USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Kingston > Ships of Kingston. : "Good-bye, fare ye well" > Part 3
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They were all center-board, about 20 feet over all, between 16 and 17 feet water line, 6 feet 10 inches beam, and 26 inches draft without the center-board. They usually had from 100 to 300 pounds of lead outside on the keel and were given a much larger sail plan than the old ones, although retaining the sprit-sail rig. These boats of Captain Ransom's design were used for lobster fishing and pleasure boats and have always been noted for their speed and weatherly qualities in heavy weather.
George W. Shiverick was born in East Dennis, on the Cape, and came to Kingston in October, 1895. He began building yachts and small boats in November of that year in a shop he built on land leased by Mr. Walter C. Hammond and bordering on Jones River.
This shop and yard are situated just below the lower wharf at the Landing and up to this time he has built here 228 craft of all descriptions.
In 1888, he started to learn the boatbuilders' trade of Charles Jenkins of Harwichport, and worked with him for a year, most of the time on schooners' yawl boats.
The winters of 1890, 1891 and 1892, he was with C. C. Hanley of Monument Beach, building Cape Cod catboats, and in May, 1892, he went into business for himself at East Dennis, launching his first boat, the cat Attempt, in August of that year.
Between this time and October, 1895, when he came to Kingston, he built 10 boats, and established his reputation as a designer and builder of fast and well-constructed yachts of all classes.
From his building yard at the Landing he has launched 21 Class I 18-foot W. L. knocka- bouts, 19 Duxbury 15-foot W. S. knockabouts, 18 Duxbury 14-foot W. L. catboats, 56 motor boats, 69 sailing yachts of all kinds, and 45 dories and tenders.
The largest yacht he has built here was the 41 feet over all C. B. sloop, Early Dawn II, for Boston parties.
The letters to Joseph Holmes, or Joseph Holmes, Jr., as he was called till the death of his father, are fairly well preserved, but there are many years' correspondence missing in which the final ending of his vessels might be shown, whether lost while owned here, or sold to other ports. The captains of the smaller vessels, schooners and brigs were men of little education and their letters contained a bare statement of the voyages, and were often so poorly written that they could hardly be read. But they all seem to have been honest and men of great ability, for in those days navigation was not considered much of a science and many of the captains engaged in the West India trade took no observation for longitude, steering southeasterly as near as possible, and when in the latitude of the place they were bound to and well to windward in the northeast trades, steered west. They relied a great deal on dead reckoning, use of the lead and judgment in their coasting as well as foreign voyages.
The voyages made in the winter from southern ports to New York and Boston were always ones of hardship and danger and the earlier schooners and brigs are often reported as delayed by ice and gales, sometimes frozen in the southern rivers and again in Vineyard Sound. How they made their ports without more loss to vessel and crew seems a mystery, for there were few lighthouses, no lightships, channels poorly buoyed, and no towboats or revenue cutters to call on for assistance. Now there are few sailing vessels left, but in every
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winter's gale a number of them are always reported in distress and they are much larger and better found than the old ones.
The captains in letters to their owners reporting their arrivals or departures often write of their sails being poor and vessels leaking, but hope to make them go this voyage and get the vessel home, or perhaps make another voyage without making repairs. The Holmes always made the repairs on their vessels in their own building yards, if possible, making the cost much less. Few of Joseph Holmes' vessels were insured and his letters of instruc- tions to his captains usually ended thus: "In case of accident, always remember your vessel is not insured and expend nothing but what is necessary to make your vessel seaworthy. If it is necessary that your vessel should be sold for the benefit of all concerned you will buy her in and draw on me if you think it an object."
The voyages of the vessels owned by the Delanos can only be followed in a few cases and the letters saved do not show so complete a record as do those of Joseph Holmes.
Nothing can now be found about the vessels owned by the Winsors and Whittens, as individuals.
The Severs as owners and builders of vessels in Kingston left little to be recorded about them, except the names, tonnage and year built, which were found in the custom's records of Plymouth and some old account books of 1750 and later years.
There are very few people about here now who have ever seen a ship under all sail at sea. By the word ship, I do not mean anything with sails, but a full rigged ship as used to be sent foreign or, as it was often called, "deep water." Much could be made of some of the voyages of these old Kingston vessels by any one who cared to romance by reading between the lines in the letters written home by the captains to their owners. Many letters to Joseph Holmes end : "Tell my family I am well. Let my wife have a little money if she needs it and tell her we are in good health at present and hope to be home in the spring." It cost twenty-five or thirty cents to send a letter from the south and more from foreign ports without taking into account the labor of writing, and a letter to the owners sufficed for all.
But the story of a vessel is usually a very plain, ordinary affair. They sailed, returned and were repaired, if necessary, and sailed again, often with the same captain and officers for several years, till finally they were sold, wrecked or reported as sailed and never heard from. Those that escaped the dangers of the sea, becoming old and beyond repair, were stripped of sails, spars and rigging and fittings of any value and their weather-beaten hulks were landed in some creek or on some river bank for the tide to ebb and flow in until finally they fell to pieces with nothing but a keel and a few planks and timbers left.
These vessels, while not designed for speed have records of many good passages. For the purpose of carrying the greatest amount of cargo for their length these vessels built by the Holmes' were designed with very full bows and heavy quarters and sterns, one end looking about as full as the other when afloat. The story is told that when one of these vessels was at Rocky Nook wharf being rigged, Captain Otis Baker, of this place, who was somewhat of a joker and commanded the extreme clipper ship, Herald of the Morning, engaged in the California trade in the fifties, went down to the wharf to see the new vessel. After looking her over very carefully and making no comments he wrote in large letters with a piece of chalk on the vessel's side near the bow, "This is the Bow." Her sides being painted black made this writing quite conspicuous and caused many a laugh from those who did not know the object of the vessel's fullness forward.
The fruit barks and brigs, of course, were an exception and for their size were very fast and probably their model has never been improved on. A few pictures that are in existence show them to have been very handsome vessels and a credit to the ideas of the designer and builder. The tracks of the fruit vessels, barks and brigs from the Mediter- ranean ports of Smyrna, Palermo, Messina, and Malaga, where their cargoes were loaded, are the same as the large passenger steamers use today in coming from the Mediterranean to New York and Boston, and when they report, on arrival, having experienced heavy
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gales with much water on deck and captain and officers on the bridge many hours and tales of hardship, no one realizes that seventy-five years ago these small vessels were being raced across the North Atlantic in the face of westerly winter gales with the same weather conditions that prevail today and nothing out of the ordinary was reported unless the passage was prolonged and the fruit did not find a good market. Only three of the vessels engaged in this trade were lost while owned by the Holmes', the bark Abby, the brig Bird of the Wave, and the brig Frank Henry.
The smaller vessels, schooners and brigs owned by the Holmes', as well as those owned by the Delanos and Winsors, used in the West India trade and the northern ports of South America, which in those days was called the Spanish Main, were in constant danger of losing their officers and crews by yellow fever and sometimes cholera and the plague. Yellow fever seemed to be always prevalent and although not much is said about it in the letters written to owners it is easy to see the constant danger they were in and the dread the captains had of going to the more unhealthy ports at certain seasons. Letters received by Joseph Holmes tell of loss of officers and crews on board his vessels or of their arriving north with sickness on board and being quarantined. When they died a brief word to that effect to the owner was all that was known; if it was the captain of the vessel, the mate wrote and took charge, perhaps reaching home before the letter, as letters from these small West Indian ports were brought by sailing vessels whose passages were prolonged at certain seasons of the year by unfavorable winds. Sometimes a new captain had to be sent on from home if the mate were not able to take command, which caused great delay and expense.
As late as 1880 Mr. Edward Holmes seldom heard from Captain Thompson, who at that time was in command of his schooner Mary Baker in the West India trade, after he left home, until he arrived back, as even then few steamers were running to the West Indies, and the captain was noted for his fast passages with very little delay in port. This Captain Robert Thompson was a Norwegian, a very rugged, powerful man. He first came to Kingston as mate of the brig Bird of the Wave and later was employed by Mr. Edward Holmes as master of the different schooners owned by him until the last one was sold. He was a very honest, able shipmaster and commanded the schooner Mary Baker for many years, usually chartered to the West Indies with a few trips to the Grand Bank. This schooner had very hard service, as Captain Thompson, previous to taking command, was for several years mate of the later fruit barks owned by the Holmes', receiving in them a thorough training in sail-carrying so that when he became master he was well fitted to see that his vessel was driven to her limit. The story is told by Charles T. Powers of King- ston, who was mate with Captain Thompson in the Mary Baker on the voyage, that the Mary Baker and Lucy Holmes, Captain Clement Eldridge of Chatham, were both chartered to go to Jacmel, Haiti. They laid alongside the same wharf in Boston, both ready to sail, when Mr. Edward Holmes, their owner, who was there to see them off said to the captains, "I don't know about letting you fellows sail at the same time for I am afraid there will be too much sail carrying." Both schooners went to sea together and once clear of the land soon parted company, but when the Mary Baker anchored at Jacmel the Lucy Holmes was just entering the harbor. This was a very close race for 1,500 miles. Another instance of close sailing between Joseph Holmes' vessels is that of the bark Egypt and bark Fruiterer both bound to San Francisco, who sighted one another off Cape Horn, soon separated, and met again off Frisco Heads.
Few remember the old captains of the Kingston vessels. Captain Josephus Dawes of Island Creek, Duxbury, and his brother, Captain James H. Dawes of Kingston, being the last survivors of those that lived in this vicinity, both dying very old men and retired from the sea for many years. After Joseph Holmes' death, in 1863, when his vessels were sold, they continued following the sea in command of their own vessels, Captain Josephus Dawes having the bark Annie W. Weston built for him, and Captain James the bark Emma C. Beal, and also the ship Matchless.
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POWERS' LIFE
On the death of Captain Charles T. Powers of Kingston, Massachusetts, a sketch of his life appeared in the Old Colony Memorial of Plymouth, 1908. As a deep-water sailor and officer of Kingston vessels the accounts of his voyages in the numerous vessels mentioned are similar to those of all old-time, deep-water sailors on sailing ships who were born and brought up in Kingston and the seacoast towns of this section and who followed the sea before sails gave way to steam.
As his father, Captain Edwin Powers, commanded vessels belonging to the Holmes and Delano families for many years and Captain Charles continued to sail in the Holmes' vessels until the last one was about to be laid up at Kingston before being sold, it seems that what follows should appear in these records as a story of a seafaring life more com- plete than can now be told of any Kingston man.
Charles Thaddeus Powers was born in the old Tontine house at Rocky Nook, Kingston, April 23, 1848, a son of Captain Edwin and Maria C. (Churchill) Powers, both of whom were natives of Kingston.
Captain Charles T. Powers made his first voyage at the age of fourteen in 1862 in the schooner Ocean Bird, Joseph Holmes of Kingston, owner. The Ocean Bird was built at the Landing and commanded by his father, Captain Edwin Powers. She sailed from Boston bound for Aux Cayes, a port on the south side of the island of Haiti in the West Indies, and had to run the gauntlet of the Confederate ships of war. This was an exciting trip, full of hairbreadth escapes, but successful nevertheless. The same could be said of the voyage back to Boston. This schooner was at one time during the Civil War the only vessel leav- ing Boston as a home port to fly the United States flag, all the other vessels leaving port under the British flag, as a matter of protection. Captain Powers made a number of voyages in this vessel to ports on the same island.
The vessels that he afterward made voyages on follow in order: the brig Jane, Captain Hoyt of Boston, master; the brig Afton, Captain Joseph Wright of Plymouth, master; the schooner Maria C. Moore, Captain May, master (the voyage was to Curaçoa an island of the Spanish Main in the Caribbean sea); the schooner Lucy Holmes of Kingston, Edward Holmes, owner, Captain Clement Eldridge, master (the voyage was to the islands of the West Indies); schooner Fisher, also built in Kingston, Captain David Ellis of Harwich, master (the voyage was to the West Indies, island of Mariguana in the Bahamas, and other ports, a half dozen voyages in all); schooner Mary Baker, about the last vessel built at the Landing shipyards, Captain Robert Thompson, master. Years afterward Captain Powers had made a voyage together with Captain Thompson while employed on Lightship No. 6, located off Succonesset Shoals. Captain Powers had made a voyage previously in this schooner, the first voyage she ever made. He also went as mate in her on the last voyage, which was to Cayenne in French Guiana, South America. Captain Dreyfus from France was imprisoned at one time at Cayenne. From this port the schooner proceeded to Turks Island in the Bahamas, where a cargo of salt was loaded for Boston. This was the last voyage Captain Powers made in any Kingston vessel. For a time he was engaged in coast- wise shipping in the schooner Frank Leeming which hailed from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then on the Wellfleet schooner Elmer &. Wright, Captain Freeman, master, and later on the schooner Agnes of Mystic, Connecticut, Captain Rodman, master. A voyage was made to Key West, Florida, then to Indianola, Texas, from there to Tampico, Mexico, and return- ing, stopping at New Berne, North Carolina, on the way back to New York City.
Then commenced a series of long and eventful voyages. In 1872 he shipped aboard the bark Sapho of Mystic, Connecticut, Captain John Wilbur, master, and sailed for Val- paraiso, Chili. From there the bark proceeded to Callao, a port in Peru, and Iquiqui, a port in Chili, South America, and loaded a cargo of guano for Charleston, South Carolina. May 5, 1873, Captain Powers sailed from New York with Captain Robert Wilbur, brother of the captain of the bark Sapho, mentioned above, in the ship Dauntless of Mystic, Con- necticut, bound for San Francisco, California. The duration of this voyage was 131 days.
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After discharging her cargo in the last-named port a cargo of grain was taken aboard and on October 3 of the same year the Dauntless sailed for Liverpool, England. In February, after a 120 days' passage, she arrived in Liverpool, and later returned to New York with another cargo.
November 17, 1875, Captain Powers sailed from Boston for Calcutta in the ship Crom- well, Captain Edwin Richardson of this town, master. Down Boston harbor they were accompanied by Captain Otis Baker, the late George S. Phillips, Captain Edwin Powers (deceased), and several others from Kingston. They were taken off at the Boston light. The voyage out occupied 132 days. From Calcutta they went to the Island of Mauritius off the east coast of Africa, then back to Calcutta, where they were loaded with linseed for the port of Hull in England. This voyage lasted 150 days. From England they returned in ballast to Boston. This long voyage was the last voyage Captain Richardson made in the Cromwell. This was the ship the late Captain William Symmes of this town commanded for many years and while he was master, Edwin Richardson, afterward her commander, went in her as cabin boy. The latter married Captain Symmes' daughter and they reside at present in San Francisco, California.
The longest voyage Captain Powers ever made commenced August 3, 1878, when he sailed in the ship Mindora of Salem, for Cape Town near the Cape of Good Hope, Africa, 83 days' passage. She proceeded to Manila, 92 days' passage, lay in port three and one- half months loading manila hemp, and then sailed for Boston, a voyage lasting 178 days. She arrived in Boston, December 3, 1879, 16 months to a day from the time she left Boston. Mindora made one more voyage and then was converted into a barge.
As second mate of the brig Stella, Captain Davis of Long Island, New York, master, he sailed on January 10, 1880, for Buenos Ayres in South America. From there they sailed about 300 miles up the Rio de la Plata to the city of Rosario, where they took on a cargo of wool, and returning arrived in Boston, July 19, 1880.
Captain Powers' next voyage was from New York, January 7, 1881, as second mate of the bark James S. Stone, Captain John Weston of Duxbury, master. Captain Weston is at present one of the Boston Port Wardens. They touched first at Port Adelaide, Australia, and then went to New South Wales, where they loaded coal for Shanghai, China, next made two round trips from Shanghai to Nagasaki, Japan, after which the bark took on board a cargo of tea and sailed for New York, the voyage lasting 110 days. This was in 1882.
In February, 1883, he sailed from New York as second mate on the bark Nehemiah Gibson of Boston, Captain Fred C. Bailey of Kingston, master. Port Adelaide in Australia and Hong Kong in China were the ports visited. It was a memorable voyage out. They struck a gale of wind between the Cape of Good Hope and Port Adelaide and the seas ran moun- tain high. Oil, a part of the cargo, was tried by Captain Bailey as an experiment, and it had the effect of smoothing the waves a good deal. The bark was running three weeks with a fair wind all the time.
In 1885, Captain Powers went as second mate on the bark Neried, which belonged to H. H. Flitner of Boston, from Portland, Maine, to Buenos Ayres, then to a port in Brazil, where she took on a cargo of sugar. This was delivered in January, 1886. This bark passed through a terrible gale on Christmas night before her arrival.
In April, 1889, Captain Powers, as first mate of the brig Cameo, Captain Molman, master, sailed from New London, Connecticut, to Boston, where she unloaded her cargo and took on board a portion of another cargo. In Portland, Maine, she finished loading and then departed for St. Ann's Bay and Montego Bay, on the Island of Jamaica. Leaving these ports she went to Falmouth on the same island and received a cargo of logwood roots for Philadelphia. She reached that port July 7, 1889. The vessel was sold or changed hands soon after her arrival. Captain Powers returned to Kingston to live.
His stay ashore was brief. May 24, 1890, he took command of the Vineyard Sound lightship and was on her about three months when he was transferred to the Great Round Shoal lightship. In 1892 he took the Old South Shoal lightship from New Bedford to
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Charleston, South Carolina. Upon his return he was given command of Lightship No. 6, located off Succonesset Shoal. He was on this lightship about five years.
He retired from a seafaring life in 1898 and returned to Kingston, where he has since lived, respected by all who are acquainted with him.
The following extracts are taken from a diary that was kept by Cornelius A. Bartlett, a ship carpenter of Kingston. (This covers the thirty years before Captain Powers com- menced going to sea and gives as good an account of the life of a ship carpenter as Captain Powers' life does that of a sailor.)
Jan. Ist, 1883 First part of month worked on a schooner for Deacon Lysander Bart- lett.
Feb. 19th, 1833 Cutting ship timber for Deacon Bartlett.
Mar. 4th 5th, 1833 Severe snowstorm followed by very cold weather. Freezing the river several inches thick.
The 7th, 1833 I had shipped on board the Jones River Packet, my father, master. We were ready to go out of the river, but ice not gone until the 15th when we sailed for Boston, arriving the same evening. Carried mostly wood and brought home merchandise the 22nd. A fine run along shore.
July 8th, 1833 Wm. D. Winsor commenced running a packet for Boston, Atlanta Sloop, from Rocky Nook Wharf. She is a remarkably good sailer.
Sept. 10th, 1833 Robert Cook who had been with us most of the season left us this trip unwell.
Sept. 16th, 1833 Col. Sever's new ship Russell went down the river. I helped get her to Rocky Nook Wharf.
Oct. 15th, 1833 Ship Russell sailed.
Nov. 26th, 1833 Worked on schooner January get- ting out plank.
Dec. 23rd, 1833 We went down the harbor in schooner January litering a vessel with sea (C) coal.
Dec. 28th, 1833 I helped get a schooner from the bay loaded with plank for Deacon Bart- lett. I helped unload her. He is building for Col. Sever.
March
1834 First part of month I helped Nat'l Foster rig a schooner belonging to Col. John Sever on the stocks in Deacon Bartlett's yard. After she was launched we took her to Rocky Nook wharf. She is bound to Balti- more. Captain John Fearo, master.
Mar. 24th, 1834 The ship Rialto was launched from Mr. Joseph Holmes' yard. A very successful launch.
Mar. 27th, 1834 She was taken down the river. Stopped on the point of the Nook. The tides fell off and she remained there till they came up. While there she was mostly rigged. From there she was taken to Rocky Nook wharf. Finished rigging, took in ballast, etc., and sailed for Boston. Stopped in the Cow Yard a few days to take in a little more ballast, then went to Bos- ton. Arrived Apr. 29th. We had a very pleasant run along shore, sum- merlike day. I worked aloft most of the day putting up top hamper. I put "over head" the most of the rigging of this vessel. I stopped on board of her until the 7th of May. I came home by way of Hingham through Duxbury. The ship sailed the 9th for Savannah, Captain Perez H. Sampson, Mr. Edward Holmes, chief mate.
Mar. 14th, 1834 I shipped on board the Jones River Packet, Joseph Bartlett, master. Went to Boston.
July 4th, 1834 It is a fine day but I am confined in Rocky Nook wharf getting in fish. All my comrades enjoying life with the fair sex on excursions, etc. This is rather hard, but such is life.
July 6th, 1834 Sailed loaded with fish.
Sept. 12th, 1834 Left the Packet.
Sept. 13th, 1834 Commenced working on a ship in Deacon Bartlett's yard for Col. John Sever. Painting and rigging.
Sept. 22nd, 1834 Put up the shears and set her masts. Captain Nat'l Foster, Captain Zebu- lon Bisbee, Captain Solomon Davie, riggers.
Oct. 3rd, 1834 Launched the ship; took her the same tide to Mr. Holmes' wharf be- low. In turning her at the wharf her forefoot caught on a rock opposite the wharf and there she remained. When the next tide came she fell over on her side. It was in the night. We were setting between decks wait- ing for the tide at the time. I could walk fore and aft on her keel. She
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swung off the rock and the next day we righted her. The packet was ly- ing at wharf, we took her purchase to the head of the ship's masts and she came up easily. It damaged the ship badly. She showed it in her sheer. This was the ship Charles.
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