It’s end of the day at Rockland and the end of the life for the schooner Jennie A. Cheney, built in Thomaston in 1870. The quicklime fire that smoldered in her cargo hold for 14 weeks couldn’t be put out despite many attempts at smothering it, including a haulout and caulking at Snow’s. So she was stripped of her gear and the unburnt lime casks, then towed to the Head of the Bay and scuttled. She burst into flames as the water hit the remaining lime, and lit up the night like fireworks. That was in February of 1892. The photo is 46 years later, in August of 1938.
Dangerous Cargo: A Lime Schooner’s End
