The following news article entitled, “Perils of the Sea” appeared in the Portland Press Daily on December 27, 1872. Three vessels went ashore at Wood Island Light on Christmas Eve. The keeper at the time was Albert Norwood. The article read as follows:
Wood Island Light, Biddeford Pool
(National Archives photo)
“Three vessels went ashore on Wood Island Tuesday the 24th. The schooner Intrepid from Boston to this port struck on the outer reef, came off and sunk, her masts being two-thirds out of the water. She had fifteen tons of iron in her cargo belonging to Messrs. A. E. Stevens & Co., of this city. The schooner was owned by Messrs. Perley & Russell and others of this city and is uninsured.
“The captain, his wife and child all have the small pox, the woman being very sick. The keeper of the light at Wood Island has made provision for the care of the sick, though his family was carelessly exposed to the disease by parties who should have known better.
“The schooners Smith Tuttle of Wiscasset and Virginia went ashore the same day. The former will come off without injury and the latter came off the same day and went into the ‘Pool.’”
A vintage postcard view of Wood Island Light Station.
(Jeremy D’Entremont image)
Nancy Snyder says
History of lighthouses stirs my soul. This is Maine and these are stories of the sea and the land. Maine is my state. Born in Portland. Parents home was here.