Who would have guessed that 20 mile south of Ashland WI I would have a friend that owns a whale vertebra? The hole is where the spinal cord would pass.
The dollar bill is 6 inches long.Tuesday, December 31, 2024
Friends come through again. Who would have guessed.
Who would have guessed that 20 mile south of Ashland WI I would have a friend that owns a whale vertebra? The hole is where the spinal cord would pass.The dollar bill is 6 inches long.
Final preparations for the May 3rd 1876 departure.
According to Clifford W. Ashley in his 1926 book The Yankee Whaler sailing on a whaling ship in 1904 was as it has aways been. When speaking of the country's early industries he tells us ........
In 1854 one hundred and thirteen whaling ships sailed from the port in
New Bedford MA. By the turn of the century there were only five remaining ships.
For all of those years, the day of sailing was one of sadness, anticipation and for many reluctance and denial.
Each of the ships that sailed from any port had an agent. Agents were responsible for securing and delivering the crews to the ship. This often, was a case of herding those crew members from their life on shore to their departing ship. Some reluctant crew members failed to show at all.
Ashley describes a typical scene at one agents office, a room in the rear of the agents clothing and outfitting establishment.
Many had excuses to avoid the inevitable. One forgot to say goodbye to his mother yet another had left his overcoat home. The agents rushed frantically about rounding up each man, not once, but for some, a half a dozen times.
With this picture in mind lets get ready to gather our crew, The crew of the bark Tropic Bird for there up coming 30 month voyage to the South Atlantic. The master for this voyage Owen H. Tilton.
Each man including the Captain had agreed to his compensation for the voyage. Ashley explains the system of "a lay" used rather than that of wages. Each man earns a portion of the gross earning for the voyage. The captain might receive as much as one seventh and the cabin boy as little as two hundred and twenty fifth or the long lay.
So on this May 3, 2009 133 years after the original voyage of the Tropic Bird we invite you along on this voyage as we read each log entry.
"of all pursuits it [whaling] has preserved, to the greatest degree its original picturesqueness"..... sperm whaling remains the same as it has been for a century."
In 1854 one hundred and thirteen whaling ships sailed from the port in
New Bedford MA. By the turn of the century there were only five remaining ships.
For all of those years, the day of sailing was one of sadness, anticipation and for many reluctance and denial.
Each of the ships that sailed from any port had an agent. Agents were responsible for securing and delivering the crews to the ship. This often, was a case of herding those crew members from their life on shore to their departing ship. Some reluctant crew members failed to show at all.
Ashley describes a typical scene at one agents office, a room in the rear of the agents clothing and outfitting establishment.
"the front office was crowded and noisy, but the real hubbub was in the small back room. Here the sailors, howling and pounding, were locked up when caught, and held till the return of a wagon to take them to the waterfront."
Many had excuses to avoid the inevitable. One forgot to say goodbye to his mother yet another had left his overcoat home. The agents rushed frantically about rounding up each man, not once, but for some, a half a dozen times.
With this picture in mind lets get ready to gather our crew, The crew of the bark Tropic Bird for there up coming 30 month voyage to the South Atlantic. The master for this voyage Owen H. Tilton.
Each man including the Captain had agreed to his compensation for the voyage. Ashley explains the system of "a lay" used rather than that of wages. Each man earns a portion of the gross earning for the voyage. The captain might receive as much as one seventh and the cabin boy as little as two hundred and twenty fifth or the long lay.
So on this May 3, 2009 133 years after the original voyage of the Tropic Bird we invite you along on this voyage as we read each log entry.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Saturday, July 23, 2016
Monday, February 14, 2011
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
It seems the Captain hasn't got back his sea legs after shore leave.
Sorry for the late posts... logbook entries below. Week 15 and 16.
Week 16 at sea. Aug. 14th to Aug. 20, 1876. Four months out.
Monday August th/14
Begins with light airs from N. and pleasant
weather at 4 1/2 P.M. gamed the Janet Capt
Gartland with 750 bls oil Lat part light wind from
NW. ship heading N.N.E. one sail in sight
Lat 34-00 N Lon 44-47 W
[Bark Janet, Capt. Peter Gartland, left New Bedford
14 Apr 1875, returning 4 Nov 1876]Tuesday Aug th/15
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind
from N.W. stearing N.N.E. the Janet in
sight Lat part pleasant SHip heading N.E. wind
light from N.N.W. crew employed about the Ship
Lat 34-20 N Lon 44-19 WWednesday Aug th/16
Begins with fine weather and light wind from
N.N.W. Ship heading N.E. at 1 P.M. raised whales
ahead and lowared the boats at 8 and each boat
got a whale got them to the ship about 10 P.M.
Lat part Cut in our whales. saw one sail
weather fine with light wind
Lat 34-10 N Lon 48-56 WThursday Aug th/17
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind
from N. spoke the Janet Lat Part Calm
and light airs employed boiling nothing
in sight
Lat 34-06 N Lon 43 42 WFriday Aug th/18
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind
from N.W. ship heading NN.E. employed
boiling Mid part finished boiling Lat part
Strong wind with some rain heading to north
Lat 35-10 N Lon 43-43 WSaturday Aug th/1
Begins with Strong wind from W with squalls
of rain saw a Steamer going to Eastward
Lat part strong wind from W.S.W. engaged
stowing oil, sw Blackfish so ends this day
Lat 35-22 N Lon 44-52 WSunday Aug th/20
Com with strong wind and rough sea engaged
stowing oil finished at 5 PM. stowed 95 bls weather
Cloudy with a little rain Lat part strong wind and rough
sea wind from south west ship heading S.S.E. had
squally weather with rain
Lat 35-00 N Lon 45-12 W
Week 15 at sea. Aug. 7th to Aug. 13, 1876
Monday Aug th/7
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind got
the whale to the ship at 3 PM and commenced
to cut at 8 sent all hands below at 4 AM
Called all hands and started cutting worked all
day got his head off and cut part of the body
Saw two sails wind increasing
Lat 36-10 N Lon 45-41 WTuesday Aug th/8
Begins with strong wind and Cloudy weather at
night blowing a morderate gail at 4 1/2 AM
Commenced to cut again blowing a morderate gail
with heavy rain squalls finished the body and left
the head along side wind from W.N.W.Wednesday Aug th/9
Begins with better weather and sea going down
at 3 PM Com to boil ship on starboard tack
Lat part took in the Junk and baled what was
left of the case most of it had run out weather
more morderate, boiling as fast as posable [possible]
Lat 35-22 Lon 44-49
Thursday Aug th/10
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind from
westward ship heading to North employed boiling
Lat part the same wind from N.N.W. and light
saw nothing
Lat 35-30 N Lon 44-42 WFriday Aug th/11
Begins with fair weather and light wind from
N.N.W. ship heading W. employed boiling Lat part
weather the same finished boiling about 80 bls
wind from N.W. nothing in sight
Lat 35-10 N Lon 44-41 WSaturday Aug th/12
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind from
NW nothing in sight Ship heading N.N.E.
Lat part weather fine heading to N. E. employed
stowing oil
Lat 34-59 Lon 44-24 WSunday Aug th/13
Com with pleasant weather and light wind from
N.N.W. finished stowing at 4 PM. 78 bls at 6 p.M.
tacked ship heading W. Lat part light wind and
fine weather saw a sail to South
Lat 34-23 N Lon 45-06 W
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Well the Captain and mates have been on shore leave.
This should get us shipshape again.
Week 14 - Monday Jul 31 - Sunday Aug 6, 1876
Week 14 - Monday Jul 31 - Sunday Aug 6, 1876
Monday July th/31
Com with pleasant weather and light
air from S. employed cutting Lat Part
weather the same employed Cutting one
sail in sight
Lat 36-34 N Lon 44-51 W
Com boiling
Tuesday Aug th/1
Com with fine weather and light wind finished
baling Case at 3 P.M.
Lat part weather the same. saw a ship heading
to the west ship heading NE by E wind from S
Lat 36-42 N Lon 44-41 W
[bailing the contents of the Case, or head of the sperm whale]
Wednesday Aug th/2
Com with pleasant weather and light wind
employed boiling Lat part weather the same
employed boiling wind from S ship heading SS
E with light wind
Lat 36-30 N Lon 43-43 W
Thursday Aug th/3
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind
from S ship heading to Eastward Lat part
weather the same heading to SE. saw nothing
employed boiling and stowing oil
Lat 35-51 N Lon 42 47 W
Friday Aug th/4
Com with pleasant weather and fresh wind
from W. heading on diferant tacks. employed
boiling and stowing oil. saw a steamer heading
S.W. brig riged with red smoke stack. stowed
80 bls oil finished boiling at 11 P.M. Lat part fine
weather saw a whaler to South
Lat 35-55 N Lon 43-04 W
Saturday Aug th/5
Com with pleasant weather and light wind from
S.W. ship heading W.N.W. one sail in sight
Lat part weather the same employed stowing oil
nothing in sight ship heading to West wind
from SSW.
Lat 35-49 N Lon 44-40 W
Sunday Aug th/6
Begins with pleasant weather and light wind
heading to westward wind from SS.W. Lat part
fine weather Saw a Bark supposed to bee the
Janet about two Miles to leward both standing to
westward at 9 AM saw white watter on Lee bow
kept off a little run down acrost the other ships head
about one mile off she wished to gam but we
kept on the whales in sight all the time when he
found we would not stop he wore ship and went
on the other tack and when th was about four
miles off we lowared and struck in a short time
and got a whale. got fast quarter to 12. Saw an-
nother whaler to windward supposed to bee Minasota [Minnesota]
Lat 35-40 N Lon 44-42 W
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Whale photos from a friend of a friend in Alaska. Taken yesterday.
Whalers use to call the flukes (tail fins) "the hand of god". Many a whale boat and whaler were crushed and killed by flukes like these.These photos had this note attached.
this morning at Mary's Flats (for those of you who know where/what this is) these whales surface directly in front of our boat...Not more that 50 feet from us...and then began their beautiful dance....in and out of the water...gosh it was so amazing.
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