USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Kingston > Ships of Kingston. : "Good-bye, fare ye well" > Part 7
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masts and fell in with one without any masts and full of water, out of which I took nine men badly frozen and almost exhausted. Were reduced to one gallon of water. Had been exposed to the weather twenty-four days. The mate, poor fellow, with both feet frozen and thelock-jaw. He was soon relieved by the happy stroke of death. The rest of them are doing well. I have met with pleasant weather on the coast. I think it damned hard after being at sea three months to be quarantined, when I have not a man on board who has not eaten his two pounds of beef per day since leaving Smyrna. Whether I have got to lay here one month or two is more than I know. Shall I ever finish this voyage, my patience is threadbare.
In June, the vessel was at St. Petersburg for Boston and November 16, 1833 at New York chartered for Savannah, and from there to Nantes, Rochelle and Philadelphia and returned to New York. Cargo from Savannah, cotton and flour. Amount of charter $1,500, which Captain Johnson considers very good. Captain Johnson wrote Mr. Delano from Brest where he was anchored on account of bad weather, as to the voyage from Savannah, and the letter tells of the hardships the officers and crews underwent at that time on winter passages in these small vessels. The letter is given here:
The Angeline is safe. Brest, Jan. 22, 1834.
Dear Sir: I have made my passage by scudding and lying to. The heaviest passage that I ever made. Last Friday, blowing a gale of wind discovered myself in the bay of Brest.
About one P.M. put the brig under double reefed topsail and wore ship every two hours through the night with sea enough to bury her up. This was the most dangerous night I ever spent. At daylight was to the leeward of Brest Harbor, blowing too heavy to expect any assistance from shore.
I will now give you the situation of my crew who were fatigued out for the want of dry clothes and proper provisions. I have got a good crew and ten days out took them into the cabin and this would not always shelter them from water. Twice on the passage my cabin was filled half full of water. For ten days not a day for drying clothes and for five days at a time not so much as a cup of hot coffee could be obtained. The mate had a felon on his finger. The captain good for nothing and the crew were filled with salt water boils and their feet too much swelled to wear shoes or boots. Nothing but the safety of their lives kept them moving this awful night. In this situation the one chance was to make a harbor by the chart. About ten o'clock squared away, run up the bay about fifteen miles and came to anchor about three p.M. in a fine harbor with a westerly wind. At ten that night, calm. Sunday, blew strong from the west, saw the men on shore, but none came off. At night blowing a gale from the north- west, the brig in a good harbor. Monday, a fine day for drying clothes which we stand so much in
need. On Tuesday, got a pilot and anchored at Brest.
It was now blowing heavy from the south west, the brig lying with both anchors ahead. The brig is quarantined for nine days. The brig has sustained by little damage considering the heavy gales we have passed through.
About Christnias, we had a heavy gale from the west lasting three days and before January Ist, an- other from the northeast, it commenced with a heavy tempest and for two hours I never saw it blow so heavy. Nothing but gales during the passage. Our damage is, both monkey rails stove in and a part of the bulwarks, lost both swinging booms, broke one top mast, stove the boat, cabin house and caboose, almost everything washed off decks except boat and water. Lost one jib and about one half the fore spencer. The rigging has suffered very much. It is all broke to pieces and washed to the devil. I pity any poor devil that is caught in the Atlantic in an old vessel.
The Angeline stands heavy weather remarkably well. She made some water during the gale which appears to be above water and no doubt some of the cargo is damaged, a deal of water has gone down through the cabin floor.
I have got on a dry shirt, dry stockings and dry breeches, sitting down by a fine little stove smoking a cigar, almost taking comfort, already to try it again. A few days' rest and dry weather has revived my crew much, they are all doing well.
I have just seen the Consul. He says the losses on this coast are immense, one ship of 800 tons lost about ten miles from where I anchored, all hands lost. Thus far, I have no reason to complain but thank God it was no worse.
Signed, FRANCIS JOHNSON.
R
Poralto, entering the Pork of Marseilles . 1838.
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He lived in a house beside his father's and after he had disposed of his vessels occupied himself with the care of his farm, inherited from his father, adjoining the Rocky Nook Wharves, up to the time of his death, in 1903.
SHIP Rialto
Ship Rialto of Kingston, 459 tons, built at Kingston by Joseph Holmes, in 1834; owned by Joseph Holmes, Alexander Holmes, Paraclete Holmes and Edward Holmes.
REMARKS
The history of this ship Rialto as far as is known, is as follows:
She was built in Joseph Holmes' shipyard at the Landing, Jones River, in 1834, and up to that time was the largest vessel ever built in Kingston. Her tonnage was 459 tons and her dimensions were 124 feet long, 28 feet 7 inches wide, and 14 feet 31/2 inches deep. She was valued at $25,000 as she sailed from the Cow Yard, Plymouth harbor, ready for sea.
Cornelius Bartlett, a ship carpenter of Kingston, and who worked on her when building, says in his diary as follows: "Mar. 24, 1834. The ship Rialto was launched from Mr. Joseph Holmes' shipyard. A very successful launch. Mar. 27th, she was taken down the river. Stopping 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 Boston. Arrived, Apr. 29, 1834.
"On May 9th, she sailed from Boston bound to Savannah, Captain Perez H. Sampson, master; Mr. Edward Holmes, mate. Arriving at Savannah, May 18, 1834. Nine days from Boston after a very boisterous passage."
In January, 1835, the Rialto was at Charleston, S. C., Captain Paraclete Holmes, master; Edward Holmes, mate, and sailed for Liverpool with cotton. July 20, 1835, she was at Liverpool ready for sea, bound for Boston with a small cargo, consisting of 160 tons of salt, 100 tons of C. coal and 100 pounds in sovereigns, balance of freight money. Mr. Edward Holmes in a letter to his father, Joseph Holmes, dated Liverpool, July 19, 1835, says, he expects a 40 days passage.
In 1842 she arrived in Boston, after a long passage from Liverpool not paying expenses and damaging some cargo.
January 20, 1843, she sailed from Boston in ballast bound to Mobile, Captain W. S. Adams of Kingston, master, and on the passage in a heavy gale of wind, the ship was hove down and they cut away the mizzenmast to make her keep off and so lost it with all rigging and sails attached, and on account of this disaster went to New Orleans to repair. She then loaded cotton for Europe and returned July 27, 1844. Mr. Joseph Holmes says he has some prospects of selling the Rialto but if not sold shall take her to Kingston and give her a thorough repairing. She was not sold: repaired at Rocky Nook Wharf and was continued in the cotton and tobacco trade under Captains Adams, Chase and Hansen.
A letter from Joseph Holmes, dated July 27, 1844, to his son, Captain Paraclete Holmes at London in the ship Herculean, after acknowledging receiving a letter from the captain concerning a freight he had accepted from New York, amounting to the sum of 1,400 pounds, says in part: "Small business enough, but we must make the best of it so long as we are doing as well and a little better than our neighbors. The Rialto arrived safe, short passage. The Belize gone to Smyrna, the September to Port au Platt, the October to Curaçao, the January, May Bee, June, August and November all are fishing this season. Have some prospect of selling the Rialto. If I do not shall take her to Kingston and give her a thorough repairing." This letter shows the whereabouts of his small vessels and what they were doing at this time, and an owner's dependence on his captains in chartering vessels.
In March, 1850, she was at New Orleans from European ports, leaking 600 strokes an hour and in bad condition. She was repaired so that Captain Peter Hansen, her master, thought he could get her to Boston and was loaded with a light cargo of pork and cotton
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and sailed for Boston. On the passage she leaked very badly but finally reached Boston, was repaired and sailed for the South with a cargo of hay and ice. Soon after leaving port she again leaked and was finally abandoned with eight feet of water in her hold; the cap- tain, officers and crew being taken off by a ship bound to New York, where they arrived April 21, 1850.
The ship Rialto was one of Joseph Holmes' most successful vessels, earning for her owners a large amount of money. Under the command of Captains Sampson, Holmes and Adams of Kingston, and last by Captain Peter Hansen, who from his long service with Mr. Holmes as captain and mate in his vessels, could almost be called a Kingston man, she was a truly Kingston ship and she usually had some Kingston men as officers and members of her crew.
The trade in which she was engaged was hard on a ship, the cotton cargoes being stowed so close that the decks and beams were often started and the return cargoes of iron, salt, coal and marble, very heavy, causing a vessel to labor in a sea more than with a usual general cargo. This greatly strained a vessel and the Rialto must have been strongly built to withstand the many years of constant use with little money spent for repairs, and the fact that she was an old vessel when lost and had never been sold, shows how well she was always regarded by her owners. The Holmes', being builders as well as owners of vessels, usually sold them when they were comparatively new, and so were not called upon to expend any considerable amount of money for repairs, as is always necessary after some years at sea. When they sold a vessel they had one or two more ready for sea to take the place of the one sold and thus their fleets were constantly increased.
November 19, 1843, the ship Rialto of Kingston, Mass., Captain William S. Adams, was reported arriving at New Orleans, 33 days' passage from the Downs, England. Captain Adams writes Joseph Holmes that the Rialto's last passage is the shortest from the Downs that has been made.
The following letter from Captain Adams gives the account of the cutting away of the Rialto's mizzenmast on the passage from Boston to Mobile and New Orleans in ballast:
New Orleans, Feb. 13, 1843. MR. JOSEPH HOLMES, Dear Sir:
I arrived here, this morning with the loss of mizzen- mast, sails and rigging attached, foresail and foretop- sail. On the 26th January while scudding in a hard gale from the N. W. was struck by a heavy sea; shifted the ballast and carried away all of the stanchions for- ward of the after-hatch. The ship lay twelve hours with her lee-rail entirely under water and lower-yards in the water. I tried every method to get the ship before the wind started the water on deck but to no purpose. Finding her ballast still shifting, cut the mizzenmast away, when she fell off nearly before the
wind and sea which shifted the ballast back some. The wreck of the mast cleared itself and she came to again and lay with her lee-rail entirely under water, until we trimmed the ballast and got the deck out of water in about twelve hours after she was hove down. She made no water, if she had she would have sunk before we righted her.
I can get rigging for II cts. and good russia canvass for 1812 cts. bolt and the mast and spars very cheap. Freights are quoted at I ct. I cannot get that today but have engaged at 15-16 cts. to Liverpool for 1500 bales.
Yours Obdt. Servant, (Signed) WM. S. ADAMS
Sidney George Fisher, in his book entitled "The True Daniel Webster" in the chapter on the Northeastern Boundry Dispute, speaks of the brig Creole, which vessel was engaged in the winter of 1841 and 1842 in carrying a cargo of slaves and merchandise from Richmond, Va., to New Orleans. The slaves rose upon the master and crew and took the brig into
MODEL OF SHIP Rialto OF KINGSTON, 1834
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Nassau, British West Indies, where the authorities set the slaves at liberty, England having some years before abolished slavery in all her colonies. Mr. Webster at that time was Secretary of State, living on his farm in Marshfield, Mass., near Kingston, when his duties at Washington per- mitted, and his settlement of the Creole case and the Northeastern Boundary Dispute with Lord Ashburton, who represented England, aroused much unfavorable criticism in the North, which later greatly affected his political career.
The story that connects the ship Rialto with the brig Creole is, that about that time, one of Joseph Holmes' vessels fell in with a slaver at sea, short of food and water. On being furnished with the necessary supplies payment was made in Spanish doubloons, which were brought home to Joseph Holmes. The dates on these gold pieces were, 1837, and in this year, Spanish gold was common in the coast towns of the South, there being many cargoes of salt brought to them from Cadiz, Spain. As the Creole was owned in the South and bound to a southern port, it can be easily understood why
CAPTAIN WILLIAM S. ADAMS
Spanish gold was used, instead of American or English gold, especially on board ship.
The first part of the winter of 1841 and 1842 Captain Adams in the ship Rialto arrived at New Orleans, and going or coming would place him in the track of the brig Creole. No other of the larger vessels can be placed in that vicinity at that time. The smaller vessels belonging to Joseph Holmes would not have had any provisions to spare, as their voyages were short and no extra supplies were carried. The larger ones, owing to the length of their passages, were obliged to have a greater quantity and the Rialto could have easily furnished the brig all that was required, which must have amounted to quite a sum, as there were a number of doubloons brought home.
In these years, Mr. Holmes' vessels were constantly visiting southern ports and on that account any transaction with a vessel of the Creole's description would naturally have been kept as quiet as possible, in both the North and South. If our story is correct and the brig had not received any provisions and so been unable to have reached Nassau, Mr. Webster would not have had this additional dispute to increase his difficulties with Lord Ashburton in his final settlement with England.
Mr. Webster's home in Marshfield was only eight miles from Kingston, the hailing port of the Rialto and the home of her builders, owners and commander. It would be a strange circumstance if one of his neighbor's ships was the means of bringing the question of slavery into the affair.
Mr. Alexander Holmes of Kingston has the model of this ship and also a painting of her as she was entering the port of Marseilles, Paraclete Holmes, master, in 1838. This paint- ing is done in oils, by Pelligrini, who was a famous French artist of marine pictures of that period. The model shows her with very full bows and heavy quarters, but for all this, she seemed to make fair passages. It was carrying capacity and not speed that seemed to be required in those days and the ships of this style were called "Cotton boxes."
CAPTAIN WILLIAM S. ADAMS
Captain William S. Adams was born in Kingston in 1808 and was a son of Captain Charles Adams of Kingston. Marrying Lucy Eveline, a daughter of Joseph Holmes, he sailed in his ships for a longer period than any of the other captains, with the exception
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of his brother-in-law, Captain Para- clete Holmes.
Like Captain Holmes he was a very competent ship-master and business man, and at different times took charge of nearly all of Joseph Holmes' larger ships engaged in the cotton trade. After being placed in command he soon acquired an in- terest in the vessels he sailed which was retained until they were sold or lost.
In a letter to Joseph Holmes, dated July 12, 1830, he is mentioned as second mate of the ship Helen SHEER AND SPAR PLAN OF THE FULL RIGGED BRIG Belize OF KINGSTON, 1838 Mar of Kingston, having probably joined this ship on her first voyage, December 18, 1829. The captain of this vessel was Theophilus Burgess with Benjamin Cook of Kingston, mate. Later he was mate with Captain Holmes in the ship Rialto, and when Captain Holmes took over the Herculean he became the Rialto's captain.
He retired from the sea soon after 1850, but was employed by Joseph Holmes in looking after his vessels when in port, continuing to do this until Mr. Holmes' death.
He built and lived in the house now owned by Eugene G. Ayer, dying there in 1888.
BRIG Belize
Brig Belize of Kingston, 162 tons, built at Kingston by Joseph Holmes, David Beal, measurer, in 1838; owned by Joseph Holmes and Edward Holmes.
REMARKS
The first captain of the brig Belize was Allen Dawes of Duxbury, in 1838. She was engaged in voyages to the West Indies and Honduras, James H. Dawes of Kingston, mate, and later master. In 1844 she made a voyage to Smyrna. In connection with one of this brig's voyages in August, 1847, James H. Dawes, master, the following is found in R. B. Forbes' book, "Notes on Wrecks and Rescues":
THE SHIP Mameluke AND BRIG Belize
The new ship Mameluke, Captain Christiansen, of 1,000 tons, owned by Delano & Co., sailed from New York in August, 1847, bound for Liverpool. She had on board, all told, 64 persons. Among the passen- gers were two ladies. Shortly after leaving port she was overtaken by a southwest hurricane; and as her rigging was slack, she was kept before the wind under close-reefed topsails and reefed foresail, to set it up. The gale increasing, the fore and mizzen topsails were taken in; but hardly had they been furled when the ship broached to, a tremendous sea broke on board, threw the ship nearly on her beam ends, swept away her deck-house and forty-two persons, broke the mizzen-mast halfway up, the mainmast just below the top, the fore topmast and jib-boom at the caps, leav- ing the fore-yard a cockbill. The hatches burst open, the water rushed between decks, and in a very short time she became waterlogged. She had a full poop deck, and on this the survivors, 22 in number, sought shelter. The sea rolled over her waist and tore away the wreck of the broken spars and sails and smashed
the boats. Most of the water and provisions were sub- merged, and only such scraps as could be fished from the cabin were left for the people to eat.
The first night was dreadful. The tempest howled with unabated violence, and the waves frequently rolled over the poop; so that the people had to make themselves fast to keep from being washed away. During the next day and the day following several vessels passed, and some changed their course as if they had not seen them. One approached so near that a man was seen on her quarterdeck surveying them through a spy-glass but she too "passed by on the other side." At last a small brig crossed her stern; and the captain hailed them and told them to be of good cheer, for he would lie by them while he had a stick standing. She was under a close-reefed fore top- sail and close-reefed fore and aft mainsail, and rounded to under the lee of the wreck. The sea was then too rough for any boat to live. At the end of twenty-four hours the gale moderated, but the sea was still very rough; yet the brig hove to and hoisted out her only boat. It was manned by the mate and three seamen,
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leaving only three persons on board. The two ladies and two men were first rescued, and when the ladies reached the brig they fainted from sheer exhaustion. The boat could not take more than five persons at a time in addition to her crew, and consequently had to make six trips before all were rescued. Captain Chris- tiansen was the last to leave the wreck, which shortly afterward must have gone down, for it was not seen again.
The brig was the Belize of Kingston, Mass., com- manded by Capt. James H. Dawes, bound from Bos- ton for Port-au-Prince. She encountered the same gale which wrecked the Mameluke and had to throw her deck-load overboard to ease her. As his vessel was very small, and the people saved were much exhausted, Captain Dawes decided to put into New York, the nearest port. He and his mate surrendered their berths to the ladies and bunked out on the lockers; most of the men had to remain on deck, although the sailors gave up the forecastle to those who were suffering from exhaustion. All that the captain, his mate, and crew could do was done to make the poor, shipwrecked people comfortable; and they had the pleasure of landing them in New York. The brig performed her voyage to Port-au-Prince, but upon her return to Boston the party who had chartered her refused to pay the charter because she had deviated from her course. In vain Captain Dawes showed that most of the people he had saved would have died from expos- ure had he attempted to take them to the West Indies; the charterer was unrelenting,- he had "the law on his side." Captain Dawes sailed the brig on shares. He sued the charterer, who employed Rufus Choate to defend the suit. In the mean time the Boston Post exposed the story. Mr. Choate told his client that he must have the case settled by arbitration, for though he had the law on his side, humanity was against him, and no jury could be found to decide in his favor. It was referred, but the arbitrators were confined to the
money question only, and they stripped Captain Dawes of all he possessed. His humanity cost him between two and three thousand dollars.
After such an experience one would naturally sup- pose that Captain Dawes would, like many others, find it convenient to see as little of wrecks as possible. To his lasting honor be it recorded that hardly had he been again in command before he saw a brig in distress and ran out of his way to give her relief. It was the brig Ciudad Bolivar in a sinking condition. The weather was boisterous; and at great risk he took off all hands, twelve in number, and landed them safely in the West Indies. He incurred the risk of sav- ing them at the expense of feeding them afterward, for he sailed this vessel on shares, as he had done the Belize. His owner did not lose a cent. Subsequently, while in command of the ship Matchless of Boston, of which he was part owner, he fell in with the ship Japan of Bath, Captain Emmons, off Cape Horn, bound from Cardiff for San Francisco. He ran off his course, and when he reached her found she was on fire and could not be saved. Captain Dawes rounded to; and though a heavy swell was running, he res- cued all hands, twenty-five in number, and carried twenty of them to San Francisco. He spoke an English bark which agreed to take five on board, and he supplied her with water and provisions for their use.
While others have been applauded and rewarded very properly, Captain Dawes has lost over three thousand dollars by his humanity. His father and two brothers were shipmasters, and all had rescued many men from wrecks, of which no note was taken. Captain Dawes is 64 years of age, lives at Kingston, Mass., and is one of the Trustees of the Boston Marine Society, respected by all who know him. The party who fleeced him boasted that he made $500 clear by the operation; but he has been many years in his grave.
In 1849, February, the brig was in London with Elijah Stokes, master, and later sold.
SHIP Herculean
Ship Herculean of Kingston, 542 tons, built at Kingston by Joseph Holmes, in 1839 Horace Holmes, master carpenter; owned by Joseph Holmes.
REMARKS
The ship Herculean was the larg- est and most expensive vessel that had been built in Kingston at this time. Her dimensions were 135 feet 9 inches long, 29 feet 6 inches wide and 14 feet 9 inches deep and was valued at $32,000 when ready for sea. She was built in 1839 and her first voyage was from Boston to Mobile in October, 1839, 22 days' passage. Captain Benjamin Cook of Kingston, master. She was used in the cotton trade between Southern
SAIL PLAN OF THE FULL RIGGED BRIG Belize OF KINGSTON, 1838
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ports and Europe till she was sold in 1850. About 1843 Captain Cook gave up his command and Captain Paraclete Holmes was in charge of her most of the time until she was sold.
In going to Southern ports from Boston and New York these vessels often carried passen- gers. Sometimes the cotton cargoes were taken from New York to England and France. In letters to Joseph Holmes from Captain Cook, as to her first voyage we find he had a number of passengers and that the ship was very fast and that she was much admired in Mobile. Captain Cook says:
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