USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Marion > Lands of Sippican on Buzzards Bay > Part 19
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28
A sailor's voice echoes down the years.
Oliver Deveau duly sworn by the officers of "The Queen, in her office of Admiralty against the ship or vessel supposed to be called Mary Celeste and her cargo proceeded against as derelict."
"I am the chief mate of the British vessel Dei Gratia. I left New York on the 15th November bound for Gibraltar for Orders, Captain Morehouse, Master:
·
235
THE MARY CELESTE
On the 5th December, Sea Time, being my watch below the captain called me and said there was a strange sail on the windward bow apparently in distress requiring assistance- that was probably about 1 P. M. Sea Time I came on deck and saw a vessel through the glass-she appeared about 4 or 5 miles off."
Death had come again to Captain Nathan Briggs and his family in one of its grimmest shapes. Of the Captain's six children who grew up in the house set back on the Great Neck Road behind its avenue of fir trees, all but one, James, were to be claimed by the sea. The daughter sailed with her hus- band, Capt. Joseph Gibbs of New Bedford in 1859, leaving the boy with her mother. Both were lost on that voyage, and the little boy died suddenly the next year. Two sons were buried at sea. Nathan died of yellow fever, and was buried in the Gulf of Mexico.
Oliver and Benjamin, young sea captains, sailed here and there, until one June day death came 'again in a strange cloak to Rose Cottage. It had thundered from early morning that day, June 18, until afternoon. Thinking it was time for the children to leave the little school house just beyond his North gate, Capt. Nathan stepped to the door to meet a jagged flash and deafening crash of thunder, and that night the village mourned the passing of the old sea captain Nathan Briggs.
Young Capt. Benjamin moved his family down from the house on the corner of Clark and Pleasant Sts. and a baby girl was born in Rose Cottage. The boy, Arthur, had been named for the ship on which he had been born on a voyage to France in 1865.
Both Benjamin and Oliver were ready to leave the sea. Oliver had bought a tract of land with a pine grove at the back, next to his father's place. He planned a home to which to retire. He built a stone wall, with a fine handcut curbing, set out a line of elms and an arbor vitae hedge, and had great stones hauled for the foundation of the house, which he planned to build after his next voyage. He had made money, especially in the Brig Samoset, in the Mediterranean fruit trade and had sold the vessel for a large sum. Then bad luck came. In
·
236
LANDS OF SIPPICAN
the Thomas Jefferson to Beaufort, N. C., he was caught in a terrific storm off Cape Hatteras and the ship was a total loss. Then he took the Royal Charles to Antwerp and Rotter- dam, struck ice, and the crew had to be taken off. He was dis- couraged, but he then bought the Julia A. Hallock, and re- paired her. The arbor vitae hedge grew, but the building of the house was put off. Yellow fever broke out on the Hallock. She put into Southport, S. C .; a mate had died. In the meantime Benjamin had bought an interest in the Mary Celeste. He had the cabin remodeled as he wanted to take his wife and baby girl on his next voyage. The little boy Arthur was to be left at home with his grandmother to go to school.
So the two brothers planned their next voyages, They were both sailing to Spain, and they were to meet at Barce- lona. Capt. Oliver came to say good bye to his mother as he was sailing first to Vigo. The two young captains said their last farewells to Sippican. The little wife of Benjamin saw her sewing machine and melodeon on board the Mary" Celeste at a New York dock, and the Celeste followed the Julia A. Hallock across the Atlantic. She cleared on Nov. 7, 1872, Captain B. S. Briggs; Mate, Albert G. Richardson; 2nd Mate, Andrew Getting; Cook, E. W. Head; Seamen, Vokert Loren- jeau, Arien Harheus, Bos Berensen and Gottlieb Goodschoad.
In Sippican the dark November days go by. Little Arthur trudges to school and the grandmother cooks and mends and knits, and makes neighborly calls, and attends meeting. This wife of a captain, mother of captains, thinks it not strange that no news comes from a passing ship of her boys. She herself has spent many months tossed by the long waves of the "seven seas". She knows of days and days sailing the waste of waters without speaking another ocean traveller.
December comes on.
On December 13, in the shadow of the great rock that guards the gate of the Mediterranean, an American "Obedient Servant" is writing under the flag of the United States to his superior officer.
"To the Hon. Assistant Secretary of State, Washington.
Sir.,
·
237
THE MARY CELESTE
I beg to inform you that the American Brig, Mary Celeste of New York has this day been brought into this port by the mate and two of the crew of the Nova Scotian Brigantine Dei Gratia which latter vessel arrived here on the previous evening.
The Mary Celeste was met abandoned at sea on the 4th inst. in latitude 38° 20' N., longitude 17° 30' W., loaded with a cargo of alcohol from New York, supposed to be bound to Genoa. No ship's papers were found on board except the log book, which has entries up to the 22nd or 23rd ultimo, nor were any boats found on board. The vessel is said to leak some, but her new crew had no difficulty to bring her into this port. She is now in the custody of the Vice Admiralty Court, and is being treated as a 'derelict'.
The Master of the Dei Gratia claims salvage and would prefer · settling this matter out of court, if possible, to avoid court formalities and other expenses.
I have telegraphed to the New York Board of Under- writers, and also to Genoa on the subject of this disaster, and though prepared to do all in my power for the protection of the interests of those concerned, I can do nothing more for the present, as the Vice Admiralty Court will not recognize any party claiming the property in its hands, unless accompanied by a power of attorney from the rightful owners in the United States of the Mary Celeste and from the holders of the Bills of Lading of the cargo on board of her, which facts I have forwarded to New York and Genoa."
Across the water came the letter, and then began the waiting of the little mother in Sippican. Day after day, night after night, she listened for the footstep that would bring her letters, or news from some ship of the picking up of a solitary boat in mid-ocean. She knew that ocean well, its smiles, its rages. Neighbors came and went; mail came from the outside world; little Arthur studied his lessons. She began a new quilt.
In Gibraltar, "the Worshipful Sir James Cochran, Knight, Judge, and Commissary of the Vice Admiral Court of Gibral- tar, at a setting of the Court on the 18th day of December, with Edward Joscelyn Baumgartner, Registrar, Frederick Solly
.
L
238
LANDS OF SIPPICAN
Flood, Esquire-Advocate and Proctor for the Queen in Her office of Admiralty, Henry Petri Pisani, Esquire-Advocate and Proctor for David Reed Moorehouse, Master of the British Brigantine Dei Gratia and for the owners, officers, and crew of the said Brigantine claiming as salvors" begin the long questioning of the mystery of the Mary Celeste.
"This being the day assigned by the judge to take evidence on the examination viva voce in open court of Oliver DeVeau, John Wright, John Johnson, Charles Lund, and Aug- ustus Anderson, witnesses produced by Pisani as necessary for the proof of the claims of his parties and now about to leave the Jurisdiction of the Vice Admiralty Court of Gibraltar in the prosecution of their voyage."
A sailor's voice. "I am chief mate of the British vessel Dei Gratia."
"The Master proposed to speak the vessel in order to render assistance if necessary, and to haul wind for that pur- pose, which he did. - We hauled up - hailed the vessel - found no one on board. I cannot say whether the Master or I proposed to lower the boat - but one of us did so, and a boat was launched, and I and two men with me went in her to board the vessel. The sea was running high, the weather having been stormy though then the wind was moderating - I boarded the vessel, and the first thing I did was to sound the pumps. They were in good order - I found no one on board the vessel."
In Sippican captains come and go from New York. Sailors land in New Bedford from whalers. No news from Capt. Benjamin.
In Gibraltar, across the sea, a sailor: talks while the Registrar writes. Steady eyes watch.
"I found three feet and one half of water in the pumps on so sounding them. The pump gear was good but one of the pumps was drawn to let the sounding rod down - I only used the other pump on my way here, and the first pump I left in the same state as I found it - I found the fore hatch and the lazerett hatch off - the binnacle stove in - a great deal of water between decks - the forward house full of water up .:
7
239
THE MARY CELESTE
to the combing -- the forward house is on the upper deck. I found everything wet in the cabin in which there had been a great deal of water -- the clock was spoilt by the water - the skylight of the cabin was open and raised -- the compass in the binnacle was destroyed.
I found all the Captain's effects had been left -- I mean his clothing, furniture, etc. - the bed was just as they had left it -- the bed and other clothes were wet. I judged there had been a woman on board. I found the Captain's charts and books, a number of them - in the Cabin - some in two bags under the bed, and some (two or three) loose charts over the bed - I found no charts on the table. I found the Log Book and the Log Slate - I found the Log Book in the Mate's cabin on his desk - the Log Slate I found on the Cabin table. I found an entry in the Log Book up to the 24 November and an entry on the Log Slate dated 25 November showing that they had made the Island of Saint Mary. I did not ob- serve the entry on the slate the first day, and made some entries of my own on it, and so unintentionally rubbed out the entry when I came to use the slate; at least I thought so. I did not find the ship's register or other papers concerning the ship, but only some letters and account books."
Questions! Questions! Logs and note books labeled "Exhibit A." "Exhibit B."
"I found the Mate's Note Book in which were entered re- ceipts for cargo, etc. - The book now shown to me is the book. I also found the Mate's Chart. -- In his cabin hanging over the Mate's bed showing the track of the vessel up to the 24th. - there were two charts in the Mate's cabin - one under the Mate's bed, and one as I have said, hanging over it. - I am not positive whether the chart with the ship's track marked on it was found above or below the mate's bed - There seemed to be everything left behind in the cabin as if left in a great hurry but everything in its place.
I noticed the impression in the Captain's bed as of a child having lain there."
In the courtroom comes the picture of a child on a wide ocean.
240
LANDS OF SIPPICAN
"The hull of the vessel appeared in good condition - and nearly new.
There were a great many other things in the cabin but im- possible for me to mention all - the things were all wet - the skylight was not off but open - the hatches were off - the cabin was wet but had no water in it, the water had naturally run out of it.
The hull of the ship was apparently new - the masts were good - the spars all right - the rigging in very bad order - some of the running rigging carried away - gone - the stand- ing rigging was all right - the upper foretopsail and fore sail gone - apparently blown away from the yards - lower fore- topsail hanging by the fore corners - main stay sail hauled down and lying on the forward house, as if it had been let run down - jib and foretopmast stay sail set - all rest of sails being furled."
Sir James Cochrane, Knight, Judge, questions.
To the Judge - "The vessel is a Brigantine rigged, I should say of over 200 tons. The vessel I should say was sea worthy and almost a new vessel. - Anchors and chains all right - There were no boats and davits at the side - I don't think she used davits - It appeared as if she carried her boat on deck - there was a spar lashed across the stern davits so that no boat had been there.
I went back to my vessel and reported the state of the Brigantine to the Captain - I proposed taking her in - he told me well to consider the matter as there was great risk and danger to our lives and also to our own vessel. We consulted among ourselves and crew and resolved to bring her in - a distance I estimate at six to seven hundred miles - but have not made out the exact distance.
The Captain gave me two men, the small boat, a barometer, compass, and watch. I took with me my own nautical instru- ments, and whatever food our steward had prepared. I went on board the same afternoon, the 5th, about an hour after- wards perhaps - hoisted the boat on deck - pumped her out and took charge of the vessel.
.
Rose Cottage - "Where Mother Briggs waits in Sippican"
:A
Captain Benjamin Briggs of the Mary Celeste
241
THE MARY CELESTE
Augustus Anderson. and Charles Lund are the names of the two men I took with me - They were not the same men as I took with me when I first boarded the Brigantine. Their names are John Wright and John Johnson. - When we first . went on board we had a good deal to. do to get the ship into order. I found a spare trysail which I used as a fore sail - It took me two days to set things to rights so as to proceed on voyage to make any headway.
We had fine weather at first and until we got into the Straights when it came on a storm so that I dare not make the Bay but laid to under Ceuta, and afterwards on the Spanish coast to the East.
When I arrived at Gibraltar I found the Dei Gratia al- ready there. I had seen her almost every day during the voyage and spoke her three or four times. We kept company with her until the night of the storm, when I lost sight of her.
I saw between the decks the nature of the cargo. - Bar- rels marked alcohol on the head of them. - and likewise in the notebook of the Mate of the Celeste, whereby it appeared he had given receipts for so many barrels of alcohol at a time.
I forgot to state that the cabin which was a deck cabin had all its windows battened up; I also found a sounding rod on deck along-side the pump."
From the Queen's Advocate came questions.
From the Mate came answers.
"I left New York on the 15th November. I examined the Log of the vessel found, to see when she left New York and believe she left 8 days before us or 11 days before us or more or less - I found the vessel a fair sailer - I call the Dei Gratia a fair sailer .- Supposing both vessels to have been equally well found, manned and sailed she would have been faster than our ship - We spoke one other Brigantine bound for Boston - But did not pass nor see any other vessel of a similar class on our outward voyage - Therefore the first time we could have seen the vessel was the day we found her as we did - deserted.
I cannot say without referring to my Log where our ship was on the 24th or 25th - I do know we were to the
:
242
LANDS OF SIPPICAN
North of the other vessel. I know we were between Latitudes 40 or 42.
I only know we were North of the vessel from seeing her track traced on her chart - We did not sight St. Mary's Isle during any part of our voyage. - I do not know the Latitude or Longitude of St. Mary's without seeing a chart.
I have made only one voyage from New York to Gibraltar before and did not sight St. Mary's then. - I never was at St. Mary's - never saw it. - I think I could enter St. Mary's by help of charts and sailing directions as well as any port to which I have not been. Without reference to a chart or sailing directions I do not know what sort of harbor St. Mary's has.
From 15th November to 24 Nov. we had stormy weather most of the time of our passage - most time very heavy weather. During that time we never took off our forehatch since we sailed - the main hatch was off for one hour per- haps - Her head was westward when we first saw her - she was on the Starboard tack - the wheel was not lashed - the wheel gear was good - with her foresails set she would not come up to the wind and fall off again - With sails she had when I first saw her she might come up and fall away a little but not much - She would always keep those sails full.
There were no spare spars on the deck of the Mary Cel- este whatever.
I went into the Cabin within a few minutes of sounding the pumps. On the table was the Log slate but I cannot state what else there might be on the table. I do not know whether there were any knives. I saw no preparation for eating in the Cabin. - There was plenty to eat. - but all the knives and forks were in the pantry - the rack was on the table but no eatables - There was nothing to eat or drink in the Cabin on the table - but preserved meats were in the pantry.
I examined the state of the ship's galley. It was in the corner of the forward house, and all the things, pots, kettles, etc., were washed up - water in the house a foot or so deep - I cannot say how the water got in, but the door was open and the skuttle hatch off - the windows were shut - there were
243
THE MARY CELESTE
no cooked provisions in the galley-I never saw the water come over the top of the mast of a vessel.
There was a barrel of flour in the galley - one third gone. We used the provisions found on board the Mary Cel- este. We used potatoes and meat. - She had I should say six months provisions on board.
The Binnacle was injured when I went on board - I fixed it and used it on our way here. The glass was broken - The Binnacle was washed away from its place, and I set it back again. - It was lashed on top of the Cabin above the deck, being a wooden one the lashings had given away - one of the cleats was gone - I found a compass on board afterwards - the Cabin - in the Mate's room - I didn't find it until I went on board the second time - It is usual for a vessel to carry two or three compasses. I found two quadrants, one in the Second Mate's room.
I made no further examination of the cargo than what I have already stated - the cargo seemed to be in good condi- tion and had not shifted - as far as I could judge the cargo was not injured.
I found no wine or spirits whatever in the ship."
To the Judge - "The vessel was perfectly upright whilst I was on board, and I saw no signs whatever to induce me to believe that she had been thrown on her beam ends at any time. - If she had been thrown on her beam ends her hatches would have been washed off. Suppose the vessel had been thrown on her beam ends and her hatches had been all closed she might have righted again without her cargo shifting or without showing any indication.
My idea is that the crew got alarmed and by the sounding rod being found lying alongside the pumps that they had sounded the pumps and found perhaps a quantity of water in the pumps at the moment, and thinking she would go down, abandoned her."
- "The Log now produced is the one I found on board the Mary Celeste and which I continued in my journey. It is in my writing from the 5th day of December to the 13th day of December, day of arrival."
.
244
LANDS OF SIPPICAN
The Attorney General read the entry on the Slate Log "26 November". "I never used the side of the slate upon which this entry now appears - I left the charts on board the Mary Celeste."
To the Judge - "I have been Master of a Brig myself. I kept the Log of the Dei Gratia. I have no Master's ticket, but a Mate's Certificate."
The Judge adjourned the Court "to Friday next". 20 Dec. 1872.
On Friday, Mate DeVeau says "I wish to correct a state- ment I made on Wednesday, namely that the hour at which the Captain called me was half past one and not three p. m. as I have stated. It was 3 p. m. when I boarded the vessel we found abandoned."
To the Queen's Proctor and- Advocate.
"We passed North of the whole group of the Azores. Some vessels go to the South, some to the North. - I saw articles of child's wearing apparel, also child's toys. - The bed was as it had been left after it had been slept in - not made. - There were two boxes of clothing - there were also work bags with needles, threads, button hooks and cases of instruments, a dressing case and other things in the drawers - there was a swinging lamp on the side of the cabin - one in each cabin - they were paraffine lamps - there was no ap- pearance of damage by fire nor any appearance of fire or smoke in any part of the ship. The stay sail which had fallen down was on the stovepipe of the galley. - There were plenty of provisions and plenty of water on board the vessel. - There was a harmonium or melodiun in the cabin."
Chart Exhibit C.
"The words written Mary Celeste abandoned 5th De- cember 1872 are in my writing. I put it down merely by guess as the place where I supposed we found the vessel, as nearly as I could."
To Judge - "We passed to the North of the Group - the Mary Celeste passed to the South-I should say that from the spot marked on the chart as the last position of the Mary Celeste on the 24th up to the place where we found her, I
.
٦
245
THE MARY CELESTE
should say would be from five to six hundred miles - The wind was blowing from N. to S. W. in the interval from 24 November and 5th December as near as I can tell, which would more correctly appear in the Log of the Dei Gratia-The only explanation of the abandonment which I can give is that there was a panic from the belief that the vessel had more water in her than she had as afterward proved - She was going steadily from 11% to 2 knots when we saw her with the wind on her beam. She might have had more sails set at first - She would not run steadily before the wind with her rudder unlashed. - She was then going in the opposite direc- tion to ourselves - We met her. She probably changed her course more than once. She was going backwards. It is im- possible to say therefore how long or how often she had changed her course. -
There were four bunks in the forecastle with bedding, in the Celeste, but only three seachests - often two sailors chum for one chest - the bedding was damp and as if it had not been used. There was one berth in the Mate's cabin, and one berth in the galley - also a berth in the Second Mate's room or Boatswain's room, all apparently had been occupied, with the Captain's making eight all told, besides the woman and child.
She was sheeted on the starboard tack when we found her - the wind during the last four days before we found the vessel was North Westerly - The men's clothing was all left behind, their oil skins, boots and even their pipes as if they had left in a great hurry or haste - My reason for saying they left in haste is that a sailor would generally take such things, especially his pipe, if not in great haste - The chronometer Sextant, Navigation Book were all absent - the Ship's Regis- ter and Papers were also not found - There was no log line ready for use - The Carpenter's tools were in the Mate's room. - the water casks were on chocks, the chocks had been moved as if struck by a heavy sea - the provision casks were below in their proper place - they were not thrown over - If the vessel had been capsized, they would have been thrown over."
·
.
-
2
:
246
LANDS OF SIPPICAN
Oliver DeVeau sits down.
Mother Briggs, in far away Sippican sits also, a straight white capped little figure, back erect, as she was taught, as a minister's daughter to sit. She knits, and answers Arthur's questions. She sorts her patchwork pieces, and listens for the step that may bring news. Her heart is far out on the wide Atlantic, seeking, seeking for Benjamin, and Oliver, too. The great winds, that begin so far away and whirling lash the Bay of Biscay against the coast of Spain, do not tell where Oliver is, and the prodding questions from keen minds in the Admiralty Court room of Gibraltar can not drag from the depths of the unknown, the story of Benjamin.
John Wright of the Dei Gratia speaks.
"I am second Mate of the Dei Gratia. I remember on the 5th December being on watch on the deck from 12 to 4. I remember sighting a vessel about 1 o'clock on that day, or M. sea time - about 6 miles distant on our port side - I boarded the vessel with the Mate DeVeau and a man named John Johnson - to see what was the matter with her - We found no one on board that vessel - there was water in the cabin - between decks and in the forehouse - the forward hatch and Lazeret hatches were off - the skylight was in good state - it was not open.
Johnson remained in the boat alongside and did not come on board, I returned on board my own vessel and did not again return to the Celeste. After I returned to my own ship, we wore ship and stood down to the other ship until she and the other ship got under way.
The Mate DeVeau returned to the other ship with two men, Johnny and James - There was a tolerably heavy sea running when we launched our boat to go to the Celecte. We had had heavy weather before that but was then moderating. - We sailed keeping sight of the other vessel until 3 o'clock in the night - I had lost sight of the other vessel for three days - the derelict arrived at Gibraltar the next day after we did."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.