The Storms Pass By

Our good friend Dale Lincoln has checked in with another great tale; Dale is a native of Down East Maine and is a special friend to the many folks who have come to know him. He is currently making the winter days pass by quickly for the residents of Zephyrhills, Florida with his wife Elsie and looks forward to the Spring when he and Elsie plan to return to Perry, Maine for the summer.

Dale spent two years with us at Skillin's and we will always be thankful for that time.

He has also posted a tale of Two Thanksgivings which can also be found here at the Skillin's Garden Log. Thank you Dale for your contributions!


THE STORMS PASS BY

Heavy clouds were overhead, a mist was in the air, and a warm breeze was blowing from the South as I walked the peninsula behind my home. It was Monday morning, September 23. Summer 2002 had officially ended a few hours earlier. Even though summer was over, friends “from away” would be visiting my home in a few days. My goal for the morning was to dig clams for the planned lobster / clam dinner on Thursday evening. While hiking to the seashore my footsteps were lively. The accumulated aches in my body from the recent blueberry harvest season had vanished a few days earlier. In warm weather a clam digging adventure is often accompanied with a feeling of freedom and happiness.
Upon my arrival at the seashore two black ducks that were feeding at the edge of the incoming tide saw me. They gave their familiar “quack” as they started their flight to another feeding area. At that same moment I was maneuvering my feet, which were encased in hip boots, around the remnants of a large poplar tree. The tree had crashed to the ground during the severe thunder and lightening storm on the morning of July 2, 2002. If people near the area of Sipps Bay have forgotten that little storm, my friends in Somerville, NJ still remember it. Ralph and Hilda (Richard) Caruso, MMA’57E with their camper trailer, had arrived at Knowlton’s Seashore Campground the previous afternoon. The four-hour electrical storm started welcoming them to Perry about 3:00 AM. At our home that same morning, less than one mile away from Knowlton’s campground, Elsie and I noticed the worst thunder and lightening storm we had witnessed during the thirty-one years of living in our house. We knew that the heavenly fireworks and heavy rain was being noticed by Hilda, Ralph, and the other campers. (NOTE: Ralph Caruso from Millinocket, Maine, and I were classmates in college. The previous week we had attended our 45th year class reunion at the Maine Maritime Academy. His wife Hilda (Richard) Caruso also enjoys returning to Downeast Maine. Her family once lived in Calais and she attended school in Calais during the 1950’s. Her Dad, Rev. Clayton E. Richard, was Pastor of the Calais Congregational Church. Hilda tells the story that her father “never” went to the movies, but one evening at Calais in 1957 he saw the top-rated movie of the year: “The Ten Commandments.” By coincidence, the same night that Rev. Richard saw the movie, was the same night that the Calais Theatre burned to the ground!)
It must be mentioned that before leaving home I checked the TV weather map which showed the location of hurricane ISIDORE in the Gulf of Mexico. The Meteorologists were not sure of the direction that ISIDORE would travel but the storm was beginning to churn the water in the Gulf of Mexico. “Heavy seas were beginning to reach Galveston, Texas.”
It is common for people to have “representatives” in countries, states, cities, and towns, around the world. They are simply our family members and other friends. Whenever the TV weather (or news ) centers upon a certain area, our first thoughts and prayers are for the safety and well being of our representatives.” For the past decade the representative in Galveston, Texas for my family and friends is Marine (Ship’s) Pilot, Ms. Wendy L. Morrison (formerly of Perry.) MMA “85 D.
After walking across the soft mud of the clam flats and starting to dig clams I began thinking about Wendy Morrison and her career. She was not the first woman to be employed aboard U.S. Merchant Ships but she is certainly one of the pioneers. Wendy found the courage and went through the obstacles associated with women not being welcome to work aboard ships. During my days as an officer in the U.S. Merchant Marine I met elderly captains and other shipmates that “knew for sure” that it would bring bad luck if a woman came aboard their ship! With that knowledge I often imagine the hidden emotions between some old Captain and a ship’s pilot in this situation:
“About 2:00 am in the stormy waters near Galveston, Texas, a very small boat arrives beside a very large vessel. A petit young lady stands on the deck of the small vessel, grabs a rope (Jacobs) ladder, times her jump with the waves, leaves the little boat, and climbs the straight side of the large vessel. After arriving on the main deck ,Wendy walks to the bridge and meets the Captain. The Captain then gives her control of guiding “his” 800 ft. ship through the channel and directing the operation of securing it to the pier.”
While continuing to dig clams I started thinking about storms and hurricanes. Hurricanes have caused destruction to many communities plus death and injuries to many people. Through the years unexpected wind storms have caused many problems in Downeast Maine, However, the tropical hurricanes that have traveled up the coast have been relatively kind to us and few in number. There are people reading this article that will remember the Great New England Hurricane of September 21,1938. I was too young to remember that storm. My most remembered hurricanes: CAROL and EDNA were only ten days apart. They caused severe damage in Connecticut and Rhode Island. People along the Maine Coast felt the effect of the high winds, waves, and heavy rain. The year they arrived was 1954. I was a Freshman at college and prior to the storms I was of the work details that tried to secure the equipment in the dock area at Castine, Maine. Because my feet remained on dry ground and the area where I was located received very little damage, CAROL and EDNA did not create any bad memories for me. However, two of my Perry friends remember Hurricane CAROL in a different way. H.Richard (Dick) Adams and Maynard Morrison were both new in the U.S. Coast Guard and stationed at Southwest Harbor. I knew that heavy seas associated with CAROL had received their attention.
Very soon after returning from clamming I made phone calls to Dick and Maynard. They easily recalled their duty assignment which involved rescue missions during Hurricane CAROL. “Dick” Adams was an Engineman aboard a 64 ft. Tug boat. Maynard Morrison was a deck hand on a 36- foot, twin engine, rescue boat. Both vessels encountered heavy weather. To summarize one event: The Coast Guard station at Southwest Harbor received a call to assist “The SUNBEAM,” a boat owned by the Seacoast Mission at Seal Harbor,. The SUNBEAM, which provided transportation and enabled church services to be held on some of the islands, was adrift in the heavy seas. When the Coast Guard vessels were near The SUNBEAM, the small rescue vessel that had better maneuverability, went close to the drifting boat and attached a tow line. Immediately after the line was attached one of the engine coverings on the rescue boat became loose. That engine died when it received a slug of green water! Maynard and the rest of the crew experienced some frightening moments. Fortunately, all ended well because the tug was able to assist both vessels. Hurricane CAROL created memories which have lasted almost 50 years.
Before ending the phone conversation with Maynard Morrison I asked him if he thought that his daughter, Wendy, was noticing the movement of Hurricane ISIDORE in the Gulf of Mexico. He said that he had talked with her only a few hours earlier. She said that the seas around Galveston were getting rough and her work schedule placed her as a Pilot on duty at Galveston, Texas, for the next two weeks! (“We wish you smooth sailing, Wendy.”)
Through our path of life we encounter a variety of “storms.” Some storms are so small that only one person may notice it. Other storms are so large and reach so many people that they are given a permanent name. Some survivors of many storms have prayed to God before and during the storm. They can easily relate to the words of the Hymn: ‘Til The Storm Passes By: Written by Mosie Lister: (1958)

In the dark of the midnight
have I of’t hid my face,
While the storm howls above me,
and there’s no hiding place,
Mid the crash of the thunder,
precious Lord hear my cry,
Keep me safe
‘til the storm passes by.
(Chorus) ‘Til the storm passes over,
‘Til the thunder sounds no more,
‘Til the clouds roll forever from the sky,
Hold me fast, Let me stand,
In the hollow of Thy hand,
Keep me safe ‘til the storm passes by.
After surviving the storm we should all thank the Lord, tell the memories, and …Share The Snickers!