Good afternoon Joe my name is Jerry Clifford I am emailing you from a little village in the southwest of Ireland called Caherdaniel , Our local harbour is called Derrynane now to get to the point . I have found that Captain Solomon Jacobs Schooner the Ethel B Jacobs was wrecked on Abbey Island near Derrynane, I am a skipper with the local Lifeboat you can find us on facebook under Derrynane Inshore Rescue. I have been trying to get info and pictures on the Schooner and after trawling the internet your blog on Jacobs keeps popping up.
I would appreciate some help on gaining information or guidance towards the correct route to take, it just seems to be a great opportunity to bring this story to life .
Thanks for your help
regards Jerry Clifford
Good Morning Gloucester 
Jerry,
If you haven’t done so yet, go on the internet and go to Google.com. and search for “Gloucester schooner Ethel B. Jacobs” On Google, you data about Capt. Jacobs and the schooner. Thanks for posting your note on GMG and good luck on your search. Hope to read more from you.
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In above, I meant to say, “On Google you will find data about Capt. Jacobs and the schooner
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What a wonderful post.
I am sure there are local professional and amateur historians who can lead Jerry to the information he seeks.
Perhaps the Cape Ann Museum would be a good starting point. The website Out of Gloucester confirms that the Ethyl B Jacobs was wrecked on Abby Island on October 25, 1899. All hands were saved.
Anyone who has photos, artifacts or histories of the Ethyl B Jacobs please respond here. Let’s try to firm up this Gloucester – Caherdaniel connection. If we can put together a package, I’ll be happy to hand deliver it to Jerry at Derrynane harbor.
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Of course the correct spelling is ETHEL.
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The Ethel B. Jacobs was built in Essex, MA by Moses Adams in 1891. She was 131 gross tons, 108′ long, 24′ on the beam and 11′ deep. (From the Shipbuilders of Essex, by A.D. Story). According to WMP Dunne, she was designed by Edward Burgess of America’s Cup Fame. (From Thomas F. McManus and the Irish American Fishing Schooners). She sailed in the 1892 Gloucester Fisherman’s Cup Race, Captained by Sol Jacobs. During the race, she split her main gaff and tore her mainsail in half while gybing around the first mark while carrying all her canvas in hurricane force winds. That race is known as “the Race that Blew.” The only photo we know of is the one from the NOAA Historical Fisheries Photo Library http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/bigs/fish6883.jpg, that you have probably already found online, but Stephanie Buck the archivist at the Cape Ann Museum is a great resource.
Good luck! Please let us know what else you find out!
Best,
Mary Kay Taylor, Education Director, Maritime Gloucester
and Harold Burnham, NEA National Heritage Fellow, Master Shipwright 2012
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Found this photo of the Ethel B. Jacob’s Galley on the same NOAA site. http://www.photolib.noaa.gov/bigs/fish6954.jpg.
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Jerry,
You might like to have a look at my book, “On Opposite Tacks: When Artist John Sloan and Capt. Solomon Jacobs Crossed Wakes in Wartime Gloucester,” Whale’s Jaw :Publishing (2011). Biography with photos of his boats. Sol Jacobs’ remarkable life explains why a park in Gloucester bears his name.
Chet Brigham
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Jerry Clifford came to the right place for the journey on the information seas! Well Done GMG!! Dave
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My dad was a big fan of Sol Jacobs, “King of the Mackerel Killers” and the first captain to add an engine to a Gloucester fishing schooner. It was Dad’s idea and elbow grease that resulted in the Solomon Jacobs Park in Gloucester. I write about that effort here: http://www.karenfavazzaspencer.com/Karen_Favazza_Spencer/Fisheries.html
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