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The Long Voyage of Captain Bunker and Fate of Mate Coffin
T h e L o n g V o y a g e o f C ap t a i n B u n k e r a n d F a t e o f Ma t e C o ffi n
AMONG FAMILY PAPERS in the possession of Mrs. Lewis S. (Coffin) Edgarton, of 56 Centre Street, is an unusual letter written by Captain Charles G. Bunker, master of the ship Volant, a merchant vessel, sailing from Wilmington, Delaware, to Brazil. The letter not only recounts the experience of a hard-luck ship on a long, protracted voyage, but gives in grim detail the sufferings of the young Nantucket officer, Mate Peter Fosdick Coffin, who was the half-brother of John Bridger Coffin, Mrs. Edgarton's father. Both men were sons of Captain Henry F. and Hepsibeth Coffin, of Nantucket.
Captain Bunker's letter was to his wife, Mary M. (Cary) Bunker. It is dated October 14, 1866, "At Sea, Lat. 3 Degrees 30 Minutes N. Log. 41 Degrees W.," and reads as follows:
"My Dear Wife:
As it has always been my custom to commence a letter to you at sea, I will continue to do so now, feeling assured that you will be more than anxious to hear from me because of the great length of time I am from home. I am happy to inform you that, through the special graces of God, I am in my usual good health, with perhaps a little more rheumatism in my arms than common, which is hardly worthy of note under the peculiar trying circumstances I have been placed in since leaving Wilmington, a faint outline of which I will endeavor to portray. I feel myself incompetent for the task as I know words can not be found sufficiently strong to give you the faintest idea of my suffering, both mental and physical
"A few days after leaving Wilmington I discovered that fever symptoms were beginning to appear among my crew. . .what appeared to be billious, intermittent fever, until all were down except myself and one man. The weather being fine at the time, he and I got the vessel under short sail, and went to work upon the sick. The vessel in the meantime went as she pleased, but mostly on course, until we met a gale of wind which came near destroying us, blowing away the sails we did leave up and causing the vessel to leak badly.
The Long Voyage of Captain Bunker
"After the gale abated my only remaining well man was taken down with chills and fever, so that I was now left alone, except that God was near me to give me superhuman strength to perform wonders in pumping the ship and attending the sick. . . .
"Mr. Coffin was very low, indeed, but has since somewhat recovered, so that he is able to help himself a little. One of the men died and I buried him the best way I could with the help of one of the sick ones.
"For days, and weeks, I was going to say, we drifted about the ocean, a prey to the elements, trying to stay on course. . .as often as I could get a little help to keep her on course, always hoping for the time the sick folks would get better. I never saw such a sickness in my life, for even after the fever left them they could not regain their strength — being up and trying to do what they could one day and the next day down again. I was never sure of having any help, and many a time when I got a little sail on the vessel, and we were getting along a little, I was left all alone at the wheel, without a man able to show himself on deck.
"I have been compelled to lash the wheel, and let the vessel go where she pleased, while I went into the galley to cook something for the sick or make poultices. In short, as I told you in the beginning, the scenes on deck could never be described. And, worst of all, we had the worst weather I have ever had in any of my voyages. Now that we have four of us able to be on our feet we find ourselves down near the Equator, and so far to the westward that I don't know as we can ever fetch Maranham because we have lost so many of our sails. But I thank God I have learned to put my trust in him, and so I live from day to day, suffering cheerfully because it is my Father's will.
"Mr. Coffin was the sickest man to live that I ever saw, and, of course, he and one other are the slowest to recover. But my arms ache and I must close.
"October 20th. 1 Degree South — 41 Degrees West. We have just spoken the schooner Isabella, bound to New York, and, Oh!, how it made our hearts thrill at the very sight, and
especially the name — New York. It is the second vessel we have seen since leaving Wilmington, 56 days ago. I asked them to report us, and I hope they will, as I know your anxiety must be great, especially if Mr. Folger should let you know that they have heard from us being all sick.
"When we were first attacked by the sickness I spoke an English ship who provided us with medicine, and by whom I sent a few lines to Lewis and Folger, telling them not to worry about us, and I hope they used discretion.
"Mr. Coffin is a little better today. There are still four of us able to work, although neither of us can do half a man's duty. But God is our support and he sustains us. I never felt the need of God's help so much as now; nor did I ever feel my dependence more sensibly or my gratitude more fully than during these trying months. I do feel that whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and I hope I will be able to bear the rod without a murmur. . . .1 do feel that I have been an instrument in his hands of causing those around me to look to Him for aid in all their trials.
"My heart is full to overflowing but I felt as though I must write to.you. . . .We have just anchored at this place for which God be praised. The doctor has been on board and put us in quarentine, as he thinks we have a contagious disease on board. Mr. Coffin is very ill and all the others except one man and myself areto betaken on shore to the Hospital. I cannot go on shore, consequently I can not tell what I shall do, but help I must have if I can get it. I can not write more for my heart aches too much, so goodbye 'til I feel better.
"Monday morning.
"Thank God I have passed through as anxious a night as I ever did and feel none the worse for it. At 5 p.m. yesterday an order came from the Board of Health to remove all the sick from the vessel, but Mr. Coffin was so delirious that I would not let him go. Just at that moment the Board of Health Officer came on board and demanded that he should go on shore, and I am happy to say I have just taken him there and just left him very comfortable, with a strong hope of his recovery.
"I am now left with one man, and tonight I mean to go on shore and watch with Mr. Coffin again, as I firmly believe that had I not done so last night he would not now be alive. If God had not been with me I could not have performed what I have done in getting the vessel in here. In all my seafaring life I have never been placed under such trying circumstances, but my trust has been in God, assured that he will never forsake me, if even at times I forget my obligations to him.
"I cannot communicate with the City, so that I don't know what chance there is for sending this. Therefore, I hope soon to announce to you that all my crew are well and able to go to work, that I may get a little relief from mv herculean task. Just think, for a moment, to be at sea, with every man on board sick and unable to work, except the Captain. Why, such a case is scarcely on record, but as I said before, my trust in God is a host in itself. I must now close and get my own dinner or go without.
"Tuesday morning. "As I anticipated, I am now compelled to hurry and get this finished as the mail leaves in a few hours, and I have letters to write to my owners. I have just come on board, having watched with Mr. Coffin during the past night. The best doctors in the country are attending to him and the others, and everything is being done that can be. I trust through God he may be spared to those who love him. . .long attendance on him has endeared him to me. You must write to his dear friends with hope and assurance as I have not the heart to do.
"Please don't fail to write Captain Coffin giving all the hope you can, knowing as you must that Peter F. was a great sufferer, but is far from out of danger now. . . .he is only waiting God's will. . . ."
Copy of a letter forwarded on board ship Guiding Star.
"I wrote you a few days ago that I had a sad heart because of my situation. . . .that letter contained a few details of my voyage here and I sent the same by way of England. As I have since learned there is a prospect of getting this letter to you sooner I have this in readiness.
"Now I can only communicate to you what I have little heart to do in writing to Captain Coffin and family, feeling assured that you can break the sad intelligence to them better than I can. Their beloved son has taken his departure from this world and gone to Heaven. . . .
"He died in my arms, and the little seeming suffering that he had was borne with Christian resignation. He had long before told me the secrets of his heart, and I do believe God used me as an instrument in. . . .regard to the simplicity of his soul's salvation, and I feel assured that all is well with him. He was delirious for several hours before he died, but his last sane words were thanks to me for my attention and begging me to write to his father — whom he always took me to be in his moments of delirium. Everything was done that could be done, but he was so weakened by disease that his poor emaciated frame could not stand it, and so he died. . . .Do not give yourself any uneasiness about me for God will take care of me, and if it is his good will and pleasure I shall see you all again."
Writing to Captain Henry F. Coffin, the father of Peter F. Coffin, under date of December 9, 1866, Captain Bunker expressed his sorrow at the fate of his son, stating: "I trust that you will believe me when I say that, after attending your son for over 50 days, I became more attached to him than ever before. . .and I know he loved me in return for what I tried to do for him. . . .He was decently buried in a secluded grave yard of the city, the Consul officiating. . . .Let the assurance of one who loves you all console you in your bereavement, believing, as I trust you will, that all was done that could be done by one devoted friend to another."
Captain Charles G. Bunker reported that yellow fever was given by the health authorities of Maranham as the cause of the sickness that swept his ship and caused the deaths of Mate Coffin and one crew member. He was forced to sell the ship and her cargo in Brazil. Mate Coffin's trunk was sent home to Nantucket via New York and a certain Captain Swain, having been brought back to the United States by the schooner Eddie Waters, Captain Folsom, on which vessel it was shipped by Captain Bunker.
Despite his sad voyage Captain Bunker continued to go to sea. He was forty-eight years old at the time of his long voyage in the Volant, and was not again to experience this misfortune. After a long career as a shipmaster he retired to live in Brooklyn, New York, and he died at the age of 90 on April 12, 1908, his last days being spent in company with other veteran mariners at Sailors' Snug Harbor on Staten Island.
ERECTED A.D.IS8I BY * DESCENDANT OF THE FIRST SETTLERS OF NANYUCKCT IN ICMORT OF TNOSC WHOSE REMAINS ARI BURIED ON THIS MAllOWEO SPOT. • HERE STOOD THE FIRST CHURCH GATHERED HERE IN'lTll. SINCE REMOVEO >0 WHERE IT NO* STAN08 AS THE VESTRY OF THE riRST JONCRtCATlOHAl SOCIETY.
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