NARRATIVE
OF THE
MOST EXTRAORDINARY AND DISTRESSING
SHIPWRECK
OF THE
WHALE-SHIP ESSEX,
OF
NANTUCKET;
WHICH WAS ATTACKED AND FINALLY DESTROYED BY A LARGE
SPERMACETI-WHALE,
IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN;
WITH
AN ACCOUNT
OF THE
UNPARALLELED SUFFERINGS
OF THE CAPTAIN AND CREW
DURING A SPACE OF NINETY-THREE DAYS AT SEA, IN OPEN BOATS
IN THE YEARS 1819 & 1820.
BY
OWEN CHASE,
OF NANTUCKET, FIRST MATE OF SAID VESSEL.
_NEW-YORK_:
PUBLISHED BY W. B. GILLEY, 92 BROADWAY.
J. SEYMOUR, Printer.
1821.
_Southern District of New-York, ss._
Be it remembered, That on the thirty-first day of October, in the
forty-sixth year of the Independence of the United States of America,
JONATHAN SEYMOUR, of the said District, hath deposited in this office
the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as proprietor, in the
words and figures following, to wit:
“Narrative of the most extraordinary and distressing shipwreck of
the whale-ship Essex, of Nantucket; which was attacked and finally
destroyed by a large spermaceti-whale, in the Pacific ocean; with an
account of the unparalleled sufferings of the captain and crew
during a space of ninety-three days at sea, in open boats, in the
years 1819 and 1820. By Owen Chase of Nantucket, first mate of said
vessel.”
In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, entitled
“An Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the Copies of
Maps, Charts, and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies,
during the time therein mentioned.” And also to an Act, entitled “an
Act, supplementary to an Act, entitled an Act for the encouragement of
Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the
authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein
mentioned, and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing,
engraving, and etching historical and other prints.”
JAMES DILL,
_Clerk of the Southern District of New-York_.
TO THE READER.
I am aware that the public mind has been already nearly sated with the
private stories of individuals, many of whom had few, if any, claims to
public attention; and the injuries which have resulted from the
promulgation of fictitious histories, and in many instances, of journals
entirely fabricated for the purpose, has had the effect to lessen the
public interest in works of this description, and very much to
undervalue the general cause of truth. It is, however, not the less
important and necessary, that narratives should continue to be furnished
that have their foundations in fact; and the subject of which embraces
new and interesting matter in any department of the arts or sciences.
When the motive is worthy, the subject and style interesting, affording
instruction, exciting a proper sympathy, and withal disclosing new and
astonishing traits of human character:—this kind of information becomes
of great value to the philanthropist and philosopher, and is fully
deserving of attention from every description of readers.
On the subject of the facts contained in this little volume, they are
neither so extravagant as to require the exercise of any great credulity
to believe, nor, I trust, so unimportant or uninteresting, as to forbid
an attentive perusal. It was my misfortune to be a considerable, if not
a principal, sufferer, in the dreadful catastrophe that befel us; and in
it, I not only lost all the little I had ventured, but my situation and
the prospects of bettering it, that at one time seemed to smile upon me,
were all in one short moment destroyed with it. The hope of obtaining
something of remuneration, by giving a short history of my sufferings to
the world, must therefore constitute my claim to public attention.
PREFACE.
The increasing attention which is bestowed upon the whale fishery in the
United States, has lately caused a very considerable commercial
excitement; and no doubt it will become, if it be not at present, as
important and general a branch of commerce as any belonging to our
country. It is now principally confined to a very industrious and
enterprising portion of the population of the States, many individuals
of whom have amassed very rapid and considerable fortunes. It is a
business requiring that labour, economy, and enterprise, for which the
people of Nantucket are so eminently distinguished. It has enriched the
inhabitants without bringing with it the usual corruptions and luxuries
of a foreign trade; and those who are now most successful and
conspicuous in it, are remarkable for the primitive simplicity,
integrity, and hospitality of the island. This trade, if I may so call
it, took its rise amongst the earliest settlers, and has gradually
advanced to the extended, important, and lucrative state in which it now
is, without any material interruption, and with very little competition
until the present time. The late war temporally, but in a great degree
affected its prosperity, by subjecting numerous fine vessels with their
cargoes to capture and loss; but in its short continuance, it was not
sufficient to divert the enterprise of the whalemen, nor to subdue the
active energies of the capitalists embarked in it. At the conclusion of
peace, those energies burst out afresh; and our sails now almost whiten
the distant confines of the Pacific. The English have a few ships there;
and the advantages which they possess over ours, it may be feared will
materially affect our success, by producing in time a much more
extensive and powerful competition. They are enabled to realize a
greater profit from the demand and price of oil in their markets; and
the encouragement afforded by parliament, not only in permitting the
importation of it free of duty, but in granting a liberal bounty. It is
to be hoped that the wisdom of Congress will be extended to this
subject; and that our present decided supremacy will not be lost for the
want of a deserved government patronage.
Recent events have shown that we require a competent naval force in the
Pacific, for the protection of this important and lucrative branch of
commerce; for the want of which, many serious injuries and insults have
been lately received, which have a tendency to retard its flourishing
progress, and which have proved of serious consequence to the parties
concerned.
During the late war, the exertions and intrepidity of Capt. Porter, were
the means of saving a great deal of valuable property, which otherwise
must have fallen into the hands of the enemy. His skilful, spirited, and
patriotic conduct, on all occasions where he was called upon to act,
imparted a protection and confidence to our countrymen, which completely
fulfilled their expectations of him, and without doubt those of the
government in sending him there.
Our ships usually occupy from two to three years in making a voyage.
Occasionally, necessity obliges them to go into port for provisions,
water, and repairs; in some cases, amongst mere savages, and in others,
inhospitable people, from whom they are liable to every species of
fraud, imposition, and force, which require some competent power to awe
and redress. As long as the struggle between the patriots and royalists
continues, or even should that speedily end—as long as young and
instable governments, as there naturally must be for many years to come,
exist there, our whalemen will continue to require that countenance and
support which the importance and prosperity of the trade to them, and to
the country, eminently entitle them. It is, undoubtedly, a most
hazardous business; involving many incidental and unavoidable
sacrifices, the severity of which it seems cruel to increase by the
neglect or refusal of a proper protection.
The seamen employed in the fishery, and particularly those from
Nantucket, are composed of the sons and connexions of the most
respectable families on the island; and, unlike the majority of the
class or profession to which they belong, they labour not only for their
temporary subsistence, but they have an ambition and pride among them
which seeks after distinguishment and promotion. Almost all of them
enter the service with views of a future command; and submit cheerfully
to the hardships and drudgery of the intermediate stations, until they
become thoroughly acquainted with their business.
There are common sailors, boat-steerers, and harpooners: the last of
these is the most honourable and important. It is in this station, that
all the capacity of the young sailor is elicited; on the dexterous
management of the harpoon, the line, and the lance, and in the
adventurous positions which he takes alongside of his enemy, depends
almost entirely the successful issue of his attack; and more real
chivalry is not often exhibited on the deck of a battle-ship, than is
displayed by these hardy sons of the ocean, in some of their gallant
exploits among the whales. Nursed in the dangers of their business, and
exposed to the continual hazards and hardships of all seasons, climates,
and weathers, it will not be surprising if they should become a fearless
set of people, and pre-eminent in all the requisites of good seamen. Two
voyages are generally considered sufficient to qualify an active and
intelligent young man for command; in which time, he learns from
experience, and the examples which are set him, all that is necessary to
be known.
While on this subject, I may be allowed to observe that it would not be
an unprofitable task in a majority of our respectable shipmasters in the
merchant service, to look into the principles of conduct, and study the
economical management of the captains of our whale-ships. I am confident
many serviceable hints could be gathered from the admirable system by
which they regulate their concerns. They would learn, also, what respect
is due to the character and standing of a captain of a whale-ship, which
those of the merchant service affect so much to undervalue. If the post
of danger be the post of honour; and if merit emanates from exemplary
private character, uncommon intelligence, and professional gallantry,
then is it due to a great majority of the shipmasters of Nantucket, that
they should be held above the operations of an invidious and unjust
distinction. It is a curious fact that one does exist; and it is equally
an illiberal, as an undeserved reproach upon them, which time and an
acquaintance with their merits must speedily wipe away.
The reader is requested to notice the following errors, which have
resulted from the haste in transcribing the original narrative.
Page 23, line 2, for “one vows,” read _are now_.
44, line 15, for “one,” read, _none_.
57, line 11, for “keeled,” read, _heeled_.
57, line 8, for “of,” read, _and_.
65, line 9, for “momentous,” read _momentary_.
102, line 6, for “Mather,” read _Matthew_.
107, line 9, after “ourselves,” insert _it_.
NARRATIVE.
CHAPTER I.
The town of Nantucket, in the State of Massachusetts, contains about
eight thousand inhabitants; nearly a third part of the population are
quakers, and they are, taken together, a very industrious and
enterprising people. On this island are owned about one hundred vessels,
of all descriptions, engaged in the whale trade, giving constant
employment and support to upwards of sixteen hundred hardy seamen, a
class of people proverbial for their intrepidity. This fishery is not
carried on to any extent from any other part of the United States,
except from the town of New-Bedford, directly opposite to Nantucket,
where are owned probably twenty sail. A voyage generally lasts about two
years and a half, and with an entire uncertainty of success. Sometimes
they are repaid with speedy voyages and profitable cargoes, and at
others they drag out a listless and disheartening cruise, without
scarcely making the expenses of an outfit. The business is considered a
very hazardous one, arising from unavoidable accidents, in carrying on
an exterminating warfare against those great leviathans of the deep; and
indeed a Nantucket man is on all occasions fully sensible of the honour
and merit of his profession; no doubt because he knows that his laurels,
like the soldier’s, are plucked from the brink of danger. Numerous
anecdotes are related of the whalemen of Nantucket; and stories of
hair-breadth ’scapes, and sudden and wonderful preservation, are handed
down amongst them, with the fidelity, and no doubt many of them with the
characteristic fictions of the ancient legendary tales. A spirit of
adventure amongst the sons of other relatives of those immediately
concerned in it, takes possession of their minds at a very early age;
captivated with the tough stories of the elder seamen, and seduced, as
well by the natural desire of seeing foreign countries, as by the hopes
of gain, they launch forth six or eight thousand miles from home, into
an almost untraversed ocean, and spend from two to three years of their
lives in scenes of constant peril, labour, and watchfulness. The
profession is one of great ambition, and full of honourable excitement:
a tame man is never known amongst them; and the coward is marked with
that peculiar aversion, that distinguishes our public naval service.
There are perhaps no people of superior corporeal powers; and it has
been truly said of them, that they possess a natural aptitude, which
seems rather the lineal spirit of their fathers, than the effects of any
experience. The town itself, during the war, was (naturally to have been
expected,) on the decline; but with the return of peace it took a fresh
start, and a spirit for carrying on the fishery received a renewed and
very considerable excitement. Large capitals are now embarked; and some
of the finest ships that our country can boast of are employed in it.
The increased demand, within a few years past, from the spermaceti
manufactories, has induced companies and individuals in different parts
of the Union to become engaged in the business; and if the future
consumption of the manufactured article bear any proportion to that of
the few past years, this species of commerce will bid fair to become the
most profitable and extensive that our country possesses. From the
accounts of those who were in the early stages of the fishery concerned
in it, it would appear, that the whales have been driven, like the
beasts of the forest, before the march of civilization, into remote and
more unfrequented seas, until now, they are followed by the enterprise
and perseverance of our seamen, even to the distant coasts of Japan.
The ship Essex, commanded by captain George Pollard, junior, was fitted
out at Nantucket, and sailed on the 12th day of August, 1819, for the
Pacific Ocean, on a whaling voyage. Of this ship I was first mate. She
had lately undergone a thorough repair in her upper works, and was at
that time, in all respects, a sound, substantial vessel: she had a crew
of twenty-one men, and was victualled and provided for two years and a
half. We left the coast of America with a fine breeze, and steered for
the Western Islands. On the second day out, while sailing moderately on
our course in the Gulf Stream, a sudden squall of wind struck the ship
from the SW. and knocked her completely on her beam-ends, stove one of
our boats, entirely destroyed two others, and threw down the cambouse.
We distinctly saw the approach of this gust, but miscalculated
altogether as to the strength and violence of it. It struck the ship
about three points off the weather quarter, at the moment that the man
at the helm was in the act of putting her away to run before it. In an
instant she was knocked down with her yards in the water; and before
hardly a moment of time was allowed for reflection, she gradually came
to the wind, and righted. The squall was accompanied with vivid flashes
of lightning, and heavy and repeated claps of thunder. The whole ship’s
crew were, for a short time, thrown into the utmost consternation and
confusion; but fortunately the violence of the squall was all contained
in the first gust of the wind, and it soon gradually abated, and became
fine weather again. We repaired our damage with little difficulty, and
continued on our course, with the loss of the two boats. On the 30th of
August we made the island of Floros, one of the western group called the
Azores. We lay off and on the island for two days, during which time our
boats landed and obtained a supply of vegetables and a few hogs: from
this place we took the NE. trade-wind, and in sixteen days made the Isle
of May, one of the Cape de Verds. As we were sailing along the shore of
this island, we discovered a ship stranded on the beach, and from her
appearance took her to be a whaler. Having lost two of our boats, and
presuming that this vessel had probably some belonging to her that might
have been saved, we determined to ascertain the name of the ship, and
endeavour to supply if possible the loss of our boats from her. We
accordingly stood in towards the port, or landing place. After a short
time three men were discovered coming out to us in a whale boat. In a
few moments they were alongside, and informed us that the wreck was the
Archimedes of New-York, captain George B. Coffin, which vessel had
struck on a rock near the island about a fortnight previously; that all
hands were saved by running the ship on shore, and that the captain and
crew had gone home. We purchased the whale boat of these people,
obtained some few more pigs, and again set sail. Our passage thence to
Cape Horn was not distinguished for any incident worthy of note. We made
the longitude of the Cape about the 18th of December, having experienced
head winds for nearly the whole distance. We anticipated a moderate time
in passing this noted land, from the season of the year at which we were
there, being considered the most favourable; but instead of this, we
experienced heavy westerly gales, and a most tremendous sea, that
detained us off the Cape five weeks, before we had got sufficiently to
the westward to enable us to put away. Of the passage of this famous
Cape it may be observed, that strong westerly gales and a heavy sea are
its almost universal attendants: the prevalence and constancy of this
wind and sea necessarily produce a rapid current, by which vessels are
set to leeward; and it is not without some favourable slant of wind that
they can in many cases get round at all. The difficulties and dangers of
the passage are proverbial; but as far as my own observation extends,
(and which the numerous reports of the whalemen corroborate,) you can
always rely upon a long and regular sea; and although the gales may be
very strong and stubborn, as they undoubtedly are, they are not known to
blow with the destructive violence that characterizes some of the
tornadoes of the western Atlantic Ocean. On the 17th of January, 1820,
we arrived at the island of St. Mary’s, lying on the coast of Chili, in
latitude 36° 59′ S. longitude 73° 41′ W. This island is a sort of
rendezvous for whalers, from which they obtain their wood and water, and
between which and the main land (a distance of about ten miles) they
frequently cruise for a species of whale called the right whale. Our
object in going in there was merely to get the news. We sailed thence to
the island of Massafuera, where we got some wood and fish, and thence
for the cruising ground along the coast of Chili, in search of the
spermaceti-whale. We took there eight, which yielded us two hundred and
fifty barrels of oil; and the season having by this time expired, we
changed our cruising ground to the coast of Peru. We obtained there five
hundred and fifty barrels. After going into the small port of Decamas,
and replenishing our wood and water, on the 2d October we set sail for
the Gallipagos Islands. We came to anchor, and laid seven days off
Hood’s Island, one of the group; during which time we stopped a leak
which we had discovered, and obtained three hundred turtle. We then
visited Charles Island, where we procured sixty more. These turtle are a
most delicious food, and average in weight generally about one hundred
pounds, but many of them weigh upwards of eight hundred. With these,
ships usually supply themselves for a great length of time, and make a
great saving of other provisions. They neither eat nor drink, nor is the
least pains taken with them; they are strewed over the deck, thrown
under foot, or packed away in the hold, as it suits convenience. They
will live upwards of a year without food or water, but soon die in a
cold climate. We left Charles Island on the 23d of October, and steered
off to the westward, in search of whales. In latitude 1° 0′ S. longitude
118° W. on the 16th of November, in the afternoon, we lost a boat during
our work in a shoal of whales. I was in the boat myself, with five
others, and was standing in the fore part, with the harpoon in my hand,
well braced, expecting every instant to catch sight of one of the shoal
which we were in, that I might strike; but judge of my astonishment and
dismay, at finding myself suddenly thrown up in the air, my companions
scattered about me, and the boat fast filling with water. A whale had
come up directly under her, and with one dash of his tail, had stove her
bottom in, and strewed us in every direction around her. We, however,
with little difficulty, got safely on the wreck, and clung there until
one of the other boats which had been engaged in the shoal, came to our
assistance, and took us off. Strange to tell, not a man was injured by
this accident. Thus it happens very frequently in the whaling business,
that boats are stove; oars, harpoons, and lines broken; ancles and
wrists sprained; boats upset, and whole crews left for hours in the
water, without any of these accidents extending to the loss of life. We
are so much accustomed to the continual recurrence of such scenes as
these, that we become familiarized to them, and consequently always feel
that confidence and self-possession, which teaches us every expedient in
danger, and inures the body, as well as the mind, to fatigue, privation,
and peril, in frequent cases exceeding belief. It is this danger and
hardship that makes the sailor; indeed it is the distinguishing
qualification amongst us; and it is a common boast of the whaleman, that
he has escaped from sudden and apparently inevitable destruction oftener
than his fellow. He is accordingly valued on this account, without much
reference to other qualities.