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 8
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CAPT. WILLIAM J. CHEVER.
Not to wander away from my subject, I would say that a gentleman contemporary with Captain Foster, was Capt. William J. Chever, who died in North Andover, Mass., July 11, 1892, a few days before Captain Foster passed away., A notice of Captain Chover will, therefore, not be out of place here. He was born in Salem, son of the late Capt. James W. Chever of privateer America fame. He sailed as a boy in the brig Theodora, owned by William Neal & Brothers of Salem, and also in the old ship Brook- line of Salem, owned by Hon. Stephen C. Phillips and commanded by Captain Robinson, to Valparaiso, Manila and home in 1837 and 1838.
About 1846 or 1847, he took command of the ship Eliza Ann, owned by Stone, Silsbees & Pickman, and was mas- ter, in 1819 and 1850, of the new ship Australia, owned by the same firm, in which he continued two voyages. He next commanded the ship Ocean Eagle, and the ship Ham- let, both owned by N. W. Neal of Salem, and lastly had
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حجبه عليم
CAPT, SAMUEL J. FOSTER
ALBERT KNIGHT WOODBURY
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BY GEORGE GRANVILLE PUTNAM
charge, in 1861, of the barque Magi, owned by Tucker, Cooper & Co. He retired from the sea about 1883. Capt. Chever was, says my informant, one of the finest men who ever trod the deck of a ship, and a splendid repre- sentative of that class of shipmasters who gave old Salem a name high in the commercial annals of the world. He was the very soul of honor.
Captain Chever and Captain Foster were also contem- porary with all of the famous old East India and China captains in their day, whose very names were familiar household words. Among them were Capt. Philip Du- maresque of the Akbar and the Florence; Capt. Nathaniel B. Paber of the Horatio and the Oriental; Captain Nichols of the John Q. Adams; Capt. Charles II. Allen of the St. Paul and the Shirley; Capt. Robert ("Bob") Waterman of the Sea Witch; Capt. Josiah P. Creesy of the Flying Cloud and the Oneida; Capt. Charles Endicott of the Virginia and Josiah Quincy; Capt. John B. Fiske of the Nightingale; Capt. Charles Ranlett and Capt. Fred- erick I. Johnson of the Surprise; Captain McNicholl of the Montauk; Capt. Nathaniel J. Kinsman, Capt. Josiah Dudley and Capt. John Mullin of the Sumatra; Capt. William G. Nutting of the first ship Sooloo; and a hun- dred other names equally as prominent as masters of splendid ships in the era of that marvel of the seas, the American clipper ship, which for speed had no rival in the world.
CAPT. JOSEPH W. WILLCOMB.
On her, second voyage, Capt. Joseph W. Willcomb took command of the Highlander. She sailed from New York, Aug. 20, 1872, for San Francisco, and arrived there Fcb. 4, 1873. Thence she went to Liverpool, and from there to King George's Sound, Australia, and then up to China. She traded there a long time. She sailed, Oct. 20, 1874, for San Francisco, and when a few days at sea the ship ran into a genuine typhoon, during which Captain Will- comb suffered a broken leg. The ship put back to Hong Kong to Jand the captain, after which she proceeded to San Francisco in charge of the mate, Charles H. Tibbets
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of Salem. At San Francisco, Captain Willcomb again joined her, and went to Hong Kong and Manila, and home to Boston. Captain Willcomb then retired from the sea.
Capt. Joseph W. Willcomb was born in Ipswich Oct. 12, 1827, coming of an old Ipswich family, and he died there July 18, 1892, after a long illness. At the age of 12 years he began a seafaring life. Before he was 30 years old he was master of a ship. He made his first voyage to sea in the ship Hamilton, commanded by Capt. William Henry Allen of Salem, on a voyage to Manila. He next sailed in the ship Elizabeth, Capt. J. Staniford Kimball, both of Salem, which left Salem April 6, 1849, for Cali- fornia and the gold fields. He sailed in the barque Europa, Capt. Samuel Hutchinson, Jr., of Salem, and as mate of the fine old ship Malay of Salem, owned by Stone, Silsbee & Pickman of Salem, and was promoted to com- inander of the ship in 1855. He continued as master of her until 1861. His next commands were the ship Ho- ratio Harris, and the ship Ocean Rover, owned by Silsbees, Pickman & Allen, two voyages; then he sailed their ship Shirley, and lastly the Highlander, owned by Benjamin W. Stone and Brothers. He arrived in the last named at Boston, March 13, 1876. He then retired from a sea life, and resided until his death in Ipswich.
CAPT. CHARLES HI. TIBBETS.
Capt. Charles H. Tibbets was born in Salem, July 12, 1840, the son of Henry H. and Mary Jane (Rust) Tibbets. He died in Salem, Aug. 19, 1895. He graduated from the old Phillips School, and next attended that excellent pri- vate school kept by William Leavitt, taking a full course of study in navigation. He first sailed in the employ of the late Capt. John Bertram, on voyages to the East Coast of Africa. He sailed as mate of several fine ships, and for some years was mate of the Highlander. After leav- ing the Highlander he took charge of the elegant ship Centennial, so named in honor of the Centennial year, 1876. He made a voyage in her from Liverpool to Hong Kong, Iloilo (Philippine Islands) and New York, making two of the fastest passages over placed to her credit. He was next master of the ship Sunrise, two voyages; master
CAPT. BENJAMIN P. CLOUGH
CAPT. CHARLES H. TIBBETS
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BY GEORGE GRANVILLE PUTNAM
of the ship Southern Cross one voyage, and lastly of the fine ship Sca Witch several voyages. He arrived home on October 19, 1891, and then gave up sca life. He was remarkably lucky and successful on all his voyages, always making good passages, and going and coming with the reg- larity of a steamer. He joined the Salem Marine Society in April, 1890. He was a member of Essex Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and other Masonic orders. He married Mary Eliza Putnam, the daughter of the late Capt. Perley Z. M. P. Putnam of Salem, and she made several voyages with him. She died a few years ago. Captain Tibbets joined the Salem Marine Society, March 1, 1878.
CAPT. SAMUEL HUTCHINSON, JR.
The Highlander sailed from Boston, Nov. 27, 1876, under command of Capt. Samuel Hutchinson, Jr., for Hong Kong. A large party of Salemites went down in her below Boston Light, and returned in the tug to Bos- ton. The ship arrived at Hong Kong, May 12, 1877. From there she went to New York, arriving home No- vember 30, 1878, having been absent two years, nine' months and ten days.
When the ship left on the latter voyage, Captain Hutch- inson was master; Charles H. Tibbets, mate; W. Frank Powars, second mate, and Albert K. Woodbury, carpenter, all of Salem. Mr. Powars left the ship in Hong Kong and joined as mate the ship Sumatra, owned by the Stone Brothers, and went over to San Francisco, and Captain Hutchinson, Mr. Tibbets and Mr. Woodbury came home in her to New York.
When she sailed from New York in February, 1878, under Capt. Samuel Hutchinson, Jr., a few Salemites, besides Benjamin W. Stone, William Stone and Joseph Stone, were on the wharf to see her depart and to wish bon voyage to their friends on the ship. It was a splendid February morning. The tug towed her from the wharf to the stream, and as the ship swung around and headed for Sandy Hook and the open sea, she was a picture to behold, ---- "a painted ship on a painted ocean," as charac- terized by Coleridge in "The Ancient Mariner." The
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SALEM VESSELS AND THEIR VOYAGES
white sails, which had been loosened before she left the wharf, were being fast set, and the bright spars glistening in the sun, and the graceful hull as it floated on the water, formed a picture which the writer vividly retains to this day. As the ship was moving slowly, the American flag was dipped three times, and that caused an eye-witness to exclaim, "There goes a damned Yankee clipper." The writer and the others watched her as far as the eye could follow, and then returned to the big city. That was the last time the writer ever saw her, and he will always always remember her with pleasure.
A singular accident happened just before she sailed. A large sow with her litter of unborn pigs was brought down to the side of the ship. Six or eight men took hold of her legs, two others had their hands on her back, and they were endeavoring to get her up an incline and over the rail onto the ship's deck. Just as she reached the top of the rail she gave an extra effort to free herself. One of the hands of the men slipped over on her snout, and instantly the old sow's jaw snapped off the top of a finger, and the man ran screaming up the wharf in charge of a policeman, while the sow landed on the deck. A. few days later, at sea, she gave birth to a fine litter of ten pigs.
Capt. Samuel Hutchinson, Jr., was born in Salem, February 23, 1823, the son of Capt. Samuel Hutchinson, who began sea life as a privateersman on the famous private armed ship America of Salem, and he afterwards sailed two voyages before the mast on the ship George of Salem, to Calcutta, when the ship was brand new. The son inherited his father's love for the sea, and after finishing his education in graduating from the old Salem English High School, October 15, 1842, he early went to sea. He became master of the barque Europa, ship Malay, ship Derby, and the new ship Sonora, before taking com- mand of the Highlander. He died in Brookline, Nov. 13, 1892. He joined the Salem Marine Society August 27, 1857.
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BY GEORGE GRANVILLE PUTNAM
CAPT. BENJAMIN P. CLOUGH.
The Highlander sailed on her next voyage, Jan. 15, 1881, for Hong Kong and a market, under command of Capt. Benjamin P. Clough. She arrived at Hong Kong June 4, after a fine passage of 139 days. She loaded there for San Francisco, and arrived there October 29, 1881. She remained there about four years, Captain Clough in charge. Finally, she was loaded for Hong Kong, and Capt. Nathan A. Batchelder of Salem came on to command her, and Captain Clough returned to Salem in poor health.
CAPT. BENJAMIN P. CLOUGHI.
Capt. Benjamin P. Clough was born in Salem and edu .. cated in the public schools. He was early apprenticed to the crockery-ware trade, to William Bowditch, whom older citizens of Salem will readily recall. A love for the sea, being a member of a Salem sailor family, he shipped as cabin-boy, became a thorough seaman, working his way up to master. He sailed several voyages with his brother and was first officer of the old ships Aurora and Augustine Heard. He commanded the ships Malay, Sumatra and. Highlander, all owned by Benjamin W. Stone & Brothers. The last two years he remained ashore he suffered from rheumatism and heart disease. He served in the volun- teer United States Navy during the Civil War, and was a comrade of Post 34, G. A. R. He made twenty-one voyages around the world. He was 63 years of age, and he never married. Captain Clough died suddenly, Nov. 18, 1898, at his home on Curtis Street, of aneurism of the heart. He joined the Salem Marine Society June 2, 1875.
CAPT. NATHAN A. BACHELDER.
The last commander of the Highlander was Captain Nathan A. Bachelder of Salem. He returned as master of the barque Taria Topan (named for a high-minded Hindu merchant), and owned by Capt. John Bertram, August 10, 1884. "I had been at home a few months
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SALEM VESSELS AND THEIR VOYAGES
only, when," to use his own words, "William Stone called on me to take charge of his ship Highlander. As I had only forty-eight hours' notice, I was obliged to hurry matters. Leaving Salem for San Francisco, after a trip of six days across the continent, I found on arrival there the ship loaded with a cargo of flour. After shipping a crew, I sailed for Hong Kong. As the ship had been lying four years in San Francisco, her bottom was very foul. I arrived at Hong Kong after a passage of seventy- two days, and remained in that port eleven months. Then I sailed for Manila, loaded a cargo of hemp on owners' account, and arrived at New York after an absence of nineteen months. This was the last ship the Stone Broth- ers owned, and the last voyage they planned. And now this ends my sea life of forty-eight years, sailing more than 1,600,000 miles on the ocean, visiting many foreign ports, with no serious trouble at sea or on shore, and with a thankful heart I acknowledge a kind Providence speci- ally directing and watching over me these many years." The foregoing was reported to the writer in a personal interview for publication in the Salem Evening News.
Captain Bachelder died in Salem, September 2, 1903. He was thirty-three years a member of the old Salem Marine Society, Leonard A. Bachelder, of Auckland, N. Z., is his son, and Misses Kate E., Mabelle and Minne- haha Bachelder, all of Salem, are his daughters.
A complete history of Capt. Bachelder's life is printed in the second series of "Salem Vessels and Their Voy- ages," published by the Essex Institute.
FIGURE-HEAD.
The Highlander had a magnificent figure-head of a Scottish Chief. It was 10 feet over all, and was a pieco of superb carving and gilding. If one would like to have an idea of its size, he has but to step into the corri- dors of the Peabody Museum of Salem and see the splen- did models that graced the ships Grandee and Rembrandt. The Highland Chief was dressed in his plaids and his kilts and under his arm was his bagpipe, while his fingers . pressed the keys. I have thought many times how often
CAPT. SAMUEL HUTCHINSON, JR.
BENJAMIN A. WEST
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BY GEORGE GRANVILLE PUTNAM
his knees and his handsome face must have been washed by the heavy seas as the ship pitched into them. Cer- tainly the figure-head was in keeping with the fine old ship itself, now gone to Davy Jones' locker. It is a pity that it could not have been removed when the ship was changed to a coal-barge, and have been preserved, with others, in the Peabody Museum in Salem.
END OF SHIP.
And that ended her connection with Salem. Her owners sold her to a German account, under which flag she sailed for some time. On one of her voyages she came to Gloucester with a load of salt, and many Salemites went down to see her. She was finally sold for a coal- barge, continned so for some time, but on the morning of September 11, 1902, while on the way to Providence, R. I., loaded with 2,000 tons of coal, and in tow of tug Navigator, the tremendous seas that broke heavily over her decks, caused her to strain, opened her seams, and caused her to leak badly. The Enos Soule, another old- time ship, was also in tow, and when it became evident that the Highlander was doomed, those on the tug boat bent every effort to save those on the barge, and were successful. The disaster occurred one mile N.W. by N. of Fire Island light-ship. As her masts were sticking out of water after she sunk, the United States tug Sam- oset went and destroyed ber, as she was a menace to navi- gation. And thus ended the life of the good old ship Highlander of Salem, than which no better vessel ever sailed the ocean blue.
REMARKS ON HER SALE.
When she was sold for foreign account, the New York Evening Sun of August 31, 1888, had the following article concerning her and her owners :
SALE OF THE SHIP Highlander.
"The ship Highlander, 1286 tons, has at last been sold. For nearly two years she has been lying idle near the Wall Street ferry, where she has been regarded by the
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SALEM VESSELS AND THEIR VOYAGES
dock-bands as a land, or rather, water-mark. The ancient ship was owned by the Stone family of Salem, Mass., the survivors of which are three bachelors, all over 70 years of age. The old gentlemen, who are worth many mil- lions, have clung to the customs of their early days and live alone in state in their old homestead.
"They were great merchants in their day, but one by one their ships were lost or became unseaworthy, until eventually the Highlander was the last of their ficet. They hated to haul down their flag, and so the old ship has been lying at the Pierpont stores ever since her last voyage, under the loving care of two ancient mariners of Salem, who have divided the watches through many a stormy night. As one of the old sea-dogs received $3.00 per day to the other's $2.50, he appointed himself captain of the old ship, and conducted himself with becoming dignity.
"While the Highlander has been for sale, Mr. Stone, who regarded her as an heirloom. of the family, set the prohibitive price of $30,000 on her. This figure was laughed at, for, until two months ago, ships equally as good were going begging at half the price, but the recent flurry in oil freights has greatly enhanced the value of appropriate shipping at this port. Many offers were made for the vessel through Scannnell Brothers, the ship agents, and yesterday news came of her sale at the Stones' price, $30,000.
"The Highlander is 20 years old, but well seasoned and a good carrier. Several thousand dollars' worth of repairs will have to be put on her before the insurance people will take the risk, and the wharfage bill will amount to over $5,000. Once before, she lay three years in San Francisco harbor, awaiting orders.
"The Highlander has been on many trips for the old brothers, carrying their own cargoes. They would send her from here to China laden with dried apples, clothes- pins and Yankee notions, which were peddled out from port to port in the Celestial Empire. This disposed of, the captain would proceed to Manila in the Philippine Islands, where he would remain a year or so, perhaps,
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BY GEORGE GRANVILLE PUTNAM
awaiting orders from Salem. News would finally come, together with all necessary cash, at some favorable stage of the market. Then the captain would go ashore and buy a cargo of the best Manila hemp, about 8,000 bales, at the bottom rate for cash, and clap on all sail for New York.
"As soon as the Highlander would arrive, the Stones stored the cargo, set their own price and would not sell until the market reached their figure, sometimes having to wait as long as four years. These large blocks of hemp were usually a thorn in the sides of the regular hemp men, and matters generally ended by their combining and buy- ing lots at Stones' price. The last cargo, bought in 1886, remained in store until last June, when the hemp trust was forced to purchase it. The result was a profit to Stone of $5,000.
"The Stones are of the extinct type of old school mer- chants. Benjamin Stone, the oldest, at least 80 years of age, is the head and transacts all the business. He was on the Highlander when she arrived on her last voyage, and many gazed at the old patriarch who used snuff and dressed in the ancient beaver and swallow-tail coat. He used to wander around Wall Street at 7 o'clock in the morning and upbraid the merchants in their offices for the lax business hours of this generation. He was a great talker, replete with ancient anecdote.
"He lived at the Astor House, used to go to Brooklyn every morning, hand the watchmen a paper and an apple, ask how the ship was, and then return. When the duty on the last cargo of hemp was due, he insisted on going to the Custom House in person with the amount in gold, and made Mr. John Lund, the handsome but diminutive associate of William S. Daland, the hemp broker of Water Street, accompany him. He remarked to Lund, after matters were arranged, 'That in case we were attacked, you might holler.' "
THE FIRM OF STONE, SILSBEES, PICKMAN.
The ship Mindoro was owned by the firm of Stone, Silsbees, Pickman & Allen. In a sketch of Hon. Benja-
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SALEM VESSELS AND THEIR VOYAGES
min H. Silsbee, published in "A Record of 50 Years of the Old Ladies Home of Salem," Hon. Robert S. Rantoul writes: "The well established commercial house of Stone, Pickman & Silsbees began active business in 1798, and lost, by the French spoliations of that year, the new brig Alert, for which loss, thanks to the imperious demands of Andrew Jackson, they recovered compensation a cen- tury later. They had no articles of co-partnership. It was merely an association of gentlemen who could trust one another. It had for members, in the course of its long career, Robert Stone, Senior, with his sons Benjamin W. and William Stone; Dudley Leavitt Pickman, his son, William. W. Pickman, and his grandson Dudley Leavitt Pickman; Senator Nathaniel Silsbee and his son, Mayor Nathaniel Silsbee; the Senator's brothers, Zachariah F. and William Silsbee, with the son of the former, George Z. Silsbee, and the sons of the latter, Benjamin H. and John H. Silsbee; George Henry Allen and George T. Sanders. They had a counting-room on the corner of Derby and Charter streets until 1845, when they moved to the Manning Block, which took the place of the Sun Tavern in 1828, and there they remained until 1855. when they took rooms in the new Asiatic Building, and there they continued to occupy until 1892. The associa- tion finally dissolved in 1898." Their last office was in the Sears Building in Boston.
A nearly complete list of the ships owned by the firm, with their commanders, has been given the writer by Mr. George H. Allen, who speaks from memory, as follows. Mr. Allen is the sole survivor of the firm.
Ship Aurora-Captain, William H. Clough.
Ship Sooloo (the first)-Captains, Samuel Very and William G. Nutting.
Ship Sooloo (the second)-Captains, Charles H. Allen, Jr., Daniel H. Hutchinson, John H. Shatswell, Charles H. Allen, Jr., and W. Frank Powars.
Ship Derby-Captains, Samuel Hutchinson, Jr., Chas. H. Allen, Jr., and Samuel A. Lord.
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SHIP " DERBY " BUILT AT CHELSEA, 1855. Store, Silsbees, Pickman and Allen, Owners. From a painting by a Chinese artist, showing the ship entering Hong Kong in 1864.
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BY GEORGE GRANVILLE PUTNAM
Ship Sumatra-Captains, Josiah Dudley, Nathaniel Joshua Kinsman, George W. Abbott, John Mullin and Benjamin P. Clough.
Ship Witchcraft-Captains, William C. Rogers and Josiah Dudley.
Ship Shirley-Captains, Nicholas T. Snell, George W. Abbot and Charles H. Allen, Sr.
Ship Janthe -- Captain, Daniel Woodbury.
Ship Columbia-Captain, Edward A. Silsbee.
Ship Thomas Perkins-Captains, William C. Rogers, and William Bentley Graves.
Ship Augustine Heard ---- Captains, Charles Huntington, George W. Abbot, John A. Phipps and Captain Hopkins.
Ship Australia --- Captains, William J. Chever, Nicholas T. Snell, William H. Clough, Nathaniel J. Kinsman and Josiah Dudley.
Ship Rome-Captains, Josiah Dudley and Samuel R. Curwen.
Ship Syren-Captains, George Z. Silsbee, Edward A. Silsbee and Charles H. Allen, Sr.
Ship Mindore-Captains, Charles H. Allen, Jr., Ben- jamin Oliver Reynolds, Stephen P. Bray, Henry Gard- ner, Daniel H. Hutchinson, W. Frank Powars, Joseph Warren Luscomb, Charles Beadle, and Benjamin C. Crcelman.
Ship Formosa-Captains, A. D. Cobb, Charles H. Allen, Jr., and Benjamin Oliver Reynolds.
Ship Panay-Captains, Stephen P. Bray and Joseph. Warren Luscomb.
Ship Ocean Rover-Captain, Joseph W. Willcomb.
Ship Eliza Ann-Captains, William J. Chever, Josiah Dudley, Samuel R. Curwen and William G. Nutting.
Barque Sappho-Captain, Richard D. Rogers.
Barque Borneo -- Captains, Charles H. Rhoades and Brackley R. Pcabody.
Barque Europa-Captain, Samuel Hutchinson, Jr.
Brig New York-Captain, James B. Boswell.
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SALEM VESSELS AND THEIR VOYAGES
GEORGE HENRY ALLEN.
George Henry Allen, to whom the writer has been greatly indebted for assistance in preparing these sketches of the ships and merchants of Salem, was the junior mem- ber of the mercantile firm of Silsbee, Pickman & Allen, was born in Salem, the son of the late Captain Charles Henry and Mrs. Mary P. (Wright) Allen, and died in Manchester, Mass., April 30, 1925. He graduated from the old Phillips and the Salem High School, as a member of the 26th class, in March, 1853. His father was a prominent shipmaster, one to whom frequent mention has been made in these articles, in his voyages all around the world.
The son, always a lover of ships and the sea, and possessing a fine knowledge for one so young, was recog- nized by the firm as just the sort of boy that they wanted in their counting-room. He perfected himself in book- keeping, was expert at figures, and was quickly made assistant to Benjamin H. Silsbee. Recognizing his tal- ents, Mr. Silsbee soon gave him full charge of the books.
In 1863, Mr. Allen was admitted as a partner, the firm name becoming Silsbees, Pickman & Allen. His first in- terest was in the brig New York, and that was followed by the ship Sooloo, ship Formosa, ship Mindoro, ship Panay, and other vessels. The firm's vessels carried on an extensive trade with the Philippine Islands, Java, Cal- cutta and Bombay. The concern continued until 1898, when it closed up its affairs, having existed more than one hundred years, one of its vessels being the brig Midas, on which Mr. Allen's grandfather sailed as a lad.
Retiring from commercial business, Mr. Allen took charge of the estates of old Salem families, which kept him busy practically all of his time, in addition to man- aging his own large property. He was a director of the Naumkeag Trust Company a trustee of the old Salem Savings Bank, a member of the Essex Institute and the Second Unitarian Church, Salem. He owned valuable
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