USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Kingston > Ships of Kingston. : "Good-bye, fare ye well" > Part 10
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North'wd which we did do for two days only, when the wind shifted to North & N.W. and there remained for 14 days. It was here I expected slants if not a fair wind this was a great pull back in our passage. It ex- hausted all my patience and not a small portion of my tobacco. On the 30th May saw and pass'd the Island of Juan Fernandes. I little thought 24 years ago that I should be here now .* We now shap'd our course so as to pass the Equator 115 W. Long. abandoning all thoughts of touching anywhere short of our destina- tion. After having excellent weather and winds cross'd the Equator at this point on 18th of June the S. E. wind continued with us to Lat. 10.00 North where we struck a vein of calms and bafling winds which lasted 8 days. We then took what I suppose was N. E. trades but very far North. I have as you will perceive given dates so that you can easily examine for your selves if you will our progress which on the whole has been slow. Our ship is deep and moves heavy but as good a Sea Vessel as I would wish to have. We of course have ex- perienced some hard blowy weather it could not be expected that we should be at Sea for days without. In all of which she has behaved admirably. Tight, Staunch and Strong. Three very requisite qualitys in a Ship coming one of these Voyages.
My officers are all I could expect for Mr. Linnell I consider an excellent Man on such a Voyage he has many qualifications the best one, the faculty of getting along with Sailors without difficulty. I have thus given you a short narrative of our Voyage it seems most proper for its the only part yet perform'd thus far. I shall not at this time enter into any speculations of the future but conclude with
Signing Myself Res'pt Yours, P. HOLMES.
*This was when he was mate of brig Sophia and Eliza on a voyage to Callao, Peru.
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SHIPS OF KINGSTON
Unfortunately, there are no plans or pictures of this ship. She was built at the Landing by Joseph Holmes, in 1843, and registered 492 tons. Edward Holmes appears in the Cus- toms Records as the Master Carpenter in her construction and was part owner with his father and brother Alexander. As we have a picture of the Herculean built a few years before, she was probably of a similar design and the same plan may have answered for both. N. D. Drew's sheer and spar plans show that this was done in several cases for Joseph Holmes when building vessels that were of about the same size and to be used in the same trade.
Being unable to illustrate the story of the Raritan with her picture or plans her voyages cannot be told by themselves like those of the other ships whose pictures are shown in this book. For this reason I have given here the accounts of her California voyage and the first and last one before she was sold. The first one tells how the Raritan sailed from the bay directly for the south and not going to Boston for a final fitting out and shipping of crew, as was usually the custom.
This first voyage was to New Orleans in command of Captain Chase when Captain W. S. Adams of Kingston took her and Captain Chase took the Rialto. The letter that Captain Chase wrote to Joseph Holmes as to the ship's first voyage from Kingston to New Orleans is as follows:
New Orleans Dec. 21, 1843.
JOSEPH HOLMES, Esq.,
Dear Sir: You will undoubtedly remember that it was on the 2nd of this month that the good ship Raritan finally sailed from the Cow Yard, Plymouth Harbor. I have the pleasure of informing you that by 12 o'clock that day we had Cape Cod well under the lee quarter and soon afterward bore away to the south. Set studding sails below and aloft. We had a fine run off for 24 hours and began to anticipate hav- ing a good story to tell for the new ship when it sud- denly fell calm and remained so for twelve hours, then breezed up from S. W. and in crossing the Gulf Stream with a strong wind from S. W. to W.S.W. we went several degrees to the eastward much out of our course. Here, all hopes of making a short passage were at an end.
The wind continued to veer from south to west blowing hard the most of the time, until the 9th, when it came round from the north.
Made Abeco on the 12th. Entered on the northern edge of the Bank at eleven A.M., on the 13th and dropped off the southern edge at half-past six the same evening. On the morning of the 14th at four o'clock made Double Headed Shot Key Light and Key West Lighthouse, the same day at noon. Past Sand Key Lighthouse at two P.M. and at eight o'clock the same evening saw the Torugas Light bearing N. by E. on the 17th lay becalmed for twenty-four hours within forty miles of the Belize. On the morning of the 18th, at four A.M. took a pilot on board and at three P.M. crossed the Bar at the Northeast Pass. At six the same evening came to anchor about three miles above
the Belize with wind from the west, 16 days from Kingston.
During the passage the ship behaved nobly. We only fell in with two vessels, one bark, and one brig, steering our course both of which we outsailed with ease. Her rate of sailing before the wind, without driv- ing hard, was ten to twelve miles per hour, by the wind from seven to nine steered the easiest of any vessel I ever was in, an ordinary helmsman being able to keep her within half a point going ten knots, with the wind on the quarter. In stayes she worked most beautifully. She not only came around well, in the common sense of the word, but she abso- lutely flew, never having got sternway in the four or five times we had occasion to tack her, and in cross- ing the bar her keel being within an inch or two of the bottom, the pilot declared she worked equal to a pilot boat.
On the 19th at noon, the wind being still ahead, I did not feel myself at liberty to refuse steam any longer not knowing the conditions in the city. We accordingly hitched on to a tow boat and arrived here last evening.
Your Son, Captain Paraclete and Captain Adams have been on board of the ship today, and the latter appears to be very much pleased with her and we shall exchange in the course of a day or so.
I have entered somewhat into particulars at the risk of being tedious but as the ship was new, I sup- pose a short account of how we got along would be acceptable.
I remain your Obedient Svt.
Signed, ISAIAH CHASE.
Captain Chase belonged in West Harwich, Mass., and was in Joseph Holmes' employ for a number of years. His account of his going to sea from Kingston, the new ship Raritan's hailing port, and his passage to New Orleans is quite interesting and shows the ship to have been a good sailor and well balanced as to model of hull and sail plan, and sustaining the reputation of the Holmes for turning out smart vessels.
She was highly spoken of at New Orleans on her arrival. She was 132 feet, 31/2 inches long, 28 feet 6 inches wide and 14 feet 3 inches deep, and was valued at $32,000 when she
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sailed from Kingston ready for sea. May 26, 1844, she was at New Orleans together with the ships Herculean and Rialto of Kingston, all loading cotton.
The first part of January, 1854, the Raritan was at St. Thomas, West Indies, in distress. She was bound to New York from Cadiz with a very valuable and heavy cargo of wines and liquors. Captain Peter Hansen, master. In latitude of the Western Islands experienced a heavy gale, ship leaking badly, being overloaded, drawing 1812 feet aft. After constant pumping succeeded in reaching St. Thomas with four feet of water in the hold. While lying in harbor it required constant pumping by twelve men to keep her afloat. She dis- charged cargo and went into drydock and was calked and coppered at great expense. She arrived in New York in April, discharged her wines in good order, but, about thirty quarter casks were drank up at St. Thomas and the liquors were damaged. The ship being in bad shape for heavy cargoes she was sold May 1, 1854, for $20,000.
The following letter from Captain Hansen to Joseph Holmes gives the account of his arrival at St. Thomas in distress.
St. Thomas, Jan. 8, 1854.
MR. JOSEPH HOLMES,
Dear Sir: It is with pain that I now perform the duty of informing you of the arrival of the ship Raritan here at St. Thomas in distress, leaking very badly. Having left Cadiz on the 22nd of November 1853 with a favorable wind I proceeded on my voyage with every prospect of success until December Ist be- ing then in the vicinity of the Western Islands, where I experienced a very heavy gale from the N.W. and while lying to, sprung a leak which soon increased to a fearful extent.
Fearing that the ship would founder where she was, I determined to scud her, the wind having changed somewhat to the northward, and continued to scud her for three succeeding days before a very heavy N.N.W. and westerly gale with both pumps constantly going. It finally became moderate and pleasant but the leak still continued about the same.
Keeping both pumps constantly going, I now made a thorough examination of the ship's hold for the leak, but in vain. Not being able to find the leak, and both pumps constantly going in fine moderate weather, it was impossible to get the ship to New York at this season of the year, I therefore, deter-
mined to run for this place, and finally after being at sea for over thirty days with both pumps constantly going, sometimes with three to four feet of water in her hold I finally arrived at this port on the second of January 1854 with every one on board completely exhausted with hard pumping. You will perhaps be able to form a better idea of the extent of the leak when I tell you that since my arrival here at this port I am obliged to employ twelve men every day to keep her free although I have discharged about 250 tons cargo.
On the recommendation of Captain Allen, I have consigned the ship to J. F. Piniston who wrote you on my arrival as I was very much exhausted from pumping. There is no doubt in my mind that the leak is in the ship's bottom and that I shall have to discharge all of my cargo and take the ship on rail- way to caulk and recopper and my expenses here will amount to a fearful amount.
You can have but a faint idea of the trouble and difficulty that I experience in this place as the cholera is raging to a fearful extent, there being from fifty to sixty deaths daily and it is almost impossible to get anybody to work.
Signed, PETER HANSEN.
The Raritan was sold to Quebec for the lumber trade between there and England and cleared from New York for Quebec, May 23. Captain W. S. Adams writes Joseph Holmes from New York that the ship is in pretty good repair and could be used in the cotton trade some years, with a careful, prudent man in her; otherwise, she would run in debt every voyage. She was sold rather unexpectedly, for Captain Benjamin Cook of Kingston had come on from Kingston to New York to go in her as master, Captain Hansen thinking of retiring. Captain Adams acted for the owners in making the sale, being in New York to look out for the ship, as she had just arrived from St. Thomas after being repaired there. He also wrote Joseph Holmes that she had the heaviest cargo she had carried since she was built, vessel drawing 181/2 feet aft, and seems to have blamed Captain Hansen for taking in so much cargo.
Owners of vessels often named them for members of their families, owners or friends, and Joseph Holmes and his sons followed this custom, as shown by the names of all of their sons and daughters appearing on record as names for some of their vessels. No other owner ever named vessels for each month as did Joseph Holmes. There is nothing to show why his ships were named Rialto and Herculean, but December 2, 1843, Captain William S. Adams writes Mr. Holmes he wishes the new ship called Raritan. As Joseph Holmes' larger
BRIG Reindeer, KINGSTON, E. G. WINSOR, MASTER
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vessels sometimes loaded cargoes of tobacco at Virginian ports this was probably the reason the ship was named Raritan from the Raritan River. Under the same date, Captain Adams also writes to Mr. Holmes to have a house on deck about 35 feet long for crew with a cook house in it as vessels are beginning to have crews' quarters in houses on deck. This was a great improvement over the old way of giving crews' quarters under the deck in the extreme forward end of a ship, which were always dark and wet. It also increased cargo space.
Captain Adams married Lucy Eveline, daughter of Joseph Holmes and he and his brother-in-law, Captain Paraclete Holmes, commanded the new- est and largest ships belonging to Joseph Holmes and were of great assistance to him in the opera- tion of his vessels on foreign voyages. In those days few letters from owners were received by those in command of their vessels after they once left home and usually the entire success of the voyage de- pended on the ability of the vessel's commander in securing freights that would be profitable to the CAPTAIN ELBRIDGE G. WINSOR owners. The other sons of Joseph Holmes, Alexan- der, Edward and Horace, assisted their father in the building and management of his vessels at home, and he was most fortunate to have in his sons and son-in-law, men so able and well fitted to take charge of the various branches of his business, both at home and abroad, and his success in life was largely due to their un- tiring energy. Few, if any families in the country can show such a record of father and four sons engaged in business, especially in the building and owning of vessels for so many years.
After Captain Holmes arrived in Boston in May, 1851, from the California voyage he does not appear again as master of any of the Kingston ships. He was forty-seven years old and probably gave up a seafaring life about this time. Later, be became president of the Warren Insurance Company of Boston, making his home at the Tremont House on Tremont Street, keeping his rooms there as long as he lived. He never married and lived with his father when in Kingston; on his father's death, in 1863, he came into possession of the homestead in the division of the property and retired from the presidency of the insurance company. After living there a few years he purchased the house built by Colonel John Sever, which he occupied until his death, in 1867, sixty-two years old.
He was always a most successful shipmaster and business man and well known in all of the large sea- ports of the eastern coast.
BRIG Reindeer
Brig Reindeer of Kingston, 136 tons, built at Kingston by Lysan- der Bartlett, Jr., in 1844; owned by Benjamin Delano, Joshua Delano and Elbridge G. Winsor.
SHEER AND SPAR PLAN OF BRIG Gustavus OF KINGSTON, 1846
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REMARKS
Her first master was Elbridge G. Winsor and Philander Cobb, mate. She was used for West India and Mediterranean voyages and in 1850 sold to San Francisco. She was a very smart vessel.
In the "Plymouth Memories of an Octogenarian" Mr. Davis speaks of the sailing of the brig Reindeer for San Francisco. Dr. Samuel Merritt of Plymouth, who was a practicing physician in Plymouth, in 1849, was seized with the gold fever, and sell- ing out his practice invested his SAIL PLAN OF BRIG Gustavus OF KINGSTON, 1846 capital in buying and loading the brig Reindeer, then lying in New York. At this time the brig was still owned by her original owners and not by Joseph Holmes, as mentioned by Mr. Davis. Dr. Merritt secured a cargo that he thought could be easily disposed of in San Francisco, and with as many passengers as could be accommo- dated, sailed from New York in the summer of 1849, and after calling at Valparaiso, arrived in San Francisco that autumn when the vessel was sold and probably remained on the west coast.
CAPTAIN ELBRIDGE G. WINSOR
This is the only picture of all of those sea captains who made their homes in Kingston at Rocky Nook that can be found today.
Captain Winsor was born in Duxbury in 1808, but lived in Rocky Nook for many years. The first that is known of him as commanding a Kingston vessel is in 1838 when he was in the schooner Emerald, John Sever, owner, on her first voyage. In 1844 he was captain of the brig Reindeer of Kingston, new, built by Lysander Bartlett, Jr., owning her with Benjamin and Joshua Delano. After she was sold in 1849 he was master of the bark Grey Hound built in Kingston in 1850, also owning her with the Delanos. The last vessel he was interested in was the schooner Young Teaser of Kingston, 126 tons, built at Fairhaven in 1860. Levi Morton, owning 2/16; Benjamin Delano, 4/ 16; George T. Adams, 2/16; Elbridge G. Winsor, 4/16, and Joshua Delano, 4/16. David Churchill was her first master and she was used for fishing and coasting and soon sold.
There is no record of his going in any vessel from here after giving up the bark Grey Hound, and the last part of his life was passed in Roslindale where he died in 1899.
BRIG Gustavus
Brig Gustavus of Kingston, 145 tons, built at Kingston in 1846, by Edward Holmes, master carpenter, and Joseph Holmes; owned by Joseph Holmes and Edward Holmes.
REMARKS
The first voyage of the brig Gustavus was in 1846 from New York to Cork, Ireland, loaded with corn for the famine sufferers in that country, Captain Josephus Dawes, master. From Cork the brig went to Buenos Ayres and other South American ports. From there to Havana and Boston. Captain Dawes continuing in her as master for several years.
May 27, 1852, the vessel was at New York from South America, chartered for Lisbon and Malaga and back to New York, in command of Captain Ezra Snow of Orleans, his brother Joseph Snow being mate. The vessel was at Malaga that summer, for under date of September 30, 1852, Mrs. Joseph Snow writes Joseph Holmes that she has "no news since
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the vessel arrived at Malaga and it's now four months and they did not expect to be gone but three months and we feel some anxious. Please write if you have any news of them."
The brig arrived in New York with a cargo of lead, 60 days' passage and sailed October 22, for Plymouth, Spooner's Wharf, or as it is now called, Plymouth Cordage Company, with thirty-five tons of hemp and fifty barrels of flour for Kingston. Vessel to be repaired.
July 11, 1853, Captain Snow writes Joseph Holmes from Aux Cayes, Haiti, that the Gustavus "arrived from Boston after a passage of twenty-three days of calm weather, our cargo is ready for Boston. It has been quite sickly here since I was here before. Sickness brought from St. Thomas. It has been mostly on board of the vessels, but there don't appear to be much now on the shipping, but some cases on shore. I hope we may be kept from sickness while here and return again in safety."
"Signed, EZRA SNOW."
September 7, 1853, Captain Paraclete Holmes writes Joseph Holmes that he has arrived in New York and got permission from the doctor for the sailor who brought the brig in, to go on shore, and that Captain Snow died August 29, and that all of the crew have been more or less sick on the passage, the mate, Captain Snow's brother, also dead.
Until recent years yellow fever was very prevalent all through the West Indies and South American ports visited by American vessels, especially during the summer months, and vessels often lost all of their officers and crews while loading or waiting for cargo for the north, and new officers had to be sent out by the owners before the vessel could sail for home. Joseph Holmes sometimes received letters from his captains asking him not to charter the vessels they were in command of for certain West India ports on account of the sickness reported as being there. Sickness usually meant yellow fever, but the plague and cholera were common. Even now, after all these years, it is most pathetic to read Captain Snow's letter to Mr. Holmes in which he hopes, "we may be kept from sickness and return again in safety," for in a little more than a month's time, both he and his brother were dead.
In charge of a new captain the brig proceeded to Boston and in January, 1854, she was reported at Nassau on a voyage from the West Indies to Boston, having been brought in by wreckers, captain, mate and all of the crew but one man, dead of yellow fever, vessel leaking and badly damaged in sails and rigging. The salvage paid to the wreckers was $2,000. A new captain was sent on from home, the vessel partially repaired, and February I, was at Charleston, S. C., leaking badly. Captain William S. Adams of Kingston went on to superintend further repairs and after discharging one-half of her cargo the leaks were stopped and the vessel continued on her voyage to Boston, the expenses at Charleston being $879.
May 3, 1854, Captain Albert Holmes of Plymouth was in command and he writes Mr. Holmes on that date from Para, South America, that he had a good passage from Boston, 28 days to Ceara, a small place about 650 miles southeast of Para. Crossed the line in 20 days from Boston, in 31° W.
This run to the equator of twenty days from Boston by the brig Gus- tavus almost equals the runs made by the extreme clipper ships be- tween the years 1850 and 1860 from New York to the equator when their best time was from seventeen to twenty days. New York is at least a day's sail nearer the equator than Boston and these clipper ships ten times as large as this little brig of only 145 tons. At sea, the larger
SHEER AND SPAR PLAN OF BARK Trueman OF KINGSTON, 1846
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SHIPS OF KINGSTON
vessel can always be driven harder than the smaller and this twenty- day passage is quite a record for a Kingston vessel to make.
Returning to Boston, Captain James W. Percival of Orleans, Mass., took command and July 13 left Boston for Baltimore with ice. At Baltimore she loaded 198 tons of coal for Kingston, Mass., con- signed to Alexander Holmes, freight money, $3.50 per ton. The captain writes Joseph Holmes from Balti- SAIL PLAN OF BARK Trueman OF KINGSTON, 1846 more that the brig is leaking badly and he wants a pilot in the Cow Yard when he arrives and some men to unload her. He also says, "I do not like the brig as well as I expected." He finds much fault with the sails being so poor and he had to anchor after starting from Boston and go on shore for duck to repair them, losing one man by his running away, and in Baltimore, three more of the crew left; July 27 she was loaded and ready to sail.
September 21, 1854, the Gustavus left Salem, Mass., for Para and on November 17, Captain Percival writes Mr. Holmes that he got on shore on entering Para, badly damaging the vessel, losing anchors and chains and unhung rudder. After repairing Captain Percival writes again that his expenses on the brig have been about $1,000 and that he was sailing December 18 for Turks Island in ballast for a cargo of salt.
On February 13, 1855, Captain Percival writes to Mr. Holmes from New York as follows:
MR. HOLMES :
Sir: I will inform you of the loss of your brig Gus- tavus after all of the difficulties which I have gone through, but was glad and ought to be thankful to come off without losing any of our number. I arrived at Turks Island on the 5th and not being able to find any salt, I took in ballast for Boston and cleared on the 6th, but the weather being very boisterous was detained until the 8th. Ten A.M. the gale increasing we broke our fluke off the anchor and before we could fetch her up we were off the bank, and about 12, noon, we came to again with both our anchors after losing some of our sails and boat and my foretopmast, but finding we were going on a reef and all hands in danger of losing our lives I had to slip both chains, but before I could get them clear she got on the reef when the sea made a clean breach over her. We could
The captain arrived in New York on a steamer by way of Bermuda, going to his home in Orleans, sick.
BARK Trueman
Bark Trueman of Kingston, 229 tons, built at Kingston by Nathan- iel D. Drew, master carpenter, in 1846; owned by Alexander Holmes and Trueman Doane.
not see the shore. At that time the next day they tried to get on board but they got their boat stove and gave it up. The sea getting lower through the day at low water about five P.M. we got on shore by wading where we found things comfortable.
I stripped the brig after having a survey and sold sails and rigging at auction. The brig brought the sum of $1000.00 and the expenses are about $500.00. She is a total loss.
Signed, J. W. PERCIVAL.
SHEER AND SPAR PLAN OF BRIG Monte Christo OF KINGSTON, 1847
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REMARKS
She was named for Trueman Doane, one of her owners, who was also her first master, and was soon sold. William T. Davis of Ply- mouth, Mass., in his book "Ply- mouth Memories of an Octogena- rian," speaks of being in Marseilles in 1846, going from there to Genoa and says:
On my way down the coast of the Mediterranean, a fellow passenger on the steamer, an Englishman, named James Buchanan was constantly boast- ing of the superiority of English vessels over all others. Of course I defended my own, nor was it difficult in those days at least to find fault with the squat sails, short topgallantmasts, clumsy blocks, poorly set up spars, and if at anchor with sails furled, the untidy bunts which often looked like bundles of rags on the yards of the Englishmen. As we came to anchor one morning in the harbor of Genoa, I pointed out to Mr. Buchanan a very trig look- ing bark anchored nearby, which had a familiar look.
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