Down to the Sea in Ships - Premiere Programme

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.