Cruise of the Dashing Wave: Rounding Cape Horn in 1860

Cruise of the Dashing Wave

ashing ave Cruise of the Original hand-drawn cover of the manuscript“Cruise of the Dashing Wave,” showing the clipper ship passing Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse south of Boston. (Record Group 19:“Cruise of the Dashing Wave,” National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, D.C.) 21 August 15, 1860. As Carpenter of the Ship. Started from Boston with a North-west wind; parted company with the tow-boat at 1:30 o’clock, and bid farewell to friends. The first work for the carpenter was to assist in getting the ship under way, pulling and hauling at anything that became necessary. Toward afternoon, the ship was about off Minot’s Ledge, and then I went to work putting parcelling and battens around the edge of the booby-hatch,which took some time on account of every thing being new. The captain came to me where I was working and said,“Well, carpenter ain’t you got that hatch done yet.” He remarked that he could do it himself in fifteen minutes. About this time I began to feel a little discouraged in my stomach, and night time coming on, I turned in to sleep for the first time aboard the ship. Being tired and sleepy, I knew nothing until the morning. Upon turning out,the ship was rolling so that it was almost impossible for me to stand on deck, so I turned into my berth again and slept all that day and the night following. August 17th, 1860. The Captain sent for me. I turned out, and upon going to him he told me to make a staff for the dog-vane; but I told him that I was not able to work, to which he replied by giving me permission to lay off for the day. August 18th, 1860. The wind is blowing quite fresh, a reef has been taken in the mizzen topsail . I did a little carpentering about the ship this day, driving the pins out of the shackles of the chain, and other small jobs. Being sick all the time it was almost impossible for me to move at all, accordingly I improved Cruise of the Dashing Wave: Rounding Cape Horn in 1860 22 every opportunity to sit down; my favorite position being on the step of the door where I lived. One thing I omitted was, on the morning of the 17th it was discovered that two boys had stowed themselves away aboard the ship before we started. The captain called them aft at eight bells, and asked them how they came to stow themselves away aboard the ship, and told them first that he would hang them up in the rigging,but afterwards told them that they should work the whole passage; then they were sent forward. The stowaways proved to be Charles Emerson of Boston, aged 19, and Andrew J. Cate of Charlestown. The former’s name subsequently proved to be Frank Preston. Cate was 16 years of age. He told me next day that he lived in Charlestown on Allston Street, and that he knew all of my brothers. I asked him on Sunday evening how he liked going to sea, to which he replied,“Oh my, I wish that I were at home.” The boys had only such clothing as they stood in, and while stowed away they were sick several times, so that you can imagine how nice and clean they looked. Charles Emerson,or rather Frank Preston,was put in the mate’s watch with me, while Andrew Cate was in the second-mate’s watch. The sailors gave them a few clothes and allowed them to sleep in their berths. August 19th, 1860. Being Sunday, I turned out and washed myself, feeling better than any day before. Nothing of any account transpired during the day. All the men and boys were lying about talking of home. I don’t think there was hardly another person aboard but who felt worse than I did; for having been sick, I felt refreshed on recovering. August 20th, 1860. I opened the fore hatch, which being a very bad one, proved quite a job for me. It took six bails of oakum to caulk it. To pay it, I had to heat the pitch, and to do that I was obliged to use the galley, a thing which made 23 Cruise of the Dashing Wave Dashing Wave off Boston...