Did you know that Presque Isle had its own pirate? Okay, he wasn’t actually a pirate. He was actually a pioneer in the field of marine salvage and his is an interesting story. “Pirate” sounds much more romantic and it could be used in the sense that he went in search of “loot.”
Sidney Cook was born in Ellsworth in 1837 and moved to Ashland with his family in the 1840s. At the tender age of 18, like many young men of his era, he set out to find fame and fortune. He decided to travel to Boston where he signed on with a whaling ship. Sidney soon realized that not only did he love sailing, but he had a real knack for it.
In the early 1860s, he heard of a shipwreck off the coast of California. The steamer, “SS Golden Gate,” was carrying $1.4 million in newly minted gold, as well as 338 passengers and crew, many of which had made their fortunes in the California Gold Rush. The “SS Golden Gate” was a 270-foot long, 2,067-ton vessel with three classes of cabins and the capacity to hold 1,200 people. It was known as one of the fastest steamers on the West Coast.
It set sail from San Francisco Monday, July 21, 1862. On Sunday, July 27, 1862, fire broke out on board when the ship was about 15 miles offshore in a calm sea. Several lifeboats were able to make it away from the ship, but the ship was by that time still 3-4 miles from shore. Some passengers jumped from the ship — some with life preservers, some simply holding on to floating objects. By 5:30 p.m., the ship had run aground about 300 yards off shore. Two hundred thirteen of the 338 on board perished. Some of the sunken treasure came from abandoned money belts and lost baggage.
Confident of his diving abilities, Sidney put together a crew and went in search of treasure. Cook and his crew discovered three-quarters of a million dollars worth of gold and coins from this shipwreck. At that point, Cook and his crew were unsure what to do. They were afraid that if they returned home, the money would be taken away. The fact that a little thing known as the Civil War was raging in the states may also have played a role in the men not wanting to immediately return home. So instead, the crew decided to spend some time in Mexico.
Finally, the men became homesick and decided on a course of action. They would return to the states and approach the court in San Francisco asking for a salvage fee. In essence, Cook and his crew were the forerunners of today’s modern treasure salvaging companies. The court rewarded one-third of the recovered treasure to the crew.
In March of 1865, Sidney returned to the area. As his parents had moved to Presque Isle during his absence, he chose to settle here, as well. He married Hattie Perry (daughter of Nathan Perry). In 1870, he and his wife built the grand home still standing today on the northeast corner of Third and State streets.
Cook still had a case of wander lust, however, and at the age of 40, decided to go back to California to the diving business. When this proved less than profitable, he moved to Florida to raise oranges. This career tack did not meet up with his expectations either. At that point in time, he returned home to Presque Isle to retire.
Sidney Cook also played a significant role in our history of fires, as well. Presque Isle suffered devastating fires during our early years. In 1875, the town voted to purchase a hose to attach to the pump located at the mill on the Presque Isle Stream by the dam. In that same year, a fire company was organized to “man” the hose and pump should another fire occur. On a document dated May 4, 1876, 28 men from Presque Isle signed their names pledging money to buy the pump and hose carriage. One of these men was Sidney Cook, who also served as fire chief of Presque Isle from 1897 to 1899.
Cook was apparently a very good storyteller and wrote several articles under the pen name of “Amphibious.” Not only did he write stories, but he was perhaps featured in one. In 1908, author Franklin Kent Gifford published his book, “The Belle Islers” (Boston: Lothrop, Lee & Sheppard) under the pseudonym of Richard Brinsley Newman. Gifford lived in Presque Isle from 1874-78. He based many of his characters on actual people he had met while living here. It is said that the character Sid Colville in the book was modeled after Sidney Cook.
It is thought that Cook may have played a role in another rather famous local history story. Just east of Mapleton on the night of April 30, 1873, Jim Cullen, a local ne’er-do-well, was lynched by a mob of several men for robbing a local store and killing some of the posse that went after him. This is the only known lynching to occur in New England. Each member of the mob was disguised and had sworn never to discuss or divulge the identity of one another. The angry mob felt that Cullen would not receive a severe enough punishment for what he had done if left to the court system. It is rumored that Sidney Cook was the one who tied the knot in the rope used to lynch Jim Cullen as he was the only sailor in town who knew how to tie the type of knot that was used.
Cook passed away in 1919. His descendants still call Presque Isle home. In fact, Cook Florist is still run by one of his descendants.
Editor’s note: The Presque Isle Historical Society is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. For more information on the organization’s programs and events, membership, or to make a tax deductible contribution, please visit the website at www.pihistory.org, e-mail pihistoricalsociety@hotmail.com, call (207) 762-1151, or write to: P.O. Box 285, Presque Isle, Maine 04769.
