On August 10, 1897 this schooner was under full sail despite the near zero visibility. It contained 894 tons of hard and soft coal as it came up the coast from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Portland. Although attempts were made to save the ship, they were all futile. The schooner's crew's belongings and most of the cargo were taken to other ships. However, the Howard W. Middleton did wreck. Parts of the hull are visible at Higgins Beach. The amount exposed depends on the amount of beach sand from tides and ocean storms.