to starboard to pass astern of her. It is very probable that, if they had turned to port, there would have been no loss of life.

Tragically, every one of the Merriams was lost as well as the ship's cook. Three of the seamen were rescued and three, including the second mate, saved themselves.

The Gypsum Princess was owned by J. B. King and company and ship and cargo were valued at about 90,000 dollars. Poor judgement on the part of a steamship's command had cost six lives and another Parrsboro ship.

Ironically, Captain D. S. Howard, then in command of the Earl of Aberdeen, later sighted and boarded the Gypsum Princess. Her cargo of gypsum had spilled out and she had resurfaced. He reported that Mrs. Merriam's hat still lay on the table in the captain's cabin.

Compiled by Ed Gilbert from various sources