13 minute read
by Edouard A. Stackpole
9 "Off to California" The Voyage of the ship "Henry Astor" from Nantucket in 1849.
By Edouard A. Stackpole THROUGH THE INTEREST and kindness of Mrs. Helen Hussey Ludolph, of Sonoma, California, the Nantucket Historical Association has been most fortunate in acquiring the logbooks of three Nantucket ships, as well as typescripts of the logbooks of two other Island whaleships. The logbooks are those of the ship Richard Mitchell, Capt. Robert McCleave, 1848-1852; the Oliver Crocker, Capt. Robert McCleave, of New Bedford, 1854-1858; and the ship Henry Astor, Captain George F. Joy, of Nantucket, 1849, which is a journal kept by Henry P. McCleave, on a voyage to California from Nantucket. The two typescripts are copies of the ship Loper, Capt. Obed Starbuck, 1824-1826, and of the ship Rambler, Capt. Robert McCleave, 1838-1842.
These priceless records of Nantucket's maritime past were presented by Mrs. Ludolph on September 12, at a quiet ceremony held in the parlors of the Jared Coffin House, and then placed in a vault at the Peter Foulger Museum. A time span of more than a century and a quarter had elapsed since they had left Nantucket for their interim home in California. Now back in the old "home port," they are valuable additions to the collections of logbooks and journals which have become so important to the maritime history of Nantucket.
The Journal of Henry P. McCleave for the voyage of the Henry Astor, from Nantucket to California in 1849, is especially interesting. The news of discovery of gold in the hills and dales around San Francisco had reached Nantucket at a particularly crucial time. The town that whale oil had created had recently suffered a catastrophe when the Great Fire of 1846 had burned out the business section of Main Street Square and spread across the complete range of the wharves, destroying cooper shops, sail lofts, oil refineries and candle houses. The competition with other whaling ports had become a challenge, and despite the success of the "Camels," that helped float the ships over the handicap of the shoal Nantucket Bar, Nantucket faced a grim prospect.
With the news from California, the gold-rush adventure appealed to Nantucketers disheartened by the future for the old whaling town. Several owners sent letters to intercept their ships on the west coast of South America, and ordered the shipmasters to sail for San Francisco. From October, 1848, to December, 1849, ships leaving Boston, New York and Fall River carried Nantucket passengers. In the year 1849 alone there sailed from Nantucket fourteen sliips, brigs and schooners bound around Cape Horn to San Francisco. First to sail from this har-
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bor was the Aurora, Captain Seth M. Swain, which sailed on January 9,1849. The owners of the ship, Charles & Henry Coffin, planned to sell the ship when she reached San Francisco, with all hands free to leave her when she reached port.
The second Nantucket vessel to sail directly to California was another of the Coffin brothers' vessels — the Henry Astor — which was commanded by Captain George F. Joy. One unusual feature of the voyage was the creation of a company, the Astor Mining Company, in which owners, officers and crew of the ship were partners, with the interests of the owners being protected by Captain Joy, who also was to serve as the Company treasurer. A Constitution was drawn up, with the regulations carefully written and all legal clauses included.
When Henry P. McCleave began his Journal of the voyage of the Henry Astor he was just nineteen years old. The care and attention to detail that becomes a feature of his account is a tribute to his experience and judgement, and it is apparent that he had some seafaring background. His first entry on March 12,1849, draws a clear picture of the exciting beginning of the voyage, and he described this important day:
"First part of these 24 hours commences with light airs from westward. At 2 PM left Nantucket Harbor in the Camels, towed out by the steamers Massachusetts and Telegraph. We were cleared from the Camels about 3 PM and towed out as far as the end of Great Point Rip, by the Telegraph, and the Telegraph left us about 7 o'clock the same evening with a light breeze from the Southwest, which remained through the night. At 7 AM a shoal of porpoises played around our bow, and we struck one and lost him by the iron drawing "
The "Camels" were a type of floating dry-dock, invented a few years earlier by Peter Folger Ewer, which enabled a fully loaded whaleship to be towed out of or into the harbor over the shoal stretch of Nantucket Bar. The description provided by Henry P. McCleave's Journal gives an excellent summation of the procedures and time involved in the operation, in this case a most satisfactory one.
On Wednesday, March 14, the Henry Astor was well out to sea, with all sail set and on a course east-southeast. On that day the McCleave record gives her Latitude at 40° 10' North, and her Longitude at 66° 10' West. With a strong northeast breeze the course to the southeast was maintained, although a strong southwest gale forced them to shorten sail for a day. A two-line quotation appears at the foot of the en-
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try for March 21, reading:
On April 15, 1849, in the afternoon, during light airs, they sighted and spoke the brig Solon, Captain J.W. Boles, of Mattapoisett, returning home from an Atlantic voyage. (The brig reached her home port on July 29.) The Henry Astor crossed the Equator on April 19, being in Longitude 21° 21' west at this time.
Tragedy visited the ship on May 13, on her sixty-first day out of Nantucket. Continuing on their south by east course, they found the wind increasing to a point where it was necessary to double-reef the topsails. The complete entry for that day gives the grim picture:
"While close reefing in the fore-topsail, Mr. Charles B. Myrick, one of the crew, fell from the fore-topsail yard, and struck his back against the foreyard and went overboard. We lowered the larboard boat and went after him, but he sank before reaching him. He passed by the ship lying on his back, apparently lifeless, for ropes were thrown upon him and he took no notice of them, nor never made any movement after falling. At 6:00 PM took in our fore and mizzen topsails "
The Henry Astor continued on her steady course, alternating from the south by west to southwest, proving to be an excellent vessel, and made good progress through the rest of the month and into June. As she came up to the Brazil Banks, she took soundings and found a depth of 55 fathoms on June 8, 87 days out. The first land seen on the east coast of South America was at Cape Watchman, a little south of Cape Blanco, Argentina, and they promptly changed course and stood off at the southeast. By observation the Latitude was determined to be at 48° 55' south, and the Longitude at 65° 25' west. It was the 89th day out.
On June 14, they met the Obed Mitchell, a former Nantucket whaleship, then of New Bedford, which was also bound for California, and was 74 days out. Shortly after the two vessels spoke each other, the lookout sighted Cape St. John, on Staten Island, bearing west, some 30 miles away.This was a familiar landfall for vessels approaching Cape Horn. A large Boston ship was then sighted, the Somerset, bound for California, carrying six topsails. In the vicinity of Cape Horn, the Journal noted: "So ends this day off Cape Horn, with all night and no day. Sun rises at one-quarter to 9 AM and sets at one-quarter past 3 PM."
T HE V O YA G E O F T HE H E N R Y A S T O R
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With the wind against them, they wore ship and headed west northwest, and 8 PM wore ship again. During the night there was a more favorable slant of wind, and during the next six hours they sighted two ships, a schooner and a brig, all making a passage around Cape Horn. The wind veered from northwest to southwest, with gales and calms, hail and snow, and a heavy swell. On their 100th day out, they managed to make some westering, and the next observation confirmed that they had rounded Cape Horn at last.
Snow squalls were the order of each day for the rest of the week, but it was estimated that they had sailed 210 miles on a course which slowly carried them on a northwest by north course. All hands cheered up, and the Journal's heading for the days now began with the bold sentence: "From Nantucket to San Francisco."
On June 30 — on their 109th day out — the ship had continued to make excellent progress, but a series of north by west gales forced them to take in their topsails, and they doubled-reefed the foresail and lay to for the remainder of the day. The wind veered more to the west the day following and they were able to maintain a more northerly course.
On July 2, at seven in the morning, they made the Island of Juan Fernandez, bearing northeast, then some 40 miles distant. The wind being fair they made for the island, with the intention of "Going ashore in order to get wood and water, and allow the passengers with an excursion". It was 3 AM when they tacked ship heading north-northwest, Juan Fernandez then being some 10 miles ahead. After approaching the island they lay off-and-on, waiting for an opportunity to land, but with the wind increasing they were not able to lower a boat for the landing. The Journal continued thus:
On July 5 the ship's company celebrated the "Glorious Fourth" and the crew and passengers enjoyed "dancing and eating cake". The Latitude was reckoned at 31° 09' south, and the Longitude at 79° west. The weather became most pleasant, and the northerly course was aided by a strong west-southwest wind. On July 9 they were 115 days from Nantucket, and the favorable weather continued. The Journal's concluding entry for that day reads:
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That there was another whaling company represented in the passengers was revealed by an entry on July 12, which stated: "The Sherburne Mining Company employed in fixing their boat." On the following day the company was "still engaged in fitting out their boat." The weather continued pleasant and warm, and the ship had all sail set. August saw the good weather continuing. A school of sperm whales attracted the attention of all hands, a reminder of the ship's original business. They gained well on their course, and on August 10 their Latitude was figured at 16° 45' north.
Two more weeks of good weather, with only a few rain squalls to cause any problems, found them bowling along at a good rate. On August 31 Captain Joy changed course while in Latitude 36° 25' north, and the ship was put on a course due east, tacking on occasion to catch the slant of the wind. On the next day they sighted a bark steering in the same direction, and on the following day a ship also headed to the east was discerned. For the next few days several ships were sighted, all on t he s a m e c o u r se a s t he H e n r y A s t o r .
September 7,1849, was an exciting day. They came up to a bark heading in the same direction as themselves, and they sent a boat, manned by the crew, to intercept the bark. At 3 o'clock that afternoon the boat returned with a quantity of news. The bark they had been able to reach proved to be bark Griffon, of Newark, N.J., under Captain R . M . Ha l st ed , a n d t hey we r e 1 7 3 d a y s f r o m h o me . T h e G r i f f o n reported having heard or seen twenty-one ships and barks during her voyage, including a number of whaleships. The Griffon had stopped at Juan Fernandez and obtained a list of vessels that had touched there up to July 16.
A bit of excitement on July 9th was occasioned by Alexander Coffin falling overboard. Fortunately it was a calm day, "and he was in no hurry about getting back aboard". A porpoise was sighted and a boat lowered to kill him and provide some tender meat for the hungry people on the ship. On September 11th, the Latitude having been determined as 38° 10' north, the course became changed to east-southeast, and later southeast. The weather now became heavy with fog, and continued for a few more days. The brig Rudolph, of Boston, bound for San Francisco was sighted, 201 days out.
The H e n r y A s t o r lay to for some hours, then continued, alternating the course from southeast to east-northwest, with heavy fog. At 8 AM on September 16 they saw land bearing due east, fifteen miles away, "and steered for it, and at 11 AM they dropped anchor in Yerba Cove at San Francisco, 188 days out from Nantucket."
The Journal ends with this entry. But a notation has been entered
THE VOYAGE OF THE H E N R Y A S T O R
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at the end of that particular final day. It reads:
"October 9th, 1876. Father left home to make Nantucket a visit after being away from it 22 years, 6 months and 26 days. Little did he think when he was writing these lines at the top of this page it would be so long before he would again see the Island. It was a pleasant day when he left here. He went by railroad."
The H e n r y A s t o r was built in New York City as a merchantman in 1820. She was bought as a whaler for Hudson, New York, in 1831, and sailed in that year under Captain William Rawson, on a Pacific whaling voyage, from which she returned in 1835. Sailing again that same year under Captain Rawson, the ship returned in 1839, and was sold to William R. Easton at Nantucket. Her first voyage from Nantucket was in 1840, under the command of Captain Seth Pinkham, who died on the passage home in 1844. She sailed again that same year under Captain Thomas Coffin, 2d, returning in 1848. Within a few months she was being fitted out for her last voyage by the firm of Charles and Henry Coffin. Upon her grrival at San Francisco she was sold.
Captain George F. Joy selected Alexander H. Coffin as his First Mate. The second mate was Obed Fosdick, and John G. Chase was the 3rd mate. The ship's physician was Isaac Thompson. Alvin N. Fisher was the Agent for the Astor Mining Company. The crew numbered ten men: the passenger list — 46.
