USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Salem > Salem vessels and their voyages; a history of the "Astrea", "Mindoro", "Sooloo", "Panay", "Dragon", "Highlander", "Shirley", and "Formosa", with some account of their masters, and other reminiscences of Salem shipmasters > Part 7
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The Dragon sailed on her first voyage on April 10, 1850, from Boston for Buenos Ayres. Her commander was Capt. Samuel Hutchinson, who began his sea life as a member of the crew of the famous Salem privateer America, which ho followed by a voyage on the Salem school ship George, between Salem and Calcutta. He was the father of Capt. Samuel Hutchinson, Jr., also a shipmaster. The Dragon made the passage to Buenos Ayres in 61 days. She came back to Boston in 46 days, and completed the round voyage, including detention at Buenos Ayres, in the fine time of three months and cigh- teen days.
CAPT. NATHANIEL ANDREW.
On the next voyage, under command of Capt. Nathaniel Andrew of Salem, she sailed from Boston, September 10, 1850, for Buenos Ayres; arrived there November 1, 1850, and arrived home January 2, 1851. Another voyage be- tween Boston and Buenos Ayres was made under Captain Andrew, and that finished her South American trade.
The vessel's owners then placed her in the China trade, and on October 28, 1851, under Captain Andrew, she sailed from Boston, and arrived at Whampoa February 27, 1852. She went to Hong Kong, Amoy, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Canton, Whampoa, Cumsing-moon, China,
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BY GEORGE GRANVILLE PUTNAM
Canton, and home. to New York. The ownership of Wil- liams & Daland ceased at the end of this voyage, and Captain Andrew did not again sail her.
Captain Andrew continued to follow the sea, however, and his passing from earth on January 20, 1864, at the age of 51 years, was one of the tragedies of the sea which have been too common in the households and families of Salem. In command of the ship Elvira, he sailed from Calcutta for Boston, with a valuable cargo. The vessel experienced a severe hurricane in the Bay of Bengal, and. on January 3, 1864, in latitude 3 North, while lying to, a spare topmast broke adrift and damaged the bulwarks and houses, breaking the stanchions and causing other loss. The vessel was under bare poles, with her sail in the water, and continually listing more and more, so that the masts had to be cut away to case her. She was even- tually got before the wind, but she rolled so badly and shipped so much water that everything was swept over- board. In the meantime, she was settling fast, and to avoid being taken down in her, the crew took to the top of the deck-houses, which were washed overboard, for safety. Captain Andrew and the mate, as they were not seen afterwards, were lost. Eleven men on the first day were still on the house, but before night five of them either died or were drowned. On the fourth day two men died, and on the fifth another died, leaving only William M. Pahner, second mate, of Southwick Mass; George D. Blake, of Hyannis, third mate, and James Anderson, seaman, of Hamburg, and these, of a crew of twenty-five all told, alone were saved. On January 27, the French barque Clair, of Havre, fell in with the sur- vivors and took them off from the top of the deck-house, which, as before stated, was detached from the vessel when she went down. They were kindly treated and landed at Point de Galle, Ceylon. The Elvira was a fine ship of 1138 tons, built at Boston in 1855, and was owned by William F. Weld & Co. The vessel and cargo were largely insured in New York and Boston. Captain An- drew left a family in Salem. He joined the Salem Marine Society, June 1, 1844.
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On the return of the Dragon from this long voyage to China, San Francisco, and other ports, she was purchased by Salem merchants, and her registers at the Salem Cus- tom House read :
DRAGON-Bank, 289 tons, Newbury, 1850. Reg. Feb- ruary 14, 1854-Benjamin A. West, James Chamberlain, Samuel West, Thomas C. Dunn, owners, Thomas C. Dunn, master. Reg. December 14, 1858, Benjamin A. West, James Chamberlain, David Moore, Samuel West, Edward Brown, William Graves, last named of Newburyport, owners, William McFarland, master. (Lost off Zanzibar.)
CAPT. THOMAS C. DUNN.
Capt. Thomas C. Dunn, the new commander of the Dragon, was born in Salem, the son of Thomas C. and Mary A. (Hutchinson) Dunn, and he died in Appleton, Wisconsin, May 9, 1910, in his 82d year. He was edu- cated in the public schools, and when 21 years of age, Benjamin A. West, owner of the barque Pilot, made him master of the vessel and sent her on a voyage to the Feejee Islands, and he next commanded Mr. West's barque Dragon. In the latter he made the quickest pas- sage between Salem and New Zealand on record, sailing 16,770 miles in 85 days. He had a wonderful experience while in the Feejee trade, while trading with the South Sea Islanders, as narrated in the letter of George W. Crossette, printed in this sketch of Captain Dunn. Cap- tain Dunn continued in the merchant service until nearly the breaking out of the Civil War. He then shipped in the United States Navy, served four years, and part of the time commanded a gunboat. After the war he en- gaged in business in the South and New York, and three years before his death he went to live with his son Elmer E. Dunn, in Appleton.
The Dragon, under command of Capt. Thomas C. Dunn, sailed on her first voyage for Benjamin A West, for the Fecjec Islands and ports in the South Pacific Ocean. Captain Dunn had made two previous voyages to these same islands in the barque Pilot, sailing from Salem in
B
CAPT. NATHAN A. BACHELDER
CAPT. NATHANIEL ANDREW
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BY GEORGE GRANVILLE PUTNAM
1851, and on April 24, 1852. From there the Pilot went to Manila, and on the way home to Salem, put into Ba- tavia leaking badly, and was condemned.
The Dragon sailed from Salem, February 22, 1854, and as the story of that voyage has been so well told by George W. Crossette, in the Appleton, Wis., Evening Crescent of April 30, 1910, it is here submitted :
The sole survivor of the crew of the Dragon was, a few months ago, George W. Crossett of Appleton, Wis. He contributed the following story to the Appleton Crescent:
"A pair of wings just put on exhibit in the reading room of the Appleton Public Library is a positive proof that there are flying-fish, for the wings were those of one . of several flying-fish which fell onto the deck of the barque Dragon, Capt. Thomas C. Dunn, commanding, in the South Pacific Ocean, on a moonlight night in the year 1855.
"These facts are attested in the log book of the Dragon, kept by George W. Crossette, then sailing before the mast on his first voyage, now a man 71 years old, living in Cleveland, Ohio, having been pensioned after 40 years' service as cashier of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad system. After his first voyage the sailor boy didn't see his captain again, but last summer he learned. of Captain Dunn's address and a correspondence began, the result of which is the donation of the flying-fish. wings to the Appleton Library, and many pleasant reminiscences on the part of these two old sailors.
"On this notable voyage the Dragon started from the old shipping. town of Salem, Mass., on Feb. 22, 1854, and returned to Salem in 1856. On the 20th day out the equator was crossed, beating the record of the famous clipper, Witch of the Ware, by one day. The 69th day out Bass Straits, off Port Phillip Heads, the port of Mol- bourne, Australia, was reached, this being the fastest time on record of any English or American sailing vessel. Au English ship got nearest to the Dragon's record by making the trip in 72 days.
"Captain Dunu's barque went to the Feejee Islands, and repeatedly to Sidney, Australia, then back to the Feejee
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Islands, also to New Caledonia and to Shanghai, China. The Feejee islanders were savage cannibals at that time, the missionaries just having begun their work and having as yet been unable to eradicate the taste for human flesh from among their naked charges.
"Feejee is the way the name of these South Pacific islands was spelled in the days when Captain Dunn com- manded the Dragon, and the modern spelling, Fiji, was not adopted generally until long afterwards, when the English took possession of the islands.
"One incident on this eventful voyage occurred at New Caledonia, now a French colony. One day a party of natives came aboard the Dragon. Towards nightfall the leader, a petty chief, objected to leaving the bark. Capt. Dunn feared that he would cause mischief if he remained on board during the night, so he forced the savage over- board. The next day a French priest visited the ship on behalf of the chief to protest against what the native called mistreatment, and the ship's crew, gone in little boats after fresh water, was attacked by the savages and. forced to abandon the casks and flee to the ship.
"On this voyage, in latitude 50 in the South Atlantic, an iceberg 120 feet high was sighted, and many other interesting incidents during the two years' sailing are re- corded in Mr. Crossette's log.
On a voyage previous to this one, Captain Dunn and his crew had an encounter with the natives of one of the Feejee Islands. Vessels sailing the South Pacific in those days always were well armed. The Dragon had four 12-pounder carronades mounted on the deck and cach sailor wore small arms aplenty, for the savages had cap- tured and murdered the crews of several vessels which fell into their hands.
Captain Dunn's ship was lying off a small island whose chief was at war with the natives on a larger island three- quarters of a mile away. While the men of the smaller island were gathering bi dico de mer, or slug of the sea, on the coral reefs, leaving the old men and women in tho village, the hostile natives descended upon the village and set it afire and began to slaughter the inhabitants. Now
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BY GEORGE GRANVILLE PUTNAM
the natives of the smaller island were gathering the bi dico de mer for Captain Dunn, and besides, some mom- bers of the crew were on shore, drying the sca-slug, so he took an interest in the fight to protect his crew and. property. He ordered the guns to be fired, and drove the attacking natives away. The chief of the small island was wounded and died an hour after being brought aboard the ship for treatment.
"The cnemy was in strong force, having about 30 big war canoes, in each of which sat about 40 warriors. They retired to the main island and all day long the sailors could see their savage pandemonium, as they cut up the bodies of their captives, cooked them, and held a cannibal feast. They approached as near as they dared to the Dragon, and called the white men vile names, and told how they would capture them and cat their flesh.
"Captain Dunn prepared for the attack he expected. He was at anchor, and in that position an easy prey; so he got under way. In the afternoon the savage flect came out and scornfully declared that the whites were cowards and were running away from them. When the ship was turned towards them, they fired, but their old Springfield muskets were almost useless in their hands, for they would turn their faces away from the gun when firing. The Dragon's starboard guns were turned upon the savages and a volley of grape-shot, spikes and bits of iron and chain sent at them. But there were canoes full of warriors on the port side, and to get at them the vessel had to be swung around, which was ticklish businss on account of the many coral reefs, and if the Dragon had failed to come around properly and got stuck on a reef, the natives in overwhelming force would have boarded the bark and carried out their threat of killing and eating the captain and crew. As it was, the Dragon swung around all right, and the savages were routed with a heavy loss of life and canoes. Afterwards Captain Dunn learned that his guns had killed 80 savages. It was necessary to make the attack on the natives to uphold the prestige of the white man in the Southern Pacific, and if this had not been
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SALEM VESSELS AND THEIR VOYAGES
done, the savages would think the white men were afraid of them and would become more bold and murderous.
"Captain Dunn cherished a deep admiration for a young American lad who sailed with him before the mast on this voyage. During the fight with the natives, when their shots were harmless because they were fired from an angle that sent them over the sailors' heads, the only man exposed was the helmsman, who became frightened and forsook his post. At such a time, when the safety of the vessel depended upon keeping off of the reefs, Captain Dunn's first thought was of the wheel, and he himself ran to take the frightened helmsman's place. The little sailor boy came running up to him and said 'Captain, let me take care of the wheel; the bullets might hit you."
"This young hero died soon afterwards of the cholera, in Manila, aged 15 years. Captain Dunn told his story to'the other ship captains at that port, and all the British and American captains in their carriages attended the lad's funeral.
"Captain Dunn sailed the high seas for 16 years, moet- ing with such adventures as came only to the men on the old sailing vessels, before the big steamships robbed ocean voyages of much of their perils. After he had demon- strated to the hostile Feejec islanders that the white man . was not afraid of them and could protect himself, no more ships were captured by them, and cannibalism, at least so far as Europeans and Americans were the victims, died out of the islands.
"As to the fiying-fish, the average size of one can be quite accurately determined by adding one-half to the width of the wings in the library, from tip to tip. These fish have fins like other fish, the wings serving only to hold them up in the air for a short time. Often a school numbering thousands of flying fish will fly up from the surface of the ocean, skipping above the water much like a flat stone thrown by a person almost on a level with the surface. That they really fly, and fly quite high at times, is proven by the fact that the fish whose wings are now in the library flew high enough to fall above the ship's bulwarks."
ـا الـ البحيرة
CAPT. THOMAS C. DUNN
CAPT. SAMUEL HUTCHINSON
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BY GEORGE GRANVILLE PUTNAM
The vessel arrived in Salem harbor Sept. 4, 1856, and when she came to anchor she fired a gun. There was a large military encampment on Winter Island at that time. The Dragon brought a full cargo of hemp to Benjamin A. West, her owner, who was the father of Arthur W. West of Salem. The vessel sailed from Manila April 25, Batavia May 27, and St. Helena July 21.
In the marine column of the Salem Register of Sept. 18, '1856, is the following, under the head of "Notice to Mariners":
"Captain Dunn of the barque Dragon of Salem, reports that on the passage from Feejee Islands for Shanghai, Sept. 12, 1855, he saw an island not laid down on the chart, northward, distant about five miles ; got good obser- vation and made its position latitude 8 degrees 20 minutes north, longitude 167 degrees 46 minutes east, by chron- ometer. It is a small sand island with low bushes, six miles in circumference, contains a few inhabitants, is surrounded by a coral reef about one-quarter mile from shore, and can be scen 15 miles from the ship's masthead. The same afternoon saw the Michaleff group to the north- ward, as laid down on the chart. The Island of Vitos or Turtle Island, to the southwest of the Fecjee group, has a large reef to the southwest, extending five miles from the land. It is quite dangerous, being in the track of vessels from San Francisco for Sydney, N. S. W. The Dragon made the passage from Salem to the Feejee Is- lands, a distance of 16,770 miles, in 85 days, the quickest on record."
As recorded in the crew list of the vessel, on file at the Salem Custom House, the following composed the members of the barque's company, with their places of residence: Thomas C. Dunn, master, Salem; Alexander Green, Salem, mate; James Cross, Lynn, second mate; John Smith, Lucius Rice, Charles Williams, George Mills, E. C. Quackenbush and Robert Smith, seamen, no resi- dence given ; Patrick Berry, Salem, and George W. Cros- sett, Springfield, Mass., boys; John H. Fortine, Portland, cook and steward.
Alexander Green, mate, became a shipmaster, sailed
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SALEM VESSELS AND THEIR VOYAGES
in the East Coast of Africa trade, and died while in com- mand of the barque Essex, of Salem.
The Dragon sailed again for the Feejee Islands, under command of Captain Dunn, December 5, 1856. From the Feejee Islands she went up to Manila, and loaded there for home. She arrived at Salem, July 16, 1858. She sailed from Manila March 4, passed Anjier April 17, and St. Helena June 1, with a cargo of hemp for Benjamin A. West. Miss Lucretia Riley of Dover, N. H., was a passenger.
List of crew of barque Dragon of Salem, Capt. Thomas C. Dunn, master, bound for Feejec Islands, returned at Salem Custom House, July 17, 1858, when she arrived home in Salem: Edward Miller, Salem, mate; Benjamin Dimond, Salem, second mate; John Francis, not given; James Smith, New London, Ct. ; Edward Coffin, Beverly; Charles Baizley, New York; George Foster, Lynn; Louis Gizare, Hiraline; Simon P. Humphrey, 17, Salem; Ezra D. Kimball, Danvers, 18; Samuel Harkins and Alley Haskin, residence not given.
On her next voyage, Mr. West sent the Dragon from Salem, December 23, 1858, under command of Captain William McFarland, to Zanzibar. From there she went to Aden, loaded some cargo, and arrived back at Zanzibar, August 24, 1859, to finish loading for Salem. She sailed August 31, 1859, and when 141/2 hours out, struck on Tom Shoal, 40 miles south of Zanzibar, and remained three days thumping heavily. She was hauled off and towed back to Zanzibar by the British Ship-of-war Clive. The Dragon's keel was broken, sternpost started, and she was otherwise so badly damaged that she was condemned. The Clive was awarded $3,200 salvage.
A part of her figurehead, which was the head and neck of a dragon, was taken from the wreck, and it was picked up at sea by Capt. William B. Bates. Captain Bates's son, Atkins HI. Bates, presented it some years ago to Arthur W. West, son of Benjamin A. West, the owner of the Dragon. Mr. West prizes it highly as a valuable relic, and it hangs with a picture of the Dragon in Mr. West's house, 12 Chestnut street, Salem.
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BY GEORGE GRANVILLE PUTNAM
The reader will note that Mr. Crossett tells of a battle that Captain Dunn had "in the Dragon on a previous voyage." That is undoubtedly an error, for Captain Dunn had not sailed the Dragon before the trip on which Mr. Crossett was boy. The vessel was unquestionably the barque Pilot, owned by Mr. West, to which Captain Dunn referred in relating the story of " a previous voyage."
Capt. Charles H. Allen, Jr., was mate of the Pilot, and he used to relate the story of the affair. He said that a war was raging between two native tribes, and that the master and crew of the Pilot were on friendly terms with the victors, but had to defend themselves from the van- quished while the battle raged. After it was over, Capt. Dunn and Mr. Allen were invited to a feast, but as it was human flesh, the bodies of the slain, they turned down the invitation, as such a dish was not at all to their liking.
The crew of the Pilot on that voyage, according to the roll on file at the Salem Custom House, were: Thomas C. Dunn, master; Charles H. Allen, Jr., mate; second mate, James (x-his mark) Lancaster; able seamen, Joseph S. Foster, James B. Boswell, Malden, and Samuel Ball; ordinary seamen, William Galbraith, George Clark, John M. Adams and James Fogg; cook and steward, Henry Smith.
The mate's wages were $25 a month; the second mate's, $15; the able scamen's, $12; the ordinary seamen's, $5; and the cook and steward's, $17.
On the next voyage the Pilot, Captain Dunn in com- mand, sailed from Salem, April 24, 1852, for Pacific ports. She arrived at the Feejee Islands all right, and from there went up to Manila, arriving there April 26, 1853. She loaded a full cargo for the Wests, and sailed for Salem. On the way down to Batavia, she sprang a leak and put into that port and was condemned previous to July 9, 1853. It is a pity that there is no roll of the crew at the Custom House in Salem. No lives were lost. The following is the register of the barque Pilot on file at the Salem Custom House :
Pilot, barque, 199 tons, Marshfield, 1837. Reg. Oct.
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16, 1846. James Chamberlain, Samuel Chamberlain, George West, J. A. West and B. A. West, Benjamin Cox, owners; Joseph Hartwell, master. Reg. Jan. 26, 1849, George West, David Moore, John G. Waters, Samuel Chamberlain and son, Benjamin A. West, John A. West, owners; George F. White, master. Reg. June 15, 1850, George West, George West and Brothers, John G. Waters, S. Chamberlain & Son, Jolmn W. Goodridge, owners; J. W. Goodridge, master. Reg. April 24, 1852, George West, Benjamin West, John A. West, James Chamberlain, own- ers; Thomas C. Dunn, master.
THE CLIPPER SHIP HIGHLANDER.
The Highlander was built in East Boston in 1869, by Samuel Hall, who built the famous clipper ship Game- cock, and of whom it was said that "he never built a poor ship," and "who shared with Donald McKay the honor of being the greatest shipbuilder of his time," said the late Captain Arthur H. Clark. She was sold to Benjamin W. Stone & Brothers, of Salem, in February of that year. She was a fine vessel of 1,352 tons register, well built of good materials, and rated A-1 for nine years at French Lloyds. Capt. John Devereux, of American Lloyds reg- ister, always spoke in very high terms of her. From Boston the ship proceeded to New York to load for San Francisco.
The New York Herald said of her: "The new clipper ship Highlander, now loading for San Francisco at Pier 11, East River, is well deserving of the attention of all those interested in the growth and prosperity of our ship- ping. She was built by Samuel Hall, Esq., one of the most successful builders of clipper ships in this country, and her entire construction evinces a thorough knowledge of the requirements of the present day, the models now being constructed having for aim capacity as well as speed, and the Highlander combines these two qualities in an eminent degree. Our space does not permit us to go into all the minute details of her construction, but an inspec-
SHIP "HIGHLANDER'
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BY GEORGE GRANVILLE PUTNAM
tion of her by those of our readers conversant with marine architecture will well repay them, as we consider her one of the finest models of modern improvement in shipbuild- ing that we have seen for a long time. She is 191 feet Jong, 38 feet 6 inches breadth of beam, and 23 feet 10 inches depth of hold. She is owned by Messrs. Benjamin W. Stone & Brothers of Salem, Mass."
The Highlander, on her first voyage, sailed from New York, April 22, 1869, Samuel J. Foster of Beverly, master, and arrived at San Francisco, August 30, 180 days pas- sage,-good time for a new vessel. From San Francisco Captain Foster sailed her to Liverpool, where she arrived February 25, 1870, in 145 days passage. From Liverpool the ship sailed March 27 for Singapore, and from there proceeded to Hong Kong, where she arrived. August 17. From Hong Kong the vessel went to Saigon, thence took a cargo to Yokohama, Japan, reaching there March 30. She sailed May 3 for Hong Kong, arrived and remained in port there until July 25, when she sailed for Manila to load a full cargo for New York. She sailed from Manila Jan. 28, 1872, and arrived at New York May 20, making a splendid passage of 113 days. The round voy- age occupied three years, one month and twenty-eight days. Captain Foster did not go in her again.
CAPT. SAMUEL J. FOSTER.
Capt. Samuel J. Foster was born in Beverly, and he died there, July 16, 1902, aged 79 years. He was a man of splendid appearance and he had quite a long and varied experience at sea. He began life on the ocean wave when he was only 11 years of ago, by going fishing on the Grand Banks. What would some of the youngsters say today, if they were compelled to do that ? Later, he shipped on a vessel that plied between Rio Janeiro and the West Coast of Africa, and on one of her trips she was seized in Africa on suspicion of being a slaver, by the United States Government. In 1851 and 1852, Captain
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SALEM VESSELS AND THEIR VOYAGES
Foster was mate of the ship Siam, owned by Tucker Daland of Salem, and commanded by Captain Ring, and from 1853 to 1856 he was mate of the ship Syren, Capt. Charles H. Allen, master. When Captain Allen retired, Captain Foster was placed in command of the ship and he made one voyage to San Francisco and Calcutta and an- other to Calcutta. During the Rebellion he was master of the ship Catherine, most of the time being employed on the coast of China. His last command was the new ship Highlander, in 1869, as before recorded, completing her maiden voyage as master and then retiring from the sca. In civil life he was a public-spirited citizen, highly esteemed by all who knew him. Frederick W. C. Foster, of Beverly and Boston, a graduate of Harvard, tells me that it was an event in his boyhood life to which he looks back with the greatest pleasure, of having been aboard 'the Highlander in the nineties, with his father, when the ship was in Gloucester harbor with a cargo of salt. The ship was then flying the German flag, sad to relate.
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