USA > Maine > Lincoln County > Boothbay > The shipping days of old Boothbay from the revolution to the world war : with mention of adjacent towns > Part 10
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After the gale we had a fine run for eight or ten days and when in just about the latitude we expected to take the trades, we took a head-wind which lasted us about a fortnight. We had no N. E. trades to speak of; but eight bells is called and I must go on deck, more to-morrow.
July 4th. Lat. 32°, long. 143°. The glorious Fourth. I should like very well to be at home to-day, but that is impossible. Some of our patriotically inclined folks have had their shooting irons up and been wasting a little powder in honor of the day.
Mr. Greenleaf has just taken a large albatross with hook and line. It is now running round the decks as it cannot fly from the smooth deck. I always thought they were found only in high cold latitudes but this is undoubtedly an albatross of which there has been a flock following us for over a week. They are a noble bird. Mr. Reed caught a number down off Cape Horn, one of which from tip to tip of his wings measured ten feet. I have seen it some- where stated that they had been known to measure eighteen feet, but do not believe it, as we saw none that I should think would measure over twelve feet and they looked like giants among their fellows.
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But I am getting a great deal before my story, let's see, I was down near the line. Well, between five and ten North, where the N. E. and S. E. trades meet, we had very squally weather with by far the heaviest showers of rain I ever witnessed; there had been some talk of a visit from the God of the sea, but no one believed he would visit us as no one on board had ever crossed the line except the Captain and old Captain Patterson, who would not be expected to assist, the steward, Bruce, and Cunningham; but his Majesty did not slight us. It was our middle watch that night. At four o'clock, just before we called the watch, the Captain came on deck and from something which I heard him say to Pinkham, I saw Neptune, Nipkin, as Mac calls him, would be soon on board. I knew that I could easily prevent it by waking the passengers, but I did not value being shaved for the sake of seeing the sport; down goes Pinkham and calls Cunningham, Gove, Bruce and Harrington (the assistants thought to escape shaving, but they reckoned without their host) and I turned in expecting an early call; had been turned in about half an hour when a voice, which though it sounded marvelously like George Cunningham's, proved to be Nipkin's, was heard hailing the Brig. There was a general jumping out of berths, but none of them jumped back again when they found out who hailed. Says the squire, we have spoken a vessel at last and out he goes on deck, but jumped back as if the deck load was hot and burnt his feet. Eight bells, must take the wheel.
July 5th. Lat. - , longitude 145. Clear and pleasant, good breeze right ahead.
The Fourth passed off without anything very remarkable occurring, the journals grow rather uninteresting, we now and then have a small bit of a row to break the monotony of our lives, but on the whole we get along agreeably. I have been so fortunate as to get along without having a word with anyone on board and like the company very well. They are a pretty good set of fellows; but to return to my story:
After the usual inquiries as to our name, destination, etc., he inquired if we had brought any new recruits to his kingdom. The mate, who acted as spokesman, told him there were plenty of them in the cabin who were anxious to lose their beards and obtain a passport. Accordingly he sent his assistants down after them and then the sport commenced, and such a scampering, laughing, shrieking and swearing beat all my going a fishing. It was sport to listen to the valorus threatenings in the cabin; says Baker, who had been forward and witnessed the operation, 'I'll bet nobody serves me that way now.' Clifford: 'If a man puts his hand on me I'll level him.' Reed: 'Nobody shaves me, now let me tell you.' Campbell: 'Anybody that
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gets me out of this berth has got something to do,' but each, in his turn, went forward as quiet as a lamb where they were lathered with a very innocent · compound of lamp-black, hen's dung and salt water, and shaved with an old handsaw. Mac begged them to shave him easy and not hurt him. Only one offered any serious resistance, this was Robinson. When Neptune's servants came for him, he audaciously refused to obey the summons or even to turn out. Some who had been shaved tried to persuade him to go peace- ably, telling him it was nothing and that he would be taken by force other- wise. Pretty soon Neptune came down and in a severe tone inquired the cause of the delay. He was informed that one of the candidates refused the honor intended him. 'Drag him out,' said he, 'we cannot be delayed in this way,' and without further ceremony they laid hold of him. He however de- fended himself gallantly with a nail gimlet, but he was so weak from fright that the wounds which he inflicted were only skin deep. He was finally over- powered by numbers and dragged out sans breeches over the deck load forward. Thinks I, there is too much fun to lose, so I jumped out and went forward to see it. After being shaved, he crawled away under the topgallant forecastle and laid there with no garments on but his shirt until three in the afternoon, when he was taken from there by force and put into his berth where he laid without anything to eat till the next afternoon.
Then I was called for. I went up and paid my respects to the God in a proper shape, it would be in vain to attempt a description of his Majesty's personal appearance in his court dress, so I forbear. I then seated myself to receive the attention of his barber (the steward). There were so many to be attended to that most of the usual ceremonies had to be omitted, we were blindfolded, shaved and then washed down with three or four buckets of salt water, after which he gave us our passports to navigate his waters, etc. In Compliance with a sign from Neptune I relieved the wheel to let the helmsman have a chance. He was very loath to go, but the mate told him he had better for they would come after him.
After all the rest, with the exception of old Davis, who was not yet re- covered from his seasickness, Leonard Bruce, my watch mate, who escaped up the main rigging, and old Captain Patterson, they came after the mate. I never saw a man so taken aback as he was, for he would as soon have thought of their coming after the Captain. He hesitated and said he had crossed the line before, but they told him he must come as they had all been shaved alike and he concluded to submit with as good a grace as pos- sible. In fact, I think, although he was a great blusterer, he would rather scare two than fight one, he is far from popular on board, in fact most of
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the company and crew have about the same affection for him that his Satanic Majesty is said to entertain for holy water; the account which he gives of crossing the line the first time is that he was blown across in a gale coming from Liverpool. Stick a pin there, for I doubt if ever mate met with such an adventure before him since the time of Columbus; some are quite sceptical upon this point and even go as far as to say they don't believe it, but I look upon them as little better than infidels.
We took the S. E. trades near the line, but they were so far to the south- ward that we were afraid we would not fetch by Cape St. Roque. We fetched by, however, and first made the land a little to the northward of Pernam- buco and the next morning came in sight of that city. It has a fine appear- ance from a distance; Captain Chase who has visited it, says it is a beautiful city.
The Captain intended to put in to Bahia, but having a fair wind off that płace concluded to shove her along for Rio. About this time, in consequence of a misunderstanding with the second mate, I knocked off duty and told him he need not mind calling me any longer.
We arrived in Rio the 13th and came to anchor near the ship Virginian of New York, also bound for 'Frisco; they informed us that the African fever was raging fearfully in the city; the Captain went on shore the next morning and when he returned fully confirmed their account of the sick- ness. The average number of deaths were said to be from 200 to 300; twenty vessels were laying up town whose crews were all said to be dead or sick. It was thought best that no one should go on shore excepting the Captain and that we should be off as soon as we could get the necessary supplies, etc. As we did not go on shore I cannot give much of a description of the town; it has a fine appearance from the harbor, however, and is strongly fortified. The scenery around it is magnificent. I think I informed you in my last that we were run into by the ship Virginian and came near losing our main- mast, which I think would have been almost equal to a sentence of death to all on board who were not able to pay a passage in another vessel.
We sailed from Rio March 18th and had a fine run from there to the Straits of La Mare [Le Maire]. By the Captain's persuasion I went to work again about a week after we left Rio and for the first time made a bargain about wages which were set at twelve dollars. He wanted me to ship, but I told him I must be free; about the same time Black took the steward's place and he went 'fore the mast. We have had four different stewards, no one having been shipped as steward, and they gave it up at pleasure. Mr. Camp- bell now officiates in that capacity.
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The Captain intended to go through the straits of Magellan, but could not fetch, so we kept away for the straits of La Mare which we came up with on the evening of the 5th of April. We passed the straits which is a passage about three miles in width between Terra Del Fuego and Staten Land, with studding sails set alow and aloft and began to think it was not such a ter- rible thing to go round Cape Horn after all, but we had not got round it yet.
The next morning we came in sight of the so much dreaded cape which we passed about noon. We again began to congratulate ourselves on having such a fine chance round the cape; we had had no bad weather as yet and thought we should soon be in warm weather again. How easy it is to get mistaken; we soon had to shorten sail, took in the gaff topsail, studding sails and soon after, as we were running before the wind, the mainsail, the top- gallantsail soon followed. The wind continued to increase until we had to reef the topsail; it blew so hard and there was such a sea that we were obliged to reef it before the wind, not daring to shake her; we now took a double reef in the topsail, that was shaken out but twice in twenty-three days and then but an hour or two each time.
The next night the wind hauled round to the eastward and blew pretty hard; set the two-reefed mainsail, the wind continuing to increase, about five in the morning we called all hands to shorten sail; close reefed the top- sail, balance reefed the mainsail and took in the foresail; the wind increas- ing every moment about eight o'clock wore round, clewed up the topsail, hauled down the foretopmast-staysail and hove her to, blowing great guns. While we were furling the topsail, Mr. Gove, who was on the yard with us, and two others, say they saw her dip the end of the studding sail boom which reached two or three feet beyond the end of the yard; for this, however, I cannot vouch though on the yard at the time. I now turned in and I assure you slept soundly being completely exhausted with cold and fatigue. I was wet to the skin and the cold was most intense, at least it felt so to us who had just come out of hot weather. Had stood at the wheel in my wet clothes from four to seven and when relieved could scarcely stand, then was at work until after nine taking in sail, getting on preventers, etc; at twelve was called again, the gale was now at its height, some of the passengers delight- fully frightened as they might be excused for being. We thought the gale in the Gulf was some pumpkins, but compared with this breeze it was only a summer zephyr. The topmasts swayed like coach whips and I was really afraid the mainboom would go, for it,-though that would seem impossible - yet it bent like a bow. Some were afraid the mainsail would split. The sea ran mountains high; we lashed ourselves at the wheel and this precaution
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was necessary for the sea was continually breaking onto her and the heav- iest clear aft; at least half a barrel of water went into the foretop and some of it over the topsail-yard from one sea. This may seem incredible, but it is - nevertheless true as I was at the wheel at the time and saw it myself as did also the Captain and several others. No one on board had ever witnessed the like before. To aggravate the horrors of our situation we were in dan- gerous proximity to some reefs which lay off to the southward of Cape Horn. We did not know which way they bore and we could not have carried any more sail had we been going ashore.
Towards noon the next day the gale had so far moderated that we set a close-reefed topsail, whole foresail and foretopmast-staysail, and stood to the southwest. We wanted to get ten or twelve degrees to the westward be- fore standing to the northward, but the wind continued to head us off until we found ourselves in latitude 60° without near half our longitude made up; it blew a continual gale all the time, sometimes we were under nothing but close-reefed main and topsails and foretopmast-staysail, sometimes with reefed foresail set, a thing very seldom done and only when anxious to carry all sail possible. Sometimes whole foresail and jib and double-reefed main- sail and topsail, but it was not much of the time that we could carry as much sail as this. I think from the time we passed the straits until we got into latitude 50° (twenty-three days) we had our foresail reefed or furled half of the time and the wind right in our teeth all of the time. Fifteen days from the time we passed the straits the Captain got the sun and found we were in 56°, just the latitude of Cape Horn and only about two hundred miles to the westward. We had worse weather the whole time than any one on board had ever before experienced.
We relieved the wheel every fifteen or twenty minutes, the weather was so cold a man could not well stand it longer and were wet most of the time, for it was but little use changing our clothes. The greater part of the time a man was sure to get wet if he ventured out on deck without, oil clothes. It rained a great deal and my oil clothes were not much tighter than so much cotton cloth without oil. But my situation compared with the men forward was one of comfort. Although I had to be exposed as much on deck as they were, yet when I went below I could take off my wet clothes and turn into a dry comfortable berth, while there could not be found scarcely a dry rag of bed-clothes in the forecastle where a man could sit or lay without the water running on him. The under berths were comparatively dry for a while, but the water soon soaked through the upper ones. The men wanted to have the bear-house, but the mate, to whom they went about it, thought
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it too dangerous a place in such weather and so it was. They told him they would as lief risk their lives there as in the forecastle, for they certainly · risked their health if not their lives by living in such a place as that; each had a turn at being laid up. I was at one time the only man left in the star- board watch, Davis and Bruce being laid up with the rheumatism and I was laid up two or three days in consequence of an accident which I should not have mentioned here if Mr. Reed, no thanks to him, had not mentioned it in his letter from Callao. We were under double-reefed mainsail and top- sails at the time and it was very rough, something being foul aloft the second mate told me to go up and clear it. I went up and attempted to cross from the lee to the weather rigging which would have been a careless thing in tolerably smooth weather, without a gaff to step on. As I attempted to grasp the weather rigging she gave slat, and having mittens on I missed my hold and about that time your hopeful son stood a reasonable chance of having his rations stopped quite suddenly. Luckily I happened to get hold of the gaff topsail clewline with which, though I could not begin to bring myself up, I somewhat retarded my downward progress, but the speed with which I descended left me but a small chance of digging much gold, had not my foot providentially struck the fair-leader about ten feet from the top of the house, from which I fell clear of everything to the house. If it had not been for that, I must have inevitably been killed. Well, thought I, here I am, there is no doubt the next thing is to ascertain the amount of damages. I was really afraid to rise for fear that I could not. (I believe that is good Irish.) After considering a moment I got up, found there were no bones broken and not feeling much hurt started to go up again, but the second mate stopped me and went himself. I soon began to feel quite lame, went below, and laid back three or four days. In the first place I had no business aloft with mittens on, a thing I never did before and you may be sure have never done since; and then to cross the rigging, as I attempted, as rough as it then was, was madness. However I feel safe in promising never to do the like again.
The company have generally been very good about helping us, one or another of them standing a watch in the place of the sick men. Sometimes we would have nine men on the yard while at others the Captain and second mate close-reefed it alone. They used to growl a great deal at one another about doing their part, some being out a good deal while others did not do anything.
We thought if we could get into about 50° we should have better weather. At last we did get into 50°, where for about a week we had the worst
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weather we had yet had, continual hail squalls which were most tre- mendous, coming up in less than a minute from the time they could first be seen. In consequence of these squalls we were obliged to keep her under close-reefed sails, while the most of the time she might have carried whole topsail, but during the squalls which lasted for from five to ten minutes, it would seem as if the masts must go out of her, although we seldom had more than double-reefed mainsail, close-reefed topsail, reefed foresail and foretopmast staysail. We usually had from four to six of those squalls in a watch. The hailstones as large as peas and you can imagine with what force they would strike in such a squall. I could feel them very sensibly through my sou'wester or mittens. Some striking the Captain's face one night, it was sore for several days afterwards. During the squalls we would have to turn our backs to windward, for one of these hailstones striking a man in the eye would certainly put it out.
After beating about here for a week getting up into 50°, and then being drove back a couple of degrees two or three times, old Boreas gave us one final blast before letting us go. This time we were in a situation of real danger on account of being so near the land; we were carrying whole fore- sail with close-reefed topsail and mainsail; about three o'clock we had to reef out foresail and soon after, the wind continuing to increase, we took in the topsail. Knowing that we were so near a lee shore the Captain carried the remaining sail until he found we must wear round to avoid the sea which now ran to a tremendous height, threatening every moment as we were running right into the trough to sweep our decks. One boarded us over the quarter just before we wore round which looked, as it hung almost directly overhead, as if it would completely engulf us, but she cleared it, only the top of it coming into her which, however, went entirely over the house, pouring down the whole bigness of the gangway literally filling her abaft the liouse, started up the after scuttle which was battened down, the water pouring down the hatchway and damaging a considerable quantity of provisions; had the whole weight of that sea broke onto her I think it must have completely swept our deck load, deck-house, galley and boats. I cannot now imagine how the old Brig cleared some of those seas which would at times appear to stand perpendicular alongside, high as the foretop. Though it did not blow so hard this time as in the Gulf gale, yet the sea ran higher than anyone on board had ever before witnessed and it seemed to come up all at once.
When we wore round we took in the foresail, but soon after the Captain, knowing the necessity of carrying all sail possible, set the staysail and goose-
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winged the foresail, that is, hauled aft the lee sheet and hauled up the -weather clew, making a three-cornered sail; this with balanced reefed main- sail was all the sail we could carry and more than was safe, but a greater danger threatened us under our lee; there were now some long faces and some pale faces; old sailors and those who had made light of the other gales were now the soberest.
The next morning it cleared up and we saw the land appear but a short distance off under our lee. Had the gale continued a few hours longer we must inevitably have gone ashore. The wind had now hauled so that we could head off the coast on the other tack and it had moderated so far that we could carry whole topsail. It seemed as if the tempest had done its best and was now willing to let us escape. If ever ship people were glad of a fair wind, we were. Now there was some carrying sail. I kept a double watch, the company standing a watch so as to be able to take in sail quickly. Had not much very bad weather after this.
The Captain had intended to put in to Juan Fernandez in preference to Valparaiso on account of port charges, but after trying two or three days to get in, the wind appearing to blow off the island in all directions and also trying to get into Valparaiso, he concluded to shove her along for some more northern port.
We had a pleasant passage from there to Callao where we arrived on the. afternoon of the 24th of May in company with a fore-and-aft schooner of 240 tons- wasn't she a buster ?- loaded with ice for California. There was a large number of vessels lying here, American, English, French and Peru- vian, mostly large ships. As it was late when we anchored no one went on shore that evening, but we had a curiosity on board in the shape of a real live Californian, mate of a ship loading with guano which is the only thing California ships can get for a freight home. I think he must have been a man of great courage for he stood upon the house as cool and unconcerned as if he was not in any danger, while I expected every moment to see him de- voured before my eyes. He told us-but no matter what he told us, when we get there we shall see for ourselves - I shall reserve that for Albert's letter which you will have the perusal of.
We laid here two or three days getting our supplies and water. All who had the money and time visited Lima, a city about six miles from Callao and which is, I suppose you know, the oldest city in South America. Port charges are very high in Callao. The Captain had barely money enough and thought at one time that he would be obliged to draw upon the owners.
After we had cleared from the Custom House we were told to wait for the
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visit boat, the Captain thought that this was but a ceremony and never had a thought that he had anything more to pay, but when the officers came on board they demanded $25. more, seven for a bill of health which was as much use as any piece of white paper. This bill the Captain disputed for a long time, telling them it was of no use when bound to an American port, but he had to pay it. Next they demanded a dollar a head for the passengers and this the Captain swore he would not pay. They threatened hard, but finding they would be carried to sea (for by this time we had got almost out of the harbor) they gave it up. We had some apprehension of being pursued, the wind being very light they might soon have overtaken us in boats. We were determined to show them fight if they came after us in boats and I think it would have taken quite a number of such soldiers as we saw there to have taken us that way, but they had an armed brig there which we thought might be sent after us. The Captain immediately ordered stud- dingsail gear to be rove off and everything set that would draw and a breeze springing up we were soon out of all fear of cutters.
From this time till we crossed the line we had pleasant weather and a fair wind. We crossed in about 125° longitude and then kept her N. W. We did not have so squally weather near the line as we had had in the Atlantic, but we had a few light touches off the line. We took the N. E. trades in about 6 degrees north and have had the wind N. E. ever since till within two or three days, for which time we have had fair wind and fine breeze. We are now going nine knots and expect to get in by to-morrow night. To-day is the 22nd of July so you see it has been some time since I commenced this. I have not much time to write, having clothes to wash and mend a great deal of my spare time.
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