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Advocate Archives
This week’s look back into the Advocate Archives reveals a severe lightning storm in 1918 that claimed the life of one fisherman; local yachtsmen in 1939 sail their Eskimo boats to victory over Wellfleet yachters; a great blue heron takes a ride on the Boston ferry in 1951 and gets a new home on the North Shore.
Aug. 15, 1918
Lightning Kills Man, Damages Homes
The worse electrical storm of the summer was experienced here Friday. One man was killed and one dwelling was struck by lightning and several home grounds were visited by the electric element with nerve-shattering effects to occupants attending. The rumbling of the thunder peals became audible about 11:50 a.m. From that time until 12:50 noon, the aerial discharges grew gradually in intensity and frequency, and at about 1 p.m., the first of a series of deafening crashes announced the striking of a lightning bolt. That bolt hit and demolished the big flag-pole that stood beside the rear veranda of Kwituwury cottage, cutting off the staff some four feet above the surface of the ground and scattering the severed part in chips over a wide area of surrounding ground.
Lightning is said to have entered and escaped through open doors or windows at Francis cottage, occupied by Harold Di Polo and family, of New York, doing no damage to building, or fittings, but momentarily shocking Mr. Di Polo as he sat at the dinner table; passed through the roof of the Phipp’s hill cottage, east end, downward through an open fireplace, near which a party of four inmates was standing, and, following some metal piping, went down into the earth.
Lightning struck the dwelling of John W. Lyle, No. 252 Bradford St., and wrought damage of $100, or more, it is stated, to glass, woodwork, etc., and started a fire which was extinguished by William Francis and others, using water.
The one fatality occurred in harbor, or near the entrance to same, John Gonsalves Curvinho, one of two fishermen who were returning from the fishing ground, being instantly killed, while his partner, on the opposite side of the dory, escaped injury to person or garments except for a slight scorching of oil clothes.
Aug. 10, 1939
Local Yachtsmen Edge Out Wellfleet
Take First Out-Of-Town Regatta By Score Of .24 Points
Provincetown yachtsmen with a fleet of seven Eskimo boats won their first out-of-town regatta of the season Saturday by taking a race from the Wellfleet Yact Club at Wellfleet by .24 points.
Wellbeet, with 10 boats entered, took second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth places, but a win by Alfred Mayo and Charles Westcott’s clinching of third place ran up enough points to give the Cape-tip squadron a narrow margin of victory. Computation of the scores resulted in a ranking of 9.14 for Provincetown and 8.90 for Wellbeet.
Mayo, the winner, made the course in an hour and 54 minutes in the Akpah, scoring 17 points for the Cape-end sailors. John Benting of Wellfleet in the Jolyon took second place and 16 points and Charles Westcott was third in the Belapadoo, taking 15 points for Provincetown. Wellfleet added 50 points when Arnold Carey in the Seavan, Reginald McKeen in the Little Davies, Winsor Nickerson in the Pal and Dr. Frederick Palmer in the Right O’ Way took fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh places respectively.
Aug. 9, 1951
Blue Heron Passenger On Boston Belle Is Kidnapped From Cape
A great blue heron more than four feet tall, one of the wildest birds native to New England, followed the motor vessel Boston Belle out of Provincetown yesterday for a distance of about eight miles and finally landed on the deck of the vessel.
To the amazement of the vessel’s skipper, Captain Harold Dingley, the bird allowed himself to be petted by children aboard the vessel and took food from a member of the crew.
Gilbert Merrill of the Boston Museum of Science education visited Foster’s Wharf to see the bird and identified it as a blue heron, a bird that lives in swamps and marshy areas and has never been known to fly over ocean water.
Observing the bird to be healthy Mr. Merrill took it with him to the Cherry Hill Farm at Beverly with a group of members of the Junior Explorers Club where the bird was released to find a home along the North Shore.
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Aug 9th, 2007