Whaleship
1855-1859
In July 1855, less than four years after Herman Melville published MOBY DICK, the whaleship PACIFIC left New Bedford with a crew of 32 men on a four-year journey to New Zealand and back, arriving in March 1859 – just before the first oil well was drilled in Pennsylvania that August. Sylvanus Bunker Keen signed on as a greenhand at the age of 17.
The voyage was significant for how spectacularly unsuccessful it was given its length, and for the fact that another greenhand named William Whitecar published, in 1864, an engaging and colorful book about the voyage: FOUR YEARS ABOARD THE WHALESHIP – EMBRACING CRUISES IN THE PACIFIC, ATLANTIC, INDIAN, AND ANTARCTIC OCEANS IN THE YEARS 1855, ‘6, ‘7, ‘8, ‘9. The descriptions of the nature and inhabitants of the places visited, especially the western coasts of Australia and New Zealand, are some of the earliest observations recorded. A detailed logbook of the voyage exists, kept by third mate John Dexter, and we supported its digitization by the New Bedford Whaling Museum in 2013 for research on the experience of ancestor Sylvanus Bunker Keen (known as “Bunker”). The museum has created a phenomenal digitization of many of its logbooks, and the log of this voyage of the PACIFIC is here. The combination of Whitecar’s book, Dexter’s log with 55 whale illustrations, a voyage abstract by New Bedford merchant and agent Dennis Wood, 540 chart coordinates I’ve mapped, and my discovery of the final resting place of the PACIFIC in Panama create an incredibly complete picture of a whaling voyage near the height of the industry.
The PACIFIC had just “but two months previously returned from a voyage of thirty months’ duration, in which she had been very successful; and this, with several previous very remunerative voyages, had given her the name of a lucky ship, which insured her a good crew; seaman, as a class, being superstitious, are always eag er to sail in a ship with which some favorable omen is, or has been, connected, arguing from such data her subsequent success.” Whitecar and Keen knew the trip would be a long one – the ship was fitted out for 40 months and could hold 3,000 barrels of oil. It returned in 44 months with just 950. The voyage was marked by homesickness, adventure, tedium, action, socialization, drowning and desertion.
The PACIFIC
The PACIFIC was 48-years old when Bunker stepped aboard, but it was a good and storied ship of 384 tons, built in 1807 in New York City by Adam & Noah Brown. Said Bunker’s shipmate, William Whitecar:
“The vessel is an old fashioned barque, built to ply as a packet between New York and Liverpool, which duty she performed with faithfulness and satisfaction to her owners; and in her palmiest days bore the reputation of being the fastest ship out of New York….She was bought by a New Bedford merchant, who, after altering her for the purpose, put her into the whaling trade, where for years she maintained her reputation as a swift sailor, until clippers were introduced to compete with her when, of course, she was obliged to succumb. From this port she made many successful voyages, enriching her owners and increasing her good name…..with the exception of being new topped and coppered, the latter at the completion of each voyage, she had undergone no repairs. Her great age attests to her staunchness and seaworthiness, and by all who had sailed in her the greatest confidence was ever expressed….still another might be seen weather-beaten and shabby, her copper covered with moss and barnacles, she having returned but a few hours before from a long voyage, and the casks of oil, gleaned, during her four years of cruising, from the monsters of the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Antarctic Oceans. Alongside this weather-worn ship, and in strong contrast with her whole appearance, lies a smart, trim-looking vessel, such a one as makes Jack Tar’s heart bound to look at; her hull is perfect in model, her spars all rake jauntily aft, her yards are squared by the lifts and braces, whilst the fresh appearance of her paint gives her a coquettish look and bespeaks her ready for sea.”
The origin of the ship isn’t given in Whitecar’s book or Dexter’s log. However, the tonnage of the ship is given frequently in the Whalemen’s Shipping List and it matches records of the shipbuilding firm of Adam & Noah Brown: “PACIFIC in 1807 of 384 tons” as reported in History of New York Ship Yards by John H. Morrison in 1909. Adam & Noah Brown were notable in their day and subsequently built naval ships for the War of 1812 and Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, including those at Vergennes, Vermont on Lake Champlain. PACIFIC was the second of four ships built in 1807. The third, TONQUIN (pictured below), was sold to John Jacob Astor and traded as far as China, Hawaii, Oregon and Vancouver. The Browns started their business in 1804 as subcontractors for Thomas Vail, who had a yard at the foot of Montgomery Street on the East River of Manhattan. The Browns later established their own yard on land formerly owned by Henry Rutgers at the corner of Water and Montgomery streets. At this time, the yard was actually a small island of several acres close to the shore, surrounded by marsh but with deepwater frontage on the East River.
Sylvanus Bunker Keen 1839-1914
Bunker was born March 23, 1839 in New Bedford to Ebenezer Keen, of New Bedford, and Mary Jane Bunker, of Oyster River – now Durham – in New Hampshire. Ebenezer was a housewright and lived at 221 County St, New Bedford just a few blocks from the commercial waterfront. Ebenezer died young, at 44, when Bunker was at sea on the PACIFIC. Bunker appears in an 1855 census, at age 17, listed as a “mariner.” This census was not completed house by house – rather, it’s a compilation with the entire list alphabetical, that was ultimately published in August. The Keen family was obviously interviewed earlier as Bunker sailed on the PACIFIC on July 24, 1855. For the census, he called himself a mariner because he knew he was about to go to sea. That’s what a 17-year old boy in New Bedford does when their extended family had been in the area since the 1600’s – too many family members, not enough land, and no estate. The PACIFIC did not return to New Bedford until March 20, 1859. To put this experience in context, Herman Melville at the age of 22 only spent 18 months on the ACUSHNET to gain his whaling experience. As Whitecar says “our New Bedford boys…in the section of country in which they reside, a successful whaling skipper is looked upon as a much more important personage in the community than is a member of Congress.”
Bunker next shows up in the records, age 27, in the 1865 Massachusetts state census living with his mother, Mary Jane, aged 52, as his father had recently passed away. Also at home are five siblings, including Ebenezer S. Keen, who is listed as a “printer” while Bunker is still a “mariner.” It is unclear what Bunker did between 1859 and 1865, which covered the entire span of the Civil War. Bunker does not appear in the war records. His brother, Ebenezer, enrolled in the Union forces in 1862 and obviously survived. Nothing is seen of Bunker in the 1870 census either, and he doesn’t appear in the records until is wedding – in New York City – in 1871. It seems quite possible that Bunker went to sea again, and thereby avoided the war. Whaling was in decline but still active (Confederate ships burned Yankee whalers) but goods and services still had to move around including those supporting the war effort. Yet no shipping list exists for this time period. On April 30, 1871, at the age of 32, he married Hester Ann Sherwood in Manhattan and they lived in Brooklyn. In both the marriage and subsequent census records (1880 onward) he is a bookbinder, possibly having picked up the skills from his brother, the printer, or some of the cutting and sewing skills needed aboard ship. He ultimately settled in Plainfield, New Jersey, where he died February 28, 1914 at the age of 75.
The Voyage
We are uniquely fortunate to have a detailed logbook with nearly constant notations of latitude and longitude, coupled with locations and geographic references provided by Whitecar’s book, and the observations in the Wood abstracts. I have created a map with over 540 coordinates to highlight the routes taken outbound, to New Zealand and Tasmania, to Bali, and back to New Bedford. There were far too many observations in the normal course of whaling, primarily off the western shore, to map in a linear route and I left these in a buckshot pattern to show the intensity and concentration on what PACIFIC knew where historically productive whaling grounds.
The log was kept by the third mate, John Dexter, who had been a boatsteerer on PACIFIC’s previous voyage. Whitecar was from Philadelphia, well-educated and signed on as a greenhand with the full intention of chronicling the voyage for a book. MOBY DICK was first published in the U.S. in November 1851, and it’s possible – likely? – that Whitecar knew of it despite its initial lack of commercial success. Both Whitecar and Dexter are thoughtful and observant in their writings. The log is, by definition, more businesslike, but it is still full of emotion and stories, has 55 whale illustrations, and is extremely observant of daily weather and wildlife – naming blue whales, blackfish, dolphin, finback, humpback, right, sperm, killer, otter, penguins, osprey, sea hen, albatross, monimoke, cape pigeons, speckled eaglets, terrapins, sharks, flying fish, cow fish, skipjacks, albacore, grampus, porpoises, sunfish, squid and seals. Whitecar’s book gives a far deeper description of wildlife, geography, people, politics and culture. Both Whitecar and Dexter vividly describe whale hunts and the process of whaling. Amidst the natural beauty that they experienced, they both knew – and respected – the fact that their temporary profession was one that involved killing another living creature, something that certainly took place on their farms at home, as has been the history of humanity. Yet there is something terrifying and sublime in the act of rowing a small wooden boat into the ocean, far from the ship, into a school of tremendously large and active whales – and attaching yourself with a harpoon for a battle of physics, then killing by hand. And sperm whales, unlike others, had huge tooth-lined jaws and actively fought back.
As with any voyage, it begins and ends with the WHALEMEN’S SHIPPING LIST. The edition of July 24, 1855, Vol 13, No 21, on the first page in the list of Whalers in Port for New Bedford, their Master, Destination, and expected sailing date, names “Bark Pacific, J.W. Sherman, Ind Ocean, July 28” The same page shows that PACIFIC had just returned on April 7 with no barrels of sperm, 2,025 barrels of whale, and 20,500lbs of whalebone. Page six again shows that the PACIFIC, a bark of 385 tons, agent Swift & Perry, was in port. We know from the texts that PACIFIC actually left on the day the paper was published – July 24. The next edition of the WHALEMEN’S SHIPPING LIST on July 31, 1855, Vol 13, No 22, no longer has the PACIFIC on page 1, and on page 6 it is shown that it had left: “Pacific, bark, 385, Sherman, Swift & Perry, July 24, [18]55, Indian Ocean.”
The WHALEMEN’S SHIPPING LIST records the PACIFIC’s return in its edition of March 22, 1859, Vol 17, No 2. On page one, in the list of whalers in the port of New Bedford, is the “Bark Pacific” and on the second page, in the tables for “IMPORTS of Sperm and Whale Oil and Whalebone into the United States for the week ending Mch. 21, 1859” is recorded, for New Bedford, “Bark Pacific, Bls sp 950, sold on freight 44, Bls. Wh. 0, lbs bone 1,000. “price…understood at 56 cents per gallon. The market is very quiet.” This wasn’t a full accounting as it did not record the whale oil for some reason. The Dennis Wood abstract records “950 barrels sperm oil on board, sold on the voyage 90 barrels whale oil and 750 of Bone in 43 months & 24 days. Turned out 934 barrels Sperm oil.”
PACIFIC Crew
The Seamen’s Register dated July 23, 1855 provided to me by the Old Dartmouth Historical Society shows the original list of the crew at the outset of the voyage. However, Dexter’s log has a different list at the beginning of the book with side notes added after the voyage. The Register also provides the ages of the crew, and often the hometown as well as the complexion and hair color. The following list is based on Dexter’s log, with the ages and home towns provided by the Register:
Captain – John Sherman. Mate – John Hood (16, Somerset, MA), Second – David Edwards (discharged at Vasse 1/19/1858), Third – John Dexter (16, Rochester, MA), Fourth – Clark Allen, Steward – David Roberts (25, Troy, NY), Cooper – Samuel Carr (22, New Bedford, MA), Boatsteerer – Walter Church (16, Rochester, MA), Arthur Hammond, Wesley Holt (23, Franklin, NH), John Johnston (23, Fishkill, NY), Ships Boy – Josey Flores, Cook – G. Miller, Crew – Job Lawrence (15, Nantucket, MA), William Whitecar (21, Philadelphia, PA), N. Kinsman (25, Roylstown, VT, discharged 11/1/1856 in King George’s Sound), Sylvanus Keen (17, Boston), Levi Dexter, Albert Bassett (15, Dartmouth), William Howland (15, New Bedford, MA), William Wood (15, New Bedford, MA), John Cunningham (17, New Bedford, MA), Duncan Douglas (21, Milwaukee, WI), William Miller (21, Canaan, PA, deserted 5/22/1857), Theodore Gerome (21 Cocksackie, NY), John Miller, William Bailis (21, Geneva, deserted 5/22/1857), John Sunderland (25, Exeter, RI), Joseph Riley (22, Patterson, NJ) deserted 5/22/1857), Johan Walter (Dutch, drowned 3/31/1857), Charles Meadow, Joseph Fay – (Portugese).
The Register excludes the names of Josey Flores, Johan Walter, and Joseph Fay. It also lists a Charles Beron, 21, from Geneva (no state given), but does not list Charles Meadow in the log. The three international sailors were likely added to the crew along the voyage.
PACIFIC’s End
The WHALEMEN’S SHIPPING LIST of Jan 17, 1882, Vol 39, No 49, pg 3 shows the PACIFIC mastered by Baker and agent Aiken & Swift having sailed on December 13, 1876 bound for the North Pacific, but lying at Panama with 540 barrels of sperm, 6,580 of whale, and 1,200 lbs of bone. The next issue, however, on Jan 24, 1882, Vol 39, No 50, pg 3, records the same details but with an unfortunate addition: “January 5, [18]82, sunk in Panama Bay.” Whether this was storm related or caused by an accident is unknown. I communicated this finding to Judith Lund in 2010 and she updated the ship’s history in The National Marine Digital Library. This resource also shows records of 27 of PACIFIC’s voyages, beginning in June 1819 with a trip from New Bedford to Patagonia. Destinations for the PACIFIC included Brazil, South Seas, Pacific, North Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans. After Bunker’s 1855 sail, there were 11 more recorded voyages.
Ship’s Log & Story
Below is a combination of chronological highlights from Dexter’s log and Whitecar’s book (noted as “WW”). The intention is not to reproduce either, for each is unique – and far more expansive – in their own ways. Instead, I hope to capture the prolonged duration of the voyage, key events along the way, the process of a whale hunt, and the more impactful feelings and commentary of the authors.
1855
July
WW 23 Having procured our outfits about three o’clock in the afternoon on Monday, July 23d, we went aboard, desiring to pass one night on the vessel before she sailed…During the afternoon others of the crew arrived, amongst them a fine-looking old tar who knew the ropes, and had a three gallon jug of New England rum stowed away in his chest, which, as soon as carried into the forecastle, he produced and passed around time after time, until all those who would imbibe were more than half seas over, making night hideous with their discordant clang. At noon the next day the Captain and others came aboard in the pilot boat. The sails were loosed, windlass manned, anchor hove up to the inspiriting chant. We are bound to the Western Ocean. John W. Sherman…a large, powerful man, with a face apparently expressive of frankness and good nature. The foremast hands, eighteen in number, of whom but four had ever been to sea before, were a youthful, reckless, merry set from all over the Union.
28 want to go home but can’t
31 Homesick
August
6 raised spouts 3 times today but no sperm whales yet, all hands in good spirits
WW There she blows! There goes flukes!”…confirmatory of the presence of sperm whales…their yield is by far greater in value than that obtained from any other fish. “Where away?” from the captain. “There blows! And a forked spout, sir” informed us of the presence of right whales.
7 Tuesday commenced with a very strong breeze from the SW, at 5 o’clock AM, the starboard watch went below, and just after daylight were aroused by the joyful cry of thar she blows, sperm whales all hands were called, the ship luffed to the wind, and all sail made in chase, the whales proved to be a large shoal of small ones, and going to windward very quick, the breeze freshened and after tacking several times we came up with them, and cleared away 2 boats manned with the best of our men, there was a bad sea on, and after pulling & sailing for 5 hours with the water flying over us, we were obliged to give up the chase, and with heavy hearts, wet & hungry we returned onboard such is the lot of a whaleman
16 all hands at work in the rigging and looking sharp for sperm whales, Such is the whaleman’s life…
17 everything goes on finely and all in good spirits, but thoughts of home pops into one’s head so often it makes it hard if we had some oil I for one should feel better, We trust there is better days in store for us,
19 Sunday, this to the whaleman is a day of rest if he does not see whales, & I for one am always happy to see a fine day as at the present, the ship is going along 8 miles an hour, with a north east wind, and all hands are gathered about in groups, some reading others talking of home and not a few smoking & telling stories, all seem to be in good spirits
September
5 Wednesday begins with squally weather with some rain, head wind & it makes me feel ugly, but there is no help for it, one ship in sight if not more, 43 days from home & have seen sails 32 of them, raise them ahead & leave them astern go it old ship if you will only catch the oil as well as you sail I will be satisfied another sail in sight.
10 Monday very strong winds with severe squalls ship staggering under whole topsails 2 sails in sight
12 Wednesday squally, rainy, nasty, miserable weather, about 9 o’clock am double reefed topsails, no sails in sight today, remarkable such weather as this makes one think of home
22 such weather as this on a Saturday night makes me think of home & the family circle, sitting beside a good stove is much more pleasant than a wet jacket I fancy but such is a sailor’s lot
27 Thursday fine weather with strong wind steering ESE, about 10 o’clock raised a sail ahead & at 3 passed her, she was an English brig but could not sail with the P, at 4 pm raised another ahead & passed her at 8, clipper [——–?—], but we are going 12 ¼ knots
October
4 broke out the rum
12 Hard times & no oil, hope on & don’t get discouraged Howland getting better
18 Oh for a fair wind & some sperm whales
November
14 Wednesday very fine light winds from the SW very busy carpentering blacksmithing, sailoring & breaking out plenty of work, but no fish except porpoises, hard times bad prospects & the day ends with black squalls
21 Wednesday, begins with fog & a light breeze from the NE steered off SW, but saw no fish, …., hard times & poor pay, can’t stand this long glad I have got no children crying for bread
1856
January
5 8 o’clock AM saw sperm whales to windward coming to leeward hauled aback & got boats ready, the A Houghton on our lee bow tacked & stood toward us. Whales came up astern lowered 4 boats & went after them the AH lowered her boats soon after, about 10 o’clock our starboard boat struck a large whale, waist boat struck him soon after & the larboard boat in going on was badly stove & away the whale went to windward with 2 boats. Ship picked up the stove boat & then made sail after the fast ones. …the boats having so much foul line they can’t get up to him at last he started to sound & the second mates line got foul round his leg upset his boat & took him & one man down, he cut the line & escaped with a trifling wound but the man had his hand badly cut with a lance the starboard boat picked him up & then went on & killed the whale Ship picked up the boat & broke her in two in taking her up, got the whale along side & got ready to cut about sunset; got supper & set a quarter watch, what luck
6 finished cutting & got the case into casks
10 whale turned up 76 bls
WW On the fifth, a gale of wind having but just abated, leaving a heavy swell on the surface of the ocean, we saw sperm whales. We lowered for them at 7 o’clock A. M.; at 8 the starboard boat fastened to a larboard one, and a moment afterward we followed with the waist boat. The larboard boat, in trying to imitate us, was struck by the whale’s flukes and stove. She filled, and her crew were obliged to swim for their lives to the bow boat, in which they were conveyed to the ship. They had managed to get one iron into the whale before being stoven; but the boatsteerer, undaunted, when up to his waist in water, darted his second iron at the animated target, striking his mark, but not with sufficient force to fasten solid. Their line entwining around ours, prevented us hauling on to and dispatching him; and whilst we were dallying, away he went to windward, towing us faster than a steamboat, the water breaking completely over us. Our boat was one-third full all the time, and it was only by unremitting bailing, by two of our number, that we kept her afloat. This continued for hours, until the ship was only seen as a speck in the horizon. The whales were darting here, there, and everywhere — ahead, astern, and under us — and the officer only prevented their getting afoul of us by repeated lancings; whilst our boats were tossed to and fro. The boatsteerer of the starboard boat was pitched out, but he caught the gunwale and soon recovered his position. Immediately after the line ran foul, our boat capsized and was taken down. I jumped, as soon as I found that she was going over, kicked off my shoes, and swam for the other boat, the line of which had been cut as soon as they discovered our mishap. On getting into the boat, I found that three others were all right, and directly our second mate made his appearance and was assisted in. He stated that the line had be- come twisted around his ankle, but, fortunately, he had the sheath-knife in his hand when he went down, and cut himself loose. The tub oarsman got in with his hand seriously cut, evidently by a lance which he must have come in contact with under water. As soon as we counted those in the boat, the amidship oarsman was found to be missing, and as we knew that he could not swim, we were apprehensive that he was drowned; but on the instant his head made its appearance, and I shoved him an oar, with which he supported himself until picked up. After finding all safe, we laughed at the accident, and looking around for the whale, discovered him apparently taking a view of us — his profuse bleeding rendering it impossible for him to sound. On our approach he gradually receded from us stern fore- most. We were twelve in a boat, almost out of sight of the ship, and had anything happened to our boat at this stage of the operation, some, if not all of us, would have lost the numbers of our mess; but Providence protected us, and we came off harmless. On going on to the whale to lance him, the monster would roll on his side, display his enormous jaw, and attempt to seize the boat with it. This was repeated a number of times, when those in the ship, which had been gradually nearing us, discovering only one boat, and that full of men, they lowered away two boats. One went in pursuit of the capsized boat, while the other came to our assistance, and fastened to the whale, discharging three-bomb lances into him. These caused him to roll and groan, but not producing a fatal effect, our boat returned to the ship for more, which were likewise deposited in his carcass; but it was not until sundown that he rolled fin out, and was brought alongside. We secured him for the night, and the next morning proceeded to cut him in. This is a very different operation from cutting- in a right whale; the two species being totally dissimilar. The first move with the sperm whale is to separate the head from the body, and when the jaw is loose, heave it in. Cutting of the head consumes, if a large whale is the subject, from two to four hours, according to the dexterity of the manipulator; if a proficient handles the spade, it is a work of but little trouble, but if a bungler, he wearies everybody’s patience out beside his own. The head, when completely clear, is made fast to the ship’s quarter by a strong chain, and the body then hove in. When the small is cleared away, the head is hooked on to and hove out of the water, then separated into two portions, known as the case and junk, and separately hove in. If the whale is very large the case is bailed overboard, so as not to endanger the ship’s spars by so heavy a heave — in this case we hove it in. Whilst heaving in our last body piece, to which the flukes were attached, they swung around and knocked the second mate and a boatsteerer overboard, with spades in their hands. They soon were recovered and on deck safe again.
We now had him all aboard. The jaw was dragged forward and secured, and several employed in cutting the blubber from the pans; it measured twenty feet in length and had in it forty-eight ivory teeth, many of them weighing a pound or more. The case was then opened, and a boatsteerer jumped into and pre- pared to dip out the unctuous matter, which in this part of the head is fluid; for what purpose designed I know not, but no doubt it is a provision of Providence that has its uses, although we cannot discern them. From this vast receptacle for oil we bailed some twelve barrels of the pure spermaceti. The junk was then cut into horse pieces, and these, with the other blubber from around the head and jaw, were rendered out and stowed in casks marked “head;” it being by far the most valuable portion of the whale, and commanding a better price. The head of the sperm whale generally yields about two- fifths of the oil procured from the entire fish. After finishing with the head matter, we proceeded with the residue the same as with the right whale formerly mentioned. On boiling the body blubber, we found it exceedingly poor, and were not at all surprised at the whole yield being only seventy-two barrels — his size auguring at least a hundred. He was seventy- five feet long.
March
9 Sunday clear hot & calm all day with no church to go to, no Girls to see & nothing to do but to read & so passes the day but evening comes bringing with it many recollections of the past, scenes of school boy days & youthful pleasures will rush across our minds & silent & sad we retire to our berths to dream of home & its sweets, Latt 28,13
May
4 2 o’clock raised sperm whales, lowered down & starboard boat struck turned him up & got him along side & set the watch
5 Monday very rugged & squally fluke chain parted in veering ship got him along side again & made fast with 2 fluke chains & a hawser & commenced cutting, & with cut & jammed fingers & broken noses we got his body in before dark & about 8 o’clock in the evening the head chain parted & we lost it, hard work & poor pay
6 Tuesday fine weather & wind light winds boiling with a watch below saw 2 sails
7 Wednesday splendid weather wind very light driving the triworks blubber very fat evening finished boiling
8 Thursday very pleasant with calms & light baffling winds cleaning up the decks saw several sails PM gammed with the James Allen & Massasoit of Mattapoisett Capt Handy 25 months out 500 bls SO Latt 21,10 Lon 110,10
WW from her got several terrapins which she procured in Madagascar…we also received a quantity of Madagascar beans, which were most excellent – surpassing, in richness and flavor, the best of our beans at home.
17 Saturday homesick weather calm & light airs all day, enough to kill a ships company that have hard luck, very busy fitting blocks, fluke chains, putting on ratlines making spun yarn, scoop nets & painting boats thus another week draws to a close & we have seen no whales. Things look dark, but keep up good courage & trust in Providence, there is a good time coming boys, but I can’t say when & if we pass another such a week as this there will be some sober faces on board the old P
I wish I were at home tonight for I fancy I am getting homesick
WW the captain advised a thorough cleansing and whitewashing of the forecastle. The old duds assembled on deck. The neatly painted chest, comfortable matrrass and quilt, prepared by the careful hands of some fond mother or sister, fully proved that their owner was a New Bedford boy, whose friends knew precisely what would conduce to his comfort when separated from them by thousands of miles of ocean
20 all hands busy scrimshawing saw nothing but one bird & a flying fish, great whaling ground this,
28 Bali – Saturday hot hot all hands on board got 8 casks of water off took on board 60 bushels of sweet potatoes a quantity of pumpkins cocoa nuts a lot of ducks & chickens bananas, tamrinds & 1000 eggs one dog 2 monkeys & 4 cockatoos, set up the head rigging & got the ship ready for sea (sick)
WW the captain went on shore ad found that no American or European ship had been here for several years
July
24 Thursday just one year out today oh how time has flown it seems but yesterday since we parted from home & friends a year & only 340 bls of oil, hard times but it can’t be helped, for we see no whales….saw one fin back a shoal of porpoises & plenty of birds, ground getting quite lively, all but the sperm whales, oh where shall we be a year from today & how much oil will the Pacific have God only knows Let us begin another year anew
Margin note: On duty today & a year from home & times look hard, but we will trust in Providence & come out right in the end
August
16 saw some small fish, & plenty of birds, but sperm whales, I fancy are about as plenty as gold is in my father’s cow pasture
September
21 Sunday fine weather & calm all day 4 sails in sight, at 18 minutes past 11 AM our monkey died from the effects of eating putty, such is the fate of a great rogue Lat 34,26 Loon 12446
29 all the ships seem to see whales but the Pacific don’t know when her turn will come
October
15 fine weather with light airs & soon discovered the whales with a glass coming to windward very quick & going in shore of us lowered down the boats & tried to cut them off but, alas, railroad speed would have done us no good they were bound to the Westward like lightning, so after chasing thill most night, tired & hungry we returned on board to mourn over the troubles & trials of a whaleman’s life,
27 all hands sick of New Holland but Capt Sherman, & I would like to give him a dose that would make him leave, Day after day yes, weeks & months pass away & we see no whales, it is enough to try the patience of Job
1857
January
1 First thus ends another day and another year has passed away with its many changes & still the Pacific is cruising around New Holland looking for oil that was caught years ago
WW Meantime our crew began to get discouraged, almost a year having elapsed since we had taken any oil, and, consequently, since a single penny had been earned by any of us.
WW 12th – we let go our anchor in Bunbury Bay. Ours was the first ship that had been in the harbor for years..having been..superseded by Vasse.
29 Thursday fine weather with a good breeze from the E 6 o’clock saw a large whale going to leeward lowered 3 boats but could not strike him, came on board & chased him 2 hours with the ship & then lowered again but could not strike him after dinner saw more whales to leeward & 2 barks in sight a whaling lowered down again & waist boat struck & soon after upset, starboard boat stove & broke hoisting up all to pieces saved the whale & got the fluke chain on by dark, set a quarter watch such is life & such is our luck
WW at daybreak, whilst carrying all sail, we sighted sperm whales. After a short delay, we lowered for them. The second mate fastened to a large one, fired a bomb-lance into him, and had his boat capsized. The crew were picked up and brought to the ship, also the boat, which was found uninjured. The first and third mates continued in pursuit of the whales, and, after a short interval, the latter fastened to the same whale. The fourth mate approached the fish, and in giving him a lance, got his boat on to the whale’s flukes, and stove. The boat was towed to the ship; whilst hoisting her aboard, she broke in two amidships, was condemned as useless, and broken up for firewood. In the evening we had the whale alongside. The following morning we began to cut, being surrounded by thousands of sharks. The boatsteerer, who went down on to the whale to hook on, was seized by a shark, who caught him by the back of the heel. Fortunately, the man who attended the monkey-rope attached to the boatsteerer, saw the movement of the shark and dragged him our deck. The wound inflicted was severe but not dangerous. Sharks around a whale, generally, are contented with what they pick up from his carcass, and to the plentitude of this kind of food for their ravenous appetites, the boatsteerer owes his safety. In this case the sufferer was barefooted, and his flesh being covered with spermaceti, probably the shark thought it a dainty piece of blubber.
February
WW the middle of February, with as much sail set as the old ship would stagger under, and a westerly gale on the quarter, we resumed our passage for New Zealand…we went in the course of it through the northern borders of the Antarctic Ocean. On the 22d (Washington’s birthday) we entered the South Pacific, and after a spanking run of fourteen days, we sighted land
Some idea of this miserable weather may be formed, when I state that during the four months we continued on the coast we were hove-to for fifty-eight days, and at least half as many more we were prevented from whaling by the density of the fog.
March
7 Saturday very fine indeed with calms & light airs from all quarters, 7 o’clock saw the ship & schooner leave their boats & pull in shore 10 lowered our boats & pulled in found they had been chasing whales in large quantities but we saw none, came on board & had gonies for dinner PM calm land 2 miles off day ends gamming with the P gave him some potatoes & sold him some tobacco, thus day after day passes away & we see no whales, is it always to be so, our lot is hard but still we must try to bear it, far away from home & friends where no news good or bad reaches us, with hard luck on every side, poverty staring us in the face old age creeping on, it is enough to discourage any body but, true free born Americans, & we will not be discouraged, but trust to Providence until the end of all things
Our pig refuses to lay on a good bed and says lookout for squalls, good as a barometer
31 Tuesday begins bright & clear, fine breeze from the N, Alas, little did the laughing mirthful crew of the barque Pacific, think, this morning as she was ploughing along with all her canvas spread, yes, little did they think then, that ere the sun should sink behind the western horizon, they would sail silently over the grave of one of their number, yet so it was, how truly has it been said that in the midst of life we are in death
a little past 4 saw 3 whales ahead going to leeward very quick lowered down 3 boats, the bow boat went along side of one & gave him 2 irons & was instantly stove & upset the crew all got on top of the boat but it was so rough that they could not keep there, & one poor fellow not knowing how to swim sunk to rise no more till the sea shall give up the dead, when he was washed from the boat Mr Allen swam to him & tried to save him, & the poor fellow clung to him till the larboard boat reached the spot & then let go his hold & went to meet his God, He was a Dutchman, kind obliging & good & sadly will he be missed by his shipmates but he is gone we hope to a better world where the wicked cease from troubling & the weary are at rest, As night was showing her sable mantle around us we picked up our stoven boat, and returned to the ship took in sail got supper & with heavy hearts retired to our births to mourn over our loss; such is the life of the whaleman
[Notes: This long entry has double lines drawn around it, a picture of a whale’s tail in the margin and the following notes: boat stove and a man drowned – Pacific in trouble]
WW We lowered away our boats at about 3 o’clock in the afternoon; but at 4| o’clock we called them aboard, and stood out to sea. The boats were again lowered at 5 o’clock; and the third mate, after half an hour’s chase, struck a noble whale, his boatsteerer giving him both irons clear to the socket. Scarcely, however, had the second harpoon left his hand when the boat was struck twice in succession by the whale’s flukes. The blows were struck between the bow and amidship thwarts, knocking a large hole completely through her. She soon filled, and capsized. The crew swam to her, and got upon her bottom; but, there being a heavy swell on, she continued to roll over and over, the crew following her as best they could. Several times they regained their position on her; but just as the other boats approached the scene of disaster, to give them aid, they discovered that one of their number was missing. At the same instant the third mate cried out, that someone had hold of his legs, and urged haste on the part of the approaching boat. Being a strong swimmer, he managed to keep himself afloat, notwithstanding the drowning man’s clutch, until they had caught hold of him from the boat; but then he instantly exclaimed, “He has let go! ” The boatsteerer of the larboard boat dove in, but could see nothing of him; and his boatmates were forced to return aboard, leaving him at rest in the sea, over which he had voyaged for years. Upon the boat’s arriving at the ship, the captain hailed it; and, fearing the worst, asked if any one was lost. On being answered that John was drowned, he appeared much affected, and wept like a child.
And now our little circle was broken into by the King of Terrors! Sailing under the same flag — every day in contact with each other — depending on the same planks for protection from the wind and wave, — in the course of the two years that we had been upon the ocean, warm friendships had sprung up, and “shipmate” was only another name for “brother.” This accident — one to which we all felt ourselves liable — excited expressions of feeling, that one would scarcely believe could emanate from the speakers : men in our line of life seldom making an undue display of emotion.
April
14 Oh that I was once more a boy at work on a farm, I never more would roam, but life at the longest is but short in this world & we must prepare for a better
15 all hands very low spirited … Yes while there is life there is hope, it is often the darkest just before day
Margin note: the crew of the Pacific talking seriously about the Poor House
15 fine weather with moderate breeze, made no sail, gamming all day this is the way we whale it Oh for a driving skipper just at this time, I would give 1000 dollars & make money at that, but such was, to be my luck, & I will try to bear it, Perhaps it were as well
May
17 ran off down the land toward Milford Haven, one o’clock luffed too off shore, 3 o’clock saw the schooner Eliza boiling bound into the Haven, kept off & made sail, got a pilot from the schooner & beat into the Haven & came to anchor at ½ past 8 in 16 fathom water & moored the ship to the rocks, off 2 or 3 [rods?] off, furled the sails & set an anchor watch
WW Encased by mountains, whose caps were white with snow. The sides of these cliffs were covered with noble trees…as these [violent squalls] would pass over, the rainbow, by which they were always followed, reflecting on and illuminating the green sides and white caps of the hills, presented to our admiring eyes, a grand, imposing and beautiful sight. I know of nothing that I ever saw that more fully impressed my mind with the omnipotence of the Creator than did this splendid work…could any man, after gazing upon such an appearance, candidly feel himself an atheist?
WW Five of the foremast men were discovered to be amongst the missing….they left us, in an obscure bay, hundreds of miles from any settlement, on a stormy coast, in an open whale-boat.
22 Friday good weather inside daylight discovered a boat & 5 men gone did not go after them, but commenced getting off wood & stowing water one boat fishing so ends another day, hard times these,
June
2 sunset 15 miles from the land, fired the big gun, thank God we are at sea once more, Oh for a smart Capt
3 Capt S crazy or foolish – did not want one; 144 gams
7 Capt Sherman say he will be satisfied with one more whale, & willing to go home, smart ambitious man
8 Starboard boat struck at 11 o’clock & he run with 3 boats till 2 o’clock without getting a lance at him got him along side & began to cut at sunset, 9 sail in sight & plenty of whales, got the body in at 10 o’clock, & all hands turned in Milford Haven bearing ENE 25 miles
WW Directly after lowering, the first and third mates struck large whales; after remaining fast for a short time, the irons belonging to the larboard boat drew — the boatsteerer had had a long dart, and struck the fish in his small, where there was not sufficient blubber for the iron to take firm hold. The other fish, to which the star- board boat was attached, was going at the rate of I do not know how many knots an hour, breaching, curvetting — now with his head out of water, and, again, with his flukes reared high in the air, presenting all sorts of resistance that characterize the right or sperm whale — snapping his huge jaws together, and lashing the water, left and right, with his flukes. For a time he kept running along at a rate that deterred the other boats from approaching him; but, finally, the chief mate managed to get a line from the bow boat, which was taken in tow. The whale continued running for some time after; when he halted for a moment, the mate, watching his opportunity, hauled his boat on to him, and, with a well- aimed lance, stopped his running forever. We soon afterwards got him alongside. He was a noble specimen of the cachalot, exceeding in size any one we had previously taken. On account of the heavy weather incident to this coast, we took time by the forelock, and cut him in that same night. It was calm and the moon was at its full, whilst scarcely a ripple disturbed the surface of the ocean, so that we had an excellent time. At midnight nearly all was on deck. The following morning we hove in the junk, and bailed the case — the immense weight of the latter preventing us from hoisting it aboard. This whale yielded us one hundred and ten barrels of oil.
It will be seen that whales are plenty off the coast of Kew Zealand, and the query may be raised, why are not more captured? But seeing whales is not taking them, and killing them is not securing them
15 looking sharp for sperm whales, Capt S pulled 5 miles to gam with the Flying Childers, Oh how he loves it, but it don’t bring oil to the ship, yet it makes no difference to him, every body looks sour & I don’t blame them,
Margin note: 148 gams
29 Capt couldn’t stand it any longer but had to go & see the woman they tried to keep clear of us, but it was no use Capt S is bewitched or crazy I don’t know which, I can’t stand it much longer, Oh for a man that would devote his time to whaling
WW On account of the prevalent westerly winds, we were forced to run several degrees to the northward. On our passage to Hobartown we crossed the middle ground (which is midway between New Zealand and New Holland). This is a famous ground for sperm whales, and did not, in this case, belie its reputation
July
26 all hands on board but the Capt & mate, could not even go to church, hard times these when a man is in a civilized port & can’t go on shore Sunday, PM 2 Girls came on board with a gentleman protector, so ends the Sabbath
WW No sooner was our ground-tackle down than boats were alongside containing prostitutes, who here, as elsewhere, claim Jack Tar as their special property. They boarded us, extended invitations to all, when they came ashore, to call upon them; and with the most unblushing assurance, indulged in libidinous promises of the advantages possessed by their establishments over all others. Some of these frail ones delighted in the most euphonious names, one was Double-Jointed Polly, another Slippery Liz, another Polly the Jumper, and other equally select and high-sounding appellations, which they seemed proud enough of.
WW As to the expediency of somewhat relaxing the rigid rules of moral discipline, we may be satisfied by a mere contrast of the position of our own with the crew of the JAMES ALLEN at the same moment. Aboard the latter, the men had been hectored and thwarted, and consequently more than one-half had deserted – leaving the void to be filled up with green hands – and those who remained were sullen, dissatisfied, and discontented; whilst our own crew were all aboard their ship, both cheery and ready to go to sea. The fact that all the hands that were brought into this port again going out in the ship, of their own accord, is unprecedented in the annals of the arrival and departure of American whalers; for, commonly, such vessels lose a half or two-thirds of their crews. Our non-success in capturing whales gave good cause for apprehending that we should meet with a like loss, and our not doing so may be attributed to the general good treatment which characterized our ship throughout the voyage. Although not a paradise, still she was as good as the best of whalers. No overt act of cruelty or brutality had been exercised on any one of our crew; and therefore they were now all satisfied again to go afloat in her.
August
15 7 o’clock raised sperm whales going to windward quick lowered 3 boats but could not catch them, 10 AM lowered again with reefed boatsails & had hard work to keep our boats free, …went on several turns at last mate struck, & we got him along side at 8 o’clock raining & blowing like fun
17 Monday fine weather cleaned the case & got it overboard & commenced boiling body, turned up 73 bls day ends fine
WW On the 15th the sun arose amid a pretty fresh gale of wind. Directly after breakfast we sighted sperm whales. The weather looked rather dubious; but we wanted oil very bad – so down went our boats and after them. They were slightly to windward of us, and it was impossible to force our boats to the weather, in the teeth of both sea and wind…dropped our boats a third time, after having beat up with the ship to windward of the school. The third attempt proved successful…During the whole time that the boats were down, the rain descended in torrents, and the sea was so rugged that it was only by incessant bailing that the boats were kept from swamping. Added to this, the weather was quite cool, and the wind was at such a height that double-reefed topsails were all the ship would bear.
Sunday rugged squally weather with a strong NW wind, tried to cut on the wind but could not kept her off before it under bare poles, very rough, got the junk & case in & lashed up at sunset hard days work, did not save the jaw, feel very thankful that we saved him, plenty of whales in this ground
19 Wednesday very fine indeed, 7 o’clock raised whales, lowered 3 boats 10 o’clock larboard boat struck turned him up towed one hour & got the fluke chain on him & got dinner at 12 o’clock, commenced cutting, at 15 minutes past & finished at 30 past, 5, got supper & commenced boiling junk,
WW over 200 barrels of sperm oil taken by us in 10 days
20 Thursday fine light winds from W 3 sail in sight land 15 distant cleaned the case, broke out casks & finished boiling head at 1 o’clock PM made 25 bls, day ends thick & misty,
21 Friday beautiful weather with light baffling winds boiling & stowing down, all sail set, 2 sail in sight land 20 miles distant PM finished boiling turned up 80 bls, stowed down 100 bls sunset took in sail & set a quarter watch
September
13 Sunday beautiful weather with a fine wind from the N, all sail set steering W, saw one hungry shark & bird flying very fast, every body looking homesick & discouraged, so the day ends with a fervent prayer that our eyes may be blessed with the sight of sperm whales on the morrow, Lat 34,50 Loon 128E,41
17 very HOME SICK
29 Tuesday begins with cloudy weather & a strong breeze from E ship under whole topsails working to windward soon after breakfast raised sperm whales going to leeward lowered 3 boats & the larboard boat struck & lost her line, chased to leeward 3 hours & the waist boat struck another, turned him up & got him along side got dinner & went to cutting very rugged & rocks under our lee had to cut to windward, got his body in & layed by his head all night under our lee Lat 34,25 Lon 121,08
30 Wednesday thick weather & a very strong breeze from E, cut in the head to leeward & commenced boiling body, boiled the case & got it over board, cleaned up decks & washed off, weather windy & rainy ship under close reefed main topsails & foresail on the L tack saw a large shoal of blackfish,
October
1 Thursday squally rainy blowy weather from the E, ship under close reefed main topsail & foresail boiling, finished the body & began on the head
2 Friday squally rainy weather with a very strong breeze from SE ship under close reefed main topsail & foresail tack & tack PM finished boiling turned up 90 bls, washed off decks took in sail & set a quarter watch
4 so ends another Sabbath & thus time travels on & we are not improving our best days as we ought, too much engaged in worldly things
13 Hope has fled I want to go Home but I can’t
18 larboard watch ashore in an uninhabited place PM starboard watch at sunset all came on board but Cunningham, supposed to have ran away
19 heard nothing from our runaway, so one day ends
20 the young man that ran away returned to day sick of his bargain so ends another day
WW a New Bedford boy named John
22 waiting for the Capt sent a boat up to town but he was not ready, PM the steamer went out, got news of the loss of the Pacific on the coast of New Zealand
WW Melbourne Weekly Herald: – “Supposed Loss of the Whaling Barque Pacific, of New Bedford, U.S….there is too much reason to believe that the whaling barque Pacific, of New Bedford, U.S. foundered on the western coast of this Island, on the night of the 21st of May last…I send you a copy of the deposition of one of the known survivors. – H.G. Gouland, Resident Magistrate, Collingwood, September 10th, 1857. Deposition – ….a heavy sea pooped the ship, and swept her fore and aft…we stood in towards the shore, the boat was stoven in landing. We landed between Milford Haven and Open Bay..”
WW It is almost needless to append, in explanation, that the above is a tissue of falsehoods, fabricated by the deserters from our ship.
November
8 Sunday begins with thick weather & light airs from SW daylight saw sperm whales going quick got breakfast & lowered 3 boats & chased till 10 o’clock & they turned to leeward B boat went on but did not get fast came on board & hoisted up in a heavy squall took in top G sails & reefed the topsails, at one PM lowered again whales going to leeward, & a very strong breeze from NW waist boat struck a large whale, L boat struck him & we took the other boat in tow & started to windward got him spouting good blood, but he would not turn up the Capt lowered & killed him a number of times but still he lived & traveled on slowly, it died away calm & came in thick so we were obliged to cut from him, got on board at one o’clock at night, found the fluke chain ready but no fish, took in sail & set a lookout watch, saw plenty of blackfish porpoises & large sperm whales
Margin note: drawing of whale tail with notes around it saying …..100 bls so gone, dead, lost …..But we did not get that whale
WW On Sunday, November the 8th, we sighted sperm whales, and though the weather was foggy and dis- agreeable, the boats were lowered; but, after being down all the forenoon, we returned at 1 o’clock, and ate dinner. At half past one we dropped boats again, when the waist-boat fastened to an immense whale, which ran very rapidly; but he soon began to spout thick blood, and we counted him as ours. On the appearance of blood, the bow-boat cut her line, and came aboard. The captain, observing that the whale continued on in his course, lowered away, and lanced him also; but still he would not turn up, although incessantly discharging blood from his spout-holes and the various lance-wounds in his bodv. Night approached, and still the whale kept going ahead. The rain was descending in torrents, whilst not the slightest vestige of a breeze rippled the surface of the water; so the boats, together with their locomotive attachment, were gradually widening their distance from the ship. Directly after nightfall, the captain returned with his boat, leaving directions for the others to keep up good lights in their boat- lanterns; so that we might very easily know their whereabouts. On arriving aboard, the bow-boat was dispatched with refreshments and a couple of bottles of New England rum, to revive those who had been sitting in their boats drenched to the skin; and, surely, if there ever was a moment when men needed an alcoholic stimulus to enable them to withstand exposure, it was on this occasion. Just after the bow-boat left, we lost sight of the light of the boat- lantern in the distance, and did not recover it again until midnight, when we discovered the boats coming toward us, with the dead body of the whale, as we believed, in tow; but were chagrined to find that they had cut from him, which, unavoidable aa it was, was far from being pleasant, after the trouble and pains-taking he had caused us. They stated, that they were out of sight of the ship’s light; that the whale showed no more signs of exhaustion than at sunset; and, as the weather looked very threatening, there appeared to be no other recourse left them but to return : so, after a consultation, in which all hands were included, the line, not however without many regrets, was severed, and the monster allowed to go on his way, and die alone — his surviving more than a few hours being out of the question.
The bow-boat, after leaving the ship’s side, pulled in the direction where the boat-lights had last appeared; but it was not until after they had cut from the fish, that they found the other boats, whose men, from their fatiguing duty and benumbed members, were not just then particularly delighted at the idea of pulling ten or twelve miles back without refreshment : they therefore hailed the arrival of the bow- boat with acclamation. They hove up; and, after having satisfied their appetites, the bottle was passed around, and each indulged in a hearty swig: then, with renewed vigor, they bent to their oars, and regained the vessel.
This unfortunate result would not have occurred had we had the least breeze, to keep anywhere in the neighborhood of the boats; nor, had there been land anywhere within a reasonable distance, the mate, who in no wise lacks energy, would not have cut; but, under the circumstances, he acted with discretion in withdrawing the boats whilst there was a chance of their doing so with safety. No doubt, had he remained attached to the whale, it would have been as difficult for us to find our boats the succeeding day as it was to find the carcass of the fish, which, despite our utmost endeavors — thoroughly going over the ground — we never after- wards saw.
How it was that this whale sustained life so long, whilst the vital current was swiftly escaping from his system, it is difficult to account for. He was lanced in the same place as other whales we had taken, and which expired in the course of several hours. It was done, too, by men who were no novices, either in handling the lance, or in combating the whale, not a few shook their heads, mysteriously; and one, in a spirit of confidence, broadly stated to me, that the creature was not a whale, but Lucifer himself, who had assumed this form to puzzle mankind; and hence he accounted for the tenacity of life displayed.
My opinion being, that the whale was of such a prodigious size, (every man who was in the boats stating him to have been the largest of the cachelot species they had ever seen,) and his vitals were covered with so thick a coat of blubber, that the lances were of insufficient length to deal a mortal wound.
25 Oh when will this end.
Side note: 166 gamms
30 the Capt wants company more than whales & [ ] are for a whaleship.
December
WW 6 – 100+ barrel sperm, 14 – 100 barrel sperm
20 & away he went to windward, so another whale has gone off with 2 irons, such is the waist-boat’s luck
WW At 5 o’clock in the afternoon the waist-boat fastened, was stoven by the whale’s flukes, and her crew obliged to swim for their lives, when they were picked up by the starboard-boat, and carried to the ship. The other boat then went on to the whale, and her boat- steerer darted at him half-a-dozen times in succession, but without effect. away the whale went to windward eyes out, with a speed that, to the chagrin of all, defied pursuit.
31 very busy scrimshawing. Blowing a gale from WNW…so ends another year. many changes have taken place on board as well as on shore. one of our number has found an early grave, some have left and their places have been filled with new faces, & so we live on apparently unconscious. That each day as our [ -less] for us on earth.
WW On the last day of December we experienced the initiation of a gale, which lasted, in incessant violence, until the 6th of January, ‘58…we kept on one tack, heading constantly to the north and westward
1858
January
16 side note: 174 gammons, hard times & the Capt. a man of no sense
WW 22 we doubled Cape Naturaliste at a slashing pace, knocking twelve knots an hour out of the old ship
March
9 on board 25 ladies came, kept “it” up all night
23 saw nothing but a shark & we have given up all hope & after this shall put our trust in Providence
26 no sperm whales & don’t expect to see any. This is New Holland whaling & I have seen enough of it & quite ready to leave
April
9 a growing sadness has come over the Pacific’s crew & they have at last resigned themselves to fate
June
1 beautiful weather
7 so another day ends & we are no better off than we were 6 months ago, how much long is this going to last
21 201 gamms. This is gamming 6 days in succession. We don’t expect the sperm whales again this season.
July
4 Sunday the glorious fourth begins with good weather with a strong breeze from the SSE, all sail set on the S tack. About 8AM raised sperm whales going S…struck our whale…finished at dark…getting ready for boiling…thus have we spent another Sabbath & another 4th of July. Lat 28 Lon 111
WW off Abrolhas Islands
6 strong breeze from the SE, ship under double reefed topsails & foresail on the S tack, finished boiling the body & commenced on the head, saw finbacks & skipjacks
August
2 Side note: Hope is fleeing fast
3 beautiful weather with a fair breeze. caught some fish & got some gulls eggs, broker every thing out of us after holds [ ] the water between decks, found 45 bls of meat, 3 casks of flower & no molasses
9 boat got back from the island with 300 birds & some rabbits
11 varnished the royal masts, washed ship, our boat went to the mangroves and got 15 doz. Eggs so end another day
14 washed off decks, hove in chain to clear our anchor, set up some rigging, tarred down the rigging on the mizzen mast, [ ] all our running rigging, [ ] did some planking, rolled & lashed, bent mainsail gaff topsail & all jibs
16 very busy getting ready for sea….lashed up everything
20 weigh at 1 o’clock
WW The possibility of there being no whales never struck us; for we had from various testimonies of their presence put this point so far beyond all question….we firmly expected to leave directly for home on quitting the islands. But now we had before us the unpleasant prospect of another cruise…for if there were any who still had an idea of making a good voyage, they were hoping against hope…more than three years of a hard, wearisome life…there is no use in repining. We must grin and bear it, and at the same time admit ourselves convinced of the aptness of that axiom which reads “Blessed are they who expect nothing; for they are sure not to be disappointed.
The captain…His mind fluctuated, with the tide of time, between these two points : to go, or not to go. This was the question which he appeared to be continually debating in his own mind. One moment, “going home” was in the ascendant; the next, all his sympathies were enlisted in favor of staying out for another cruise : points which were perhaps ultimately decided to our
29 Bound to the Sharks Bay Ground
September
3 Bound to the Isle of France
9 “beautiful weather” Lots of rigging work, line work, repairs, washing ship, making spun yarn
19 8 o’clock we raised the island of Rodrigue & passed 25 miles to the south of it
24 Lying at Mauritius at the Bell Buoy, anchored in 10 fathom of water
26 Sunday thick weather with a strong breeze & sand flying & ships dragging….12 o’clock one man was inclined to fight, so he was put in irons to get better inclined
October
9 Saturday fine weather & good breeze waiting for the apt. To go to sea as usual he is not ready it is bad but can’t be helped.
11 Monday good weather & strong breeze. 2 o’clock the Capt. Came on board, double reefed the topsails & got under weigh, ran out to the end of the island & luffed the wind on leeward tack, stowed anchors & cables & lashed everything, so we left his place with 25bls of meat some potatoes, jams, [ ] bread, 10 bbls flour 3 casks molasses, sugar, coffee & other small stores for another 6 months, 6 new men & 9 old ones gone, Englishman, new ones yankees. 7 o’clock set whole watches.
24 Oh that we might get some oil & go home home home sweet home
31 Sunday blowing a gale from the SSE with plenty of rain, double reefed main & close reefed fore topsails set most of the day, tack & tack, & ran off & spoke to the ship BREWSTER Capt.[ ] of Mattapoisett, did not get his report, still standing whole watches, lying to in bad weather
WW The time of our leaving for home was now set to be New Year’s Day, 1859. This period, so long and devoutly prayed for, we are assured would not under any circumstances be again postponed, and we hoped that it would not; for we had been out very long, and all were thoroughly convinced that longer cruising for whales would be entirely useless. To be plain; all wanted to get home. The whole ship’s company, too, felt and expressed the opinion, that the voyage was unlucky, and they wished to begin a new one, under better auspices. Our continual ill fortune in not seeing whales, and having our boats stoven, had so deeply engendered this feeling that a general lukewarmness prevailed
WW There were now, of the thirty who sailed from home in the vessel, but twenty-one remaining; yet even this is a much larger proportion of the original crew than is usually carried home from a voyage of such length as ours. The cabin had lost one of its members; the steerage was intact — the same boatsteerers remaining as when we first set sail; and of the foremast hands ten, besides the cook, remained: making twenty one in all. “We had now been so long together, that the withdrawal of one of our number would produce a feeling like that caused by the separation from a member of one’s own family
27 …very busy sailorizing…gammed with the Plover, saw it sail about 5 o’clock, raised a whale going to windward, kept off for him, Capt L on board the Plover, next time the whale broke when close to the ship, lowered down L boat & struck him before any one else went down, L boat got stove all to pieces with his jaw, so as not to pick up a piece. The third mate of the Plover in rigging to strike him got stove & some of the others had a narrow escape, after a hard time of it we managed to bring him up at sunset, 8 o’clock took him alongside of the Pacific & made him fast with a big fluke chain & hawser. day ends in gamming. This whale was a larger one
28 Sunday very fine indeed, after breakfast began culling, had one boats crew from the Plover, finished his body got down & P [ ] hove in his junk & case, bailed the case & got it over board.
29 boiling the body, 30 boiling the body
December
1 turned up 56 bbls of body & commenced on the head. Cleaned up decks, washed off, with 95bbls sperm on deck
18 thick, squally, and rugged with double reefed topsails
WW we were two degrees from Table Mountain on the 21st, when, with a fair wind and plenty of it, a clear sky and smooth sea, without let or hindrance, we passed into the blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean; just three years, two months, and eleven days from the time we passed from it into the Indian Ocean, with a prospect of three years whaling before us; all buoyant with hope, and not a doubt entering the thoughts of any that, by the time we were thus far on our return passage, we should be full of oil. But it is needless to say that such is far from being the case.
31 so goes out the old year, may the next be happier
1859
January
2 Home Sick
10 saw fish and kelp but nothing that looked like a sperm whale
Tack & tack
Tack & tack
23 235 gammons
24 Home Sick
February
WW At daylight, February 1st, we hove in sight of the Isle of St. Helena, the world-renowned prison-rock of Napoleon Bonaparte, the conqueror of Europe.
St. Helena ….On the letters being brought forth, I found that I had four; one of August, 1855, left here by a ship that had carried it about the ocean for years — the other three were of May, July, and November, 1858
6 saw nothing. Very homesick, it seems to be a prevailing disease at present. Oh for a good breeze.
WW For ten days were we in irons, (as seamen term our situation,) during the whole of which time we made no more than ten degrees — an average of two and a half miles per hour: a pace that was far too slow to be easily endured by men who had been for forty-four months past looking forward to this passage with such intense interest.
The occasion of this was a mid watch at night, when all of the starboard watch were grouped together by the windlass, discussing our experience of the variability of the winds, while destined to some port or other in the course of the voyage. The speaker, having heard the opinions of several others, stepped into the center of the little knot, and, with an emphatic gesture of the hand, said : ” Shipmates! it is no use talking : we are fated to meet with nothing but foul winds and head-beat seas until we get home, and then the bad luck that has kept us company for the past forty-four months may leave us. But there is, and has been, a Jonah in the ship the whole voyage, from the time we left New Bedford.
Now we have lost the northeast trades a week before we ought to. Add to these our other malexperiences, such as men falling from aloft, boats capsized and stoven, a sperm whale’s head lost. And, to crown all, here we are, bound on to the North American coast in the worst month of the year, with an unremunerative voyage. Now, in the name of reason! how any one can expect good luck in the face of this category I cannot understand : as for myself, I cannot.”
13 very homesick but can’t get along any faster
16 day ends with every prospect of miserable weather, all hands very low-spirits & no remedy, everyone hoping & praying for better winds, such is life on board of a New Bedford whaler.
21 so ends my book but not the voyage, if I should ever go another & pray God it may be pleasant, happier more prosperous yes & bless that Glorious Giver who doeth all things well.
March
WW when we crossed the line, or a few degrees to the southward of it; at which time we lost sight of the Magellan clouds. Shortly after this the glorious Southern Cross disappeared from our view. These two constellations had been for years our landmarks in the heavens, (pardon the incompatibility of the expression,) and had become so familiar that at night the horizon seemed to us incomplete without them; but still we hailed their retirement from our view with delight, for it was an earnest of home. For several nights afterward we strained our eyes and patience in un- availing search for the North Star. At last it was sighted by a close observer. It was hailed by a general shout, that made the welkin ring; and hearts warmed as day after day in our passage north we opened still farther the glories of the northern sky; our own, with its fleecy scud and resplendent tints, shedding refulgence on our free and happy land.
WW 18 the gale increased to a hurricane, and, as we could not see a ship’s length ahead, we were compelled, sorely against our inclinations, to heave the ship to for the night. At 3 o’clock A. M. the next morning we all at once felt a change in the atmosphere, and, on inquiring the cause, found that the wind had hauled to the westward. A few minutes afterward the fleecy scud drove rapidly to the leeward, and the wind from the southwest bore down on us with extreme violence. But not too violent for us. Oh, no! It was hailed with delight. It was fair and strong; and, although we could show only close-reefed top- sails and foresail to it, we bowled away, with it on our quarter, at the rate of twelve knots an hour. As we gradually neared the land we saw a number of small coasting-crafts laying-to, with the water sweeping over them — they not venturing to run in such weather. Of these we spoke several, and ascertained from them the bearings of Montauk Point.
19 At noon we saw land; it was greeted with three as hearty cheers as ever swelled American throats… We were in hopes of getting in this night, but still we had our misgivings; as, even should we come into close proximity with Montauk Point, the weather was so boisterous that we had little hopes a pilot would venture out upon such a night. But just at nightfall, one, who had voluntarily perched himself on the loftiest look- out on the fore royal mast, sung out, “Light ho!’ and we soon found that at last we had sighted the veritable Montauk Point and lighthouse…but no pilot was to be seen, and our only resort was to shorten sail, heave the ship to, and hang on as closely as possible to the windward, so as to have no difficulty in beating up at the approach of daylight.
Block Island is passed. There, off the beam, frowns Point Judith. Now for Cuttyhunk light. “Go along, old ship! — cleave the waters, as never you did before. Soon you, as well as we, will be at rest.”
All my immediate family were alive and well; but such was not the case with some of my less fortunate ship- mates — several had lost fathers, one a mother, others a sister or brother; in fact, there were few but had to weep for a near and dear one gone, whom in the fullness of their wishes they had hoped would have been the first to welcome them home.
The average number of barrels of oil taken by sperm whalers, during a four years’ voyage, is twelve hundred; if the ship carries four boats, a green hand’s lay is the two hundredth part; this will give him six barrels of oil, worth about forty-five dollars a barrel, amounting to two hundred and seventy dollars. The ship’s and outfitter’s bills will amount to at least two hundred and twenty dollars, leaving a residue of fifty dollars or about a dollar a month over and above personal expenses. Even if the ship should get full of oil and return home in two years, which, by the way, would be a miracle now-a-days, one of her crew cannot, at the most, make more than half as much as the day-laborer ashore.
These are facts, and are palpable enough to deter any and all who wish to go whaling for the purpose of making or saving money; but there is another class who think whaling must be the most delightful of all pursuits from its pleasant adventures, its perils, and the facilities offered by it for seeing foreign lands. This is all extremely visionary, as any one who has ever made such a voyage will tell you. All its adventures, and all its perils are matter of fact, stern realities; for instance, you lower away in the boat, get alongside of a whale, the boat is stoven and you are obliged to remain in the water for an hour or two, until you are almost frozen; or if you are in warm latitudes, with the pleasant reflection that at any minute a shark may come along and snap off one of your limbs, how much pleasure would such an adventure yield you? It would do to tell after you got home, to be sure; and whilst you are telling it, ten chances to one, you will be more fully reminded of it by a twinge of rheumatism, the sowing of the seeds of which dates back to the very day of your adventure. No; there is no fun in going on a whaling voyage; nobody goes a second time but those who are compelled to; they see no adventure in it — it is the mere periling of life and limb to fill ship owners’ coffers.
Who is foolish enough to go to sea before the mast, as a green hand?
Now I think I have presented the subject in its true light, and I will conclude by advising all young men who can gain a livelihood ashore, to stay at home.