m mM
Fr@iinill@ire
ELMER CLIFTON'S
Sea
ITn Sbipe''
OLYMPIA NEW
BEDFORD,
SEPTEMBER
25tk,
MASSACHUSETTS 1922
**They that go that
do business on
These
and
down
see the
his
to the sea in ships,
the great waters.
works of the
LORD
wonders of the deep-**
Psalm io7-:23.24.Âť
TABLE OF CONTENTS Advisory Counsel
FOREWORD ''Down to the sea in ships" is the tangible result of the pride of a city in the glory of its traditions. It was personally directed by Elmer Clifton in Massachusetts and on the high seas and was made with the co-operation of the Old Dartmouth Historical Society, where a print may be foimd amonq,its permanent records of the Whaling industry.
TYPICAL GARDEN OF OLD
—2—
NEW BEDFORD
Overtlire,
lienrvj F. Gilbert
THE WHALEMAN'S STATUE IN FRONT OF THE NEW BEDFORD PUBLIC LIBRARY.
WHALING "Few
more marked influence upon
interests have exerted a
the historj of the United States than the Msheries
The
Pioneers of the Sea, whalemen were the ad\'ance guard of civilization .... Into
the field opened by
In their footsteps followed
trade of the civilized world Christianity
The American
flag
was
British port from the deck of a whaler,
western coast of South America Stripes
shown
them flowed the
first
first
and the ports of the
beheld the Stars and
as the standard of another
public. ...No nobler class of
men
unfurled in a
American Re-
ever trod any deck than those
who have shipped on our whalers". History of the American ,
Whale Fisherv
SHIP'S
COMPANY
—4—
Starbuck's.
SCENARIO Joliii L.
E. Poll. (Jreat I'.arrington, Mass.
PIIOTOGKAPIIY .Alcxaiuler G. Peiirod,
MUSICAL SCORE Henry P.
Gilbert,
New
York.
designed by
Cambridge, Mass.
TECHNICAL STAFF P.
Harry Thompson
Major
Leigh R. Smith
George H. Sistare, Jr.
Phelps Decker
Elizabeth Musgrave
Paul F. Maschke
Dollie
Martha
S.
"Wiedman
Francis
THE WHALING FILM CORPORATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS. Herbert E. Cushman
Zephaniah AV. Pease
Elmer Clifton
W.
Frederick R. Fish
John C. Shaw,
James P. Francis
Abbott P. Smith
A. Robinson, Jr.
Edmund Wood.
-5—
Jr.
'^ .We count the whale
iiniuortal
before the continents broke water, .in
and
if
the world
survive,
is
in his species,, .he
swam
the seas
Noah's flood he despised the Ark,
again to be flooded, then the eternal whale will
and rearing upon the topmost
crest
still
of the equatorial flood,
spout his frothed defiance to the skies."
Moby
FLUKES OF A
100
Dick.
BARREL WHALE ON THE SHIP'S DECK
—6—
Cast of Characters of their Charles
in the
Appearance
W. Morgan
Willi-am^ ^Walcoti
A
keen, scrupulous and upright New and whaleman of the Quaker faith.
Henry Morgan
William Cavanaugh
—
'
England ship owner
•
to His beloved son looked to "carry on"
'
whom
Charles
Morgan confidently
.
Leigh R. Smith
Scuff" Smith
A
whaling sailor of 75 years ago.
typical
Patience Morgan
(As
Elizabeth Foh.jj
child)
a
Miss Marguerite Courtot
Later:
Only daughter of Charles Morgan, and young women of her time.
Thomas Allen Dexter
(As a child) Later
A
Order
college bred
:
typical of the
Thomas
Whit--,
Raymond McKee
young man who had not been reared
in
the traditions of either the Quakers or the whalemen.
Judy Peggs
Juliette
Courtot
A
"worldling" to whom the quietness and plain dress of the Quakers did not appeal.
Nahoma
Clarice
Vance
In the past many of the Indians in Massachusetts became trusted and dependable domestics in the homes of the
whaling families.
The Town Crier
,
Curtis Pierce
Before the days of the "extra", the citizens depended on the town crier for all the sensational news of the day. His
was as quick to attract attention as the crack of the radio does today.
bell
Henny"
Ada Laycuck
Clark
as now there were those who, missed by Cupid in their youtli, received an eleventh hour wound from the fatal aiTOw of the little God.
Then
Dot" Morgan
Clara
Bow
Charles Morgan's granddaughter. Loved ])y her grandfather yet perhaps not understood. A wild child horn of the sea.
•
James Turfler
Jimmie"
The youth of Massachusetts became workmen around the wharves as a matter of course while aw^aiting the universally longed for opportunity to "Ship on a wdialer".
Jake Finner
Pairick
,
HarUgan
Mate of the ''Charles W. Morgan" The Sea was, and is, a rough school whose motto is always "the survival of the .
fittest".
Captain of the "('harles
W. Morgan"
Capt.
J as. A.
TiU.on
Captain Tilton has been a whaleman 40 years, and it was under his command that the whaling cruise on behalf of this picture was brought to a successful conclusion.
Samuel Siggs
J.
Tkornlon Baston
The great wealth of the old time whaleman offered the same lure to the unscrupulous fortune hunter as the bank accounts of our financiers do todav.
APPRECIATION
SCENE IN THE ISLES OF CAVES EXPLORED BY THE CREW.
It
being impossible to make personal acknowledgement to each of onr
many
friends,
take this
the Directors of the
means of expressing
by personally appearing
Whaling Film Corporation personally
their sincere appreciation to all who, eilh(!r
in the picture, offering their treasured heirlooms
for use or placing at the disposal of the producers their wealth of experience
and anecdote, have given
this
production genuineps which only such
operation can achieve.
-9—
co-
—THE WANDERER—
WE ACKNOWLEDGE VALUED
ASSISTANCE
FROM—
The City of New Bedford. The Apponegansett Meeting-Society of Friends. The Port Society and the Rev. Charles Thurber, Chaplain of the Seaman's Bethel. The Old Dartmouth Historical Society and Mr. Frank Wood curator of the Whaling Museum. The Ne^v Bedford Public Library, Librarian George H. Tripp and his efficient and courteous staff.
wr"^ ki^-m
'
'
'(
Locales of the Picture.
Th<?
Old Homestead
— The house
is
more than two hundred years old, and During production
the sag in the roof has been there for a century.
an elderly lady told Mr. Clifton of having played in that house when she was seven years old and in turn of hearing her grandmother tell of using that same house for a play-ground at the age of seven. It may be interesting to note that this
is
the birthplace of the late
Eugene
Canfield, the noted gambler and sportsman-
The Morgan Home This is the home of the Misses Ilowland, daughters of Weston Howland, of Fairhaven. It is one of the most picturesque of the mansions built by the old whaling masters and has stood as it is now for more than a hundred years. Weston Howland is credited with the dlsr.overy of the process of distillation of petroleum.
were also made Martin Pierce.
Intenors
T]ie
in the ])eautiful century old
home
of Mrs. A-
These exquisite scenes were photographed in the bowers in the beautiful old gardens surroundiug curator of the Museum of the Old Dart-
Garden
Howland home and the home of Frank Wood, mouth Historical Society. of the
The Oil Rffinrry
is
thnt belonging to
established in 1820 and
Tlf
>Vf'7 f.nfl
A
hni!i]'-p(l
is still
W-
A. Robinson
&
Co.
It
was
in active operation-
years ago sai!-making was an important craft-
picture,
is
by the whaling merchants had large .sails. The sail loft shown in the that of Briggs and Beekman, and is exactly as it was in
1843, It
is
known
The
Old stojK- buildings occupied
"lofts" given over to the making of as
"The Last
of the Sail Lofts".
—11—
was dedicated May
The Seaman's Bethel
was unfurled and has never is
failed to
a temple peculiarly his own.
cenotaphs
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;reading
Then
the Bethel flag
The walls are covered with marble
whalemen
The Apponegansctt Meeting House
Eager
is still
New
This
is
Bedford.
one of the most picturesque
used for worship.
do their part toward making the picture a true reincar-
to
of the past days,
tumes of their ancestors cupied
to
Quaker Melting Houses. The building was erected in 1790
and, unchanged,
nation
down
Avho have gone before him.
Pease History of
of the old
that there
to the sailors
the sailors of all nations about to go
to
the sea the fate of the
2, 183'2.
sij^iial
the
the Quakers
donned the old fashioned
and, themselves filled
"High Seats"
the benches
and
cos oc-
during the filming of the scenes in the
Meeting House-
were made on the estate of Job Gidley, a kindly Quaker
Rural Scenes
gentleman who placed both his "old" and disposal of the producers.
"new"
The "old" house
his is
"new"
20S years
houses at the old,
while the
one was built only 104 years ago.
The Wanderer" whaling vessels
One still
of
the last of the old square
actively engaged
from a whaling voyage she was used pleted her
"movie" engagement,
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;12-
is
in whaling.
in the picture,
now whaling on
rigged type of
Upon
her return
and having comthe Atlantic*
"CHARLES
The lark
W.
MORGAN"
This wonderful old ship
is
tho
"piece de resistance" of Mr. Clifton's production. The oldest whalinj^ vessel
and
afloat today,
she
is
as sturdy
as
when
sailed as gloriously out to sea as she did
deck,
and
forecastle scenes were all
old vessel. She
is
now
tied
up
80'
she was built in
made below decks on
to the pier in
New
show
same
made
his first
with
It is in-
whaling voyage on
vessel fifty years ago.
WH'ARF SCENE IN WHALING DAYS
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;13-
;
visitors the
interesting things on this veteran of the seven seas-
teresting to note that the captain this
to
1841 cabin,
this historic
Bedford, Mass
an old time whaling captain constantly on duty
many
The
years ago.
'^
The personnel ty
men whose
DRYING SAILS"
of an average whalingship consisted of thirty five or for-
ratings were as follows: Captain,
four mates, four boatsteerers ship keeper
;
a carpenter,
;
"known
as the Oldinaii"
a cooper; a steward; a cook; a cabin
boy, a
and the crew.
WISHING THE SHIP GOD SPEED AND A "GREASY VI 'AGE
=
' '
CREW
LIST
Officers and Crew on the five thousand mile whaling cruise where the pictures of the fighting whales were secured. Sailed away February 22nd. and arrived home April 22nd.
James
Cavtain.
A. Tilton
First Mate.
T. C. Frates J. C.
Second Mate.
Travers
"Joe" Bitt "Jack" Manning "Joe" Bro^^^l Mauel Rosairo Alex. H. Knowles William S. Knowles Edward Davidson Charles
Third Mate.
Boat Stecrers.
(
)
Chief Engineer. Ass't. Engineer,
Crew.
" "
Mauguam
Earle Chase
William Banks Otis Slocum Arthur Jakes
'
" "
Gordon Blair John Allen
'
" "
Robert Foote Austin C. Gorham J.
Hilton
" "
Smyth
" "
Harold Tilton John King James Turfler JManuel Daluz Lazarn Lulinlin
Cabin Boy. Steward. Cook.
Motion Picture
Crew Elmer Clifton Leigh R. Smith
Director,
Raymond McKee
Leading Man.
Alex. G. Penrod
Head Camera Man. Camera Man. " Ass't. " "
Ass't. Director,
Paul Allen Maurict E. Kains. Albert Doubrava
Stowaways
On
the return two St. Thomas citizens stowed themselves in the hold They were Milton and and were not discovered until two days out. William.
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;15â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
TRY OUT AT NIGHT ADVISORY COUNCIL ON WHALING LOCATION AND TECHNIQUE
CAPTAINS James F. Avery Benjamin D. Cleveland. Antone T. Edwards.
Henry
J.
Mandly
Antone J. Mandly William J. Shockley. George D. Tilton. James A. Tilton
MINCING BLUBBER'^
—16—
:
:
:
:
Glossary of
Terms.
Aft:
The rear end
of the ship,
where the Captain's quar-
ters are located.
J>o;!(steerer
Blo-o-ows
Brig
A petty officer on a whaling vessel. It is he who throws the harpoon into the whale. This is the cry that the look out sends do^vn Crom aloft when he sees a whale spouting. A place built in the hold of the vessel used to confine prisoners.
"Bible Leaves!"
Blanket Piece
The thinner the blubber is sliced or "minced" the more oil it yields. Hence thinly sliced blubber was called Bible leaves. The long strip or sheet
from the whale.
of blubber
as
it is
stripped
"Come
here,
one!"
An
officer's
The
Cutting in:
paring
of calling one of the crew.
it
for the try pot where
up the whale and it is
boiled into
pre-
oil.
The upper part of the whale's head. This is a great resevoir which contains sperraacetti which is one third of the oil in the whale.
The Case:
Cooper's Shop:
The place where the huge casks used whale
Cupola
way
entire process of cutting
oil
to
store the
are made.
A
small look out tower built on the roof of a whalea clear view of the harbor could be obtained.
:
man 's home from which The Discipline
:
The book of
rules of the Quakers.
Revered next
to
the Bible.
"Fins Out":
Dead.
(When
a whale dies
with fins out). Fli.kes:
The
tail of a
whale.
it
turns over on
its
back
:
:
(Pronounced "Foksle"). The space directly under the deck in the forward end or bow of the ship where the crew's living quarters are located.
Forecastle:
The term "Quaker"
Friends:
designation of the sect
A
"Greasy Ijuck":
is is
a nickname. The proper ''The Society of Friends'".
whaleman's way of wishing another a prosperous
voyage.
A
Harpoon
barbed iron fastened
hundred fathoms of The Junk:
to a pole attached to several
rope.
The forehead of the whale and a portion of the head immediately above the upper jaw.
A
The Lance
long, sharp,
whale
sword
like
instrument with which the
is killed.
Omens:
The sailors are as a rule superstitious, regarding almost everything unusual as a "sign" or omen.
Overseers:
The Quaker "Discipline" provided that there should be a group of members known as the "Overseers" whose duty it was to observe any departure from the rules of the Society of Friends and warn the transgresser at once. If the warning was not heeded the offender was "read out of meeting" and ' '
disowned
'
'.
-19-
:
::
:
Tho Partition:
Quakers Quaker marriage cap
"Eed eye"
A
whaleman's term for unexpected good fortune. Quaker Meeting Houses were all divided into two parts the men's side, and the women's side by means of a moveable partition. During services this partition was raised and the worship was held jointly The partition was always lowered for business meetings, which were conducted after religious meetings. A term applied to members of the Society of Friends. It was customary for a woman as soon as she was married to don a sheer white cap which ])ecame thereafter a part of her costume, instead of a wedding ring. A Quaker woman showing admiration for bright colors or dainty frivolous things was said to have a ''red
Pluin-pudding luck:
—
—
eye".
"Raised" Stand
A
_
sailor looks through his glass and "raises" whales or whatever else chances to cross his line of vision.
])y to
Lower Boats Salt Horse
Meaning" Be in readiness to lower boats". The staple food of the whalemen.
Salt Beef
—
-20-
Swab
Scrub
the deck:
Stand by
A
to Cast-
Off:
Signal
it.
long handled, sharp edged instrument used blubber from the carcass, as it lays alongside.
A
Spade;
Arm:
warning
sailors to
to all visitors to go.
to
to
cut the
go ashore and an order to th3
make ready
similar to a semaphore by means of a returning whaler was signalled to
An arrangement something of
which the approach
the town. Silent Worship:
Until very recent times the Quakers had no salaried ministers at liberty to speak when the spirit "moved". When none were ''moved" to address the Meeting the entire hour was spent in silent worship. To tie up with a rope. When a Quaker followed the rules of the Discipline faithfully, he was said to be living "in unity of friends".
Any one was Trice:
Unity of
P''riends:
â&#x20AC;&#x201D;21-
:
Vain Fashions of the World
Where Away! Weather Bow:
The Quakers believe that vanity is one of the besetting ^^"^ °^ ^^® world, and their rules are very strict against ostentation, either in dress, manner, or style of living.
A
whaleman's way
The forward
side
of
asking in what direction
of the
boat
is it?
from which the wind
is
blowing.
White Water:
When
a whale leaps about in the water thrashing
it
Into
white foam.
Who
gets this:
A "counting out" method of distributing food. One sailor turns his back while another, taking a portion from the tub in which the food is sent to them from the galley, asks gets this". The portion is given to whatever sailor is named. In this manner the meagre fare '^as im-
"Who
partially divided.
—22—
The
Inspiration
'^,
f
The Old Whaler
A
remembrance of our party attending the world premiere of
TO THE SEA IN SHIPS OLYMPIA,
or
DOWN
at the
WEEK OP SEPTEMBER
25th.
1922â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
Additional copies of this programme may be secured at the box office Whaling Film Corporation at 25c each.