The Schooner Susan H. Ritchie was
built in October of 1881 in East Boston. Her Captain in 1883 was
C.K. Bartlett and owner was N. Gibson. It was 158x35x12 with a
weight of 543 tons. She is listed in either the Record of American
and Foreign Shipping or American Lloyd's Register of American
and Foreign Shipping until 1885.1 It was destroyed
off the coast of New Jersey in 1894.
Special Thanks to Dick LaBonte and Anne (LaBonte)
Neff for sharing the following information!
A reference to the Susan H. Ritchie can be found
in a book by William C. Schoettle titled "Bay Head 1879-1911"
published in 1966 (now out of print).
This is Mr. Schoettle's account of the wreck of
the Susan H. Ritchie.
"Of the shipwreck tales told by these
men [the Bay Head Life Savers in the 19th century] none was
more thrilling than that of the 'Susan H. Ritchie'. On April
11, 1894 the three masted schooner with a cargo of oak timber
enroute from Portsmouth, Virginia to St. John, New Brunswick
hit the beach at night between Bridge and Howe [Streets]. The
combination of heavy seas and the ignorance of the crew in comprehending
the breeches buoy made an immediate contact impossible. With
the waves pounding over the ship the crew spent the night below
deck in horrors of what was to be their fate. Their fears were
over early the following morning after having been rescued by
Bay Head's courageous surfmen. By 8:15 they had all been given
warm clothing and served breakfast by a roaring fire in the
station house. Many a house acquired a new fence after the Susan's
cargo of timber was washed ashore on the Bay Head beach. At
an auction Mr. Applegate [a local builder] bought what remained
of the Susan for $150.00."
[Click
here to read a newspaper article, "Schooner Beached at Bay
Head" from the New Jersey Courier - 12 April 1894.]
Based on this account Dick LaBonte painted the following
imaginary in 1979.
"The Wreck of the
Susan H. Ritchie, 1894" - by Dick LaBonte 1979
Painting © Dick LaBonte
"The Wreck of the Susan H. Ritchie, 1894"
- Imaginary scene of a shipwreck and how the life-savers used
a breeches buoy to save the crew. Approximate image size 15x19.
Limited edition giclée print of 200.
A note about the painting from Dick LaBonte
"In painting my picture, I moved the disaster
a few doors north, in order to incorporate the two landmark
houses that local people would recognize. The house in the left
background is still there, having been completely restored a
few years ago. The house on the right was known as the "Peek-a-Boo
Cottage" (because of its unique porch openings). Unfortunately,
it was allowed to deteriorate to an uninhabitable state, and
-- by coincidence -- was razed only a few days ago [about Jan
2006]."
Visit the following sites for more information on
how to purchase this or other works by Dick LaBonte and other
New Jersey artists.
http://www.dicklabonte.com/catalogue5.html
http://www.anchorandpalette.com
