On August 10, 1897 the schooner Howard H. Middleton was under full sail despite near zero visibility. It contained 894 tons of hard and soft coal as it came up the coast from Philadelphia to Portland.

The ship hit a ledge off of Higgins Beach in Scarborough, damaging the hull. The crew's belongings and most of the cargo were taken to other ships but the Howard H. Middleton could not be saved. Parts of the hull are visible at Higgins Beach, shown here around 1970.