Time Machine: 1920, 1939, 1968, 2006.

Built in Pocomoke City and launched in 1920 the sail-powered schooner Lillian E. Kerr operated out of a home port at Prince Edward Island, Canada. News of a troublesome nature was made aboard the vessel in November of the following year and even more ominous news concerning the Lillian E. Kerr came in November of 1942.

August, 1920

Baltimore Sun  

In 1921 the Captain of the Kerr brought mutiny charges against a member of his crew following a fight aboard the ship. The Captain had found the crew member asleep at the wheel. The crew member attacked him with a knife and the two men fought on deck while the captain’s wife steered the vessel. The captain alleged that the crew member attacked him a second time and he was forced to shoot the violent man. The outcome of the charge is not known. 

Built as a three-masted vessel the ship was later sold to Capt. James L. Publicover of Le Have Nova Scotia. He added her to his small fleet of cargo vessels and made a major change to the appearance of the schooner by having her re-rigged as a four-master.                                                                                                                                              Sailstrait (website)                                          

Boston Globe

(4 photos and historical commentary from Sailstrait)

A little more than a year after leaving Charlottetown the Lillian E. Kerr was transporting a cargo of timber to Boston. During the night of  12-13 November 1942 she was overtaken by a convoy carrying war materials overseas. Although the Kerr was carrying running lights the ships of the convoy were not. She was rammed by a steamer called the Alcoa Pilot and went to the bottom with all of her crew except for one person was recovered but died soon after. The owner, Capt. Publicover, lost his son, son-in-law, and two nephews in the sinking.

The Gazette (Montreal, Canada)

View the full Sailstrait article on the Lillian E. Kerr.

https://sailstrait.wordpress.com/2017/07/05/lillian-e-kerr-an-icon-of-the-age-of-sail/

July, 1939

Worcester Democrat

Footnote: According to dollartimes.com the average retail price of gas in 1939 was 19-cents a gallon. A "good old days" price? Dollartimes says this was equivalent to $3.54 per gallon in 2021 dollars.  

The ESSO station at Market and Second Streets in 1963.

May, 1968

Democratic Messenger

August, 2006

(PPE reader comment)

Anonymous said...

Tony Bruce did not collapse in the parking for no reason. It is believed, and evidence supports, that he died of poisoning by his own hand (suicide). Evidence also supports that there were funds missing or misappropriated from some of the escrow accounts that he controlled as an attorney.

(tk for PPE said)

As a follow-up to above comment the latest published information we located regarding Mr. Bruce was an article below from the December 2, 2006 Daily Times.