"Cruising with the Sunbeam"

Date1956

AbstractIntertitle: "The Maine Sea Coast Missionary Society Presents" Intertitle: "Cruising with the 'Sunbeam'" Intertitle: "Along the coast of Maine are scattered many lighthouses - " Intertitle: "-coastguard [sic] stations and isolated fishing communities." Views from the water of Bear Island lighthouse, at the entrance to Somes Sound in Northeast Harbor, ME. Built in 1839, it is part of Acadia National Park, but not open to the public. Views of another lighthouse with a boat ramp and a large dory lying against the ramp. Intertitle: "Neglect of religion lack of proper medical aid -" Intertitle: "- and other social problems make life hard for the people." Intertitle: "To better conditions the Maine Sea Coast Missionary Society furnishes the SUNBEAM" Views of the stern of Sunbeam III, and of the ship steaming across a harbor. Intertitle: "With the SUNBEAM and a staff of volunteer and salaried workers, an extraordinary service is rendered to the people. Active co-operation with the Red Cross and other social agencies increases the efficiency of the work." Views of several women sitting around a rug frame outdoors, each working on a piece of a hooked rug. Two men carry a patient on a stretcher down a dock ramp, followed by a doctor who helps bring it aboard. Shots of a truck with a trailer behind full of boxes pulling up to the Sunbeam dock on a snowy day. Men unload the boxes onto the boat. Intertitle: "A member of the Coastguard [sic] must move from his station to another home. To ship his furniture by rail or truck would be too great an expense for him. The SUNBEAM does a neighborly service:" Two women walk on the dock as a truck drives up and men in Coast Guard uniforms and others help unload the truck and carry large items (wood cooking stove) down the dock. Views of various household goods on the bow of the ship. Intertitle: "An island man comes to the SUNBEAM for magazines" Views of a man loading his dory with parcels of tied-up magazines. Intertitle: "Typical midwinter scenes along the Maine coast." Views from the water and land of snow-covered coastline village. Intertitle: "The SUNBEAM 'grounded out" in port during a heavy easterly." Views of men working on the decks of the Sunbeam while it is tied up to a dock in a snowstorm. Intertitle: "Seas coming in over the breakwater of the harbor." Underexposed shots of heavy surf on the rocky coastline and breakwater, with high spray. Intertitle: The harbor mouth becomes impassable with heavy seas." Very brief shot of rough water. Intertitle: "The missionary pastor goes ashore to visit his parish." Two men descend from the snowy deck of the Sunbeam into a small dory. Dory lands on the snowy shore, and the two walk along a snowy road toward the village. Intertitle: "One of the summer enterprises is the vacation school maintained in many communities. -" Intertitle: "-The children learn by precept and practise [sic] to be good citizens and neighbors." Girls play a circle game with their teachers outdoors. A mixed group plays with a ball. Intertitle: "DIrected play religious instruction and manual training are the means furnished to both boys and girls" Both boys and girls cut out paper and fabric, and stitch and glue items. One group shows a farmland scene they have created. Intertitle: "Religious services are held along the coast -" Intertitle: " - in chapels school houses or private homes wherever the SUNBEAM cruises." Intertitle: "Mr. Guptill on the way to a Sunday Service" Views of a man climbing over the rail of Sunbeam and into a waiting dory. A village with a spired church is seen in the background. Poor quality film of the same man entering the door of a building. Views from the deck of Sunbeam underway in heavy sea. Intertitle: "Part Two" Intertitle: "A lobster boat is helped off the rails on which she has stuck, --- a typical neighborly act of the SUNBEAM." Two men in a dory row out to the Sunbeam in the harbor, bringing a tow line attached to the lobster boat on the rail. Views of the lobster boat being towed off. Intertitle: "The old SUNBEAM the boat used by the mission before the present one" Views of the old Sunbeam steaming around a harbor. Intertitle: The SUNBEAM travels the year around through fog, storms, and fair weather" Views from the deck of the Sunbeam as she travels through rough water, then views on a calm buy foggy day. Intertitle: "Travelling with the SUNBEAM" Scenic views of the coastal islands, lobster traps piled in a shed, children sailing a dory, lobstermen at work, the mountains of Acadia, passing Egg Rock lighthouse in Winter Harbor, ME, where the keeper rows his dory and with two dogs out to the ship. CUs of the keeper's house on Egg Rock. Sunset views of a lobster boat at work, views from the ship as it passes along the mountainous coast, and between islands. Intertitle: "Clearing snow from the decks after a storm." Men shovel snow from the narrow decks after a storm. Intertitle: The SUNBEAM visits an offshore island after a heavy snowfall." Views from the ship looking out at the coastline and village which are snow covered. Intertitle: "Hauling up the anchor at 5:00 A.M." In summertime, two men work to start an engine on the bow which helps haul up the anchor line. A winch helps to bring the large anchor aboard. Intertitle: "The log line". Various views of Sunbeam underway. Intertitle: "Lumber schooners from "down east." Two two-masted schooners at anchor near each other in calm waters. Intertitle: "A lobsterman, helped by his son, prepared to set a string of traps." A fisherman carries a bucket and a basket of bait onto a dock, then lowers them down on a line to his son in the fishing boat below (low tide). The two then load the boat with traps that have been sitting on the dock, and they set out in the open boat. Intertitle: "A fisherman sets out to visit his traps in mid-winter." Views of a fisherman in his dory rowing out to moored lobster boats. Views of other fishing boats moored, with rough seas breaking over breakwater in the distance. Intertitle: "Two of the oldest inhabitants." Still picture of an elderly couple. Intertitle: "Fishing off an outer island" Two men in an open motorboat prepare bait. One hauls in a fish that looks like a sculpin. He pulls in another fish after pulling in a very long fishing line. The two continue to pull in the lines with fish on them, and their containers get full. Intertitle: "And so the SUNBEAM cruises on, constantly at the service of those who need her most." Views of Sunbeam cruising past the camera, and surf breaking on the rocky shoreline. Intertitle: "The End"