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An Anthology of Whalemen's Reading

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An Anthology of Whalemen's Reading An Anthology of Whalemen’s Reading This anthology gathers material on what whalemen read, presented in alphabetical order by author, without regard to the national origin of the ship or author. Aldrich, Herbert L. Arctic Alaska and Siberia, Or, Eight Months with the Arctic Whalemen. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1889. p. 75: Each native is said to keep a diary of his hunting trips by carving the important events on a piece of ivory, showing his camps, shooting deer, walruses, seals or bears, or catching and driving fish. A few of the supposed diaries were offered for sale. p. 79, for native communities as well as whalemen: The physician is also in demand. By the aid of medical books a ship-master often proves a good nurse and physicians. Allen, Everett S. Children of the Light: The Rise and Fall of New Bedford Whaling and the Death of the Arctic Fleet. Boston: Little, Brown, 1973. A somewhat elegiac tale of the decline of whaling and New Bedford, contrasted with descriptions of the life of the Inuit, before and after the coming of the whalers to the Beaufort Sea area. Main focus at the end is on the disastrous season at Pt. Barrow of the whaling fleet which abandoned over 25 ships, but managed to rescue over 1200 whalemen. p. 89: When a library was donated to New Bedford by the Friends Society in 1813, a committee of members went over the list of books and discarded many, such as several foremost English poets and Shakespeare's works, as unfit for young people to read. This opposition to certain aspects of culture and the arts, implemented by the influential Quaker leadership, was dominant in the New Bedford area for many years. 1 p. 114, discusses acquisitions in 1871 for the New Bedford library from the Sylvia Howland fund, and promotion of a book on the evils of Romanism as it is—"It shows its insidious workings which strongly tend to bring this country under full Romish control." Such attitudes could easily have influenced what reading would be available aboard Quaker whalers. p. 164-65: In almost every way, the whaling masters repudiated the landsman's concept (especially that of the journalist and novelist of their times) of what they were. They were scornful of what these people had to say about them and their scorn included Herman Melville, whom they knew less as a writer than as a ship-jumper. They did not understand at all what he had written in Moby Dick, or why; they had a vague notion that he was a homosexual, and they believed he had purposely drawn an unbecoming, perhaps even indecent caricature of what they were and did. p. 181: Above the wooden belfry of the Seamen's Bethel at Honolulu flew the flag of salvation for the lonely sailor far from home, to whom the Reverend John Diell and his wife distributed Bibles and spelling tracts, the latter because many men of the Yankee fleet were illiterate. Below the belfry, in the crooked streets of the haole district (four hotels and nine grogshops), the word was "There is no God this side of Cape Horn." Barnard, Charles H., Captain. Marooned: Being a Narrative of the Sufferings and Adventures of Captain Charles H. Barnard, Embracing an Account of the Seizure of his Vessel at the Falkland Islands, &c., 1812-1816. Edited with an introduction by Bertha S. Dodge. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 1986 [first published 1979]. No doubt a most harrowing tale, marred only by the seeming innocence and trusting self-presentation of Barnard and his providential beliefs. The work includes excerpts from the log of Barzillai Pease (originals in Syracuse University Library), a co-partner in Barnard’s endeavor. Barnard’s ship, Nanina, was taken over by mutineers, he himself was abandoned by other shipmates, rescued by the Isabella 2 which in turn was shipwrecked, abandoned again, and other perils, his ship eventually declared war bounty by the British during war of 1812. p. 104: When the four men who had abandoned Barnard returned in his boat, one of them said: “we wish to land, but are fearful that we have so offended you, that you do not want us to rejoin you. We have put hog ashore for you on the point, with some old newspapers that I picked up at the wreck, as I had often heard you wish that you had some books or papers to read.” p. 118: From among some pieces of old newspapers that had been found at the wreck, the following prayer was taken:… This beautiful prayer, so applicable to our situation, had such an effect on my companions in misfortune, that their conduct…was entirely changed for the better. p. 141: I likewise, at intervals, taught Sam, who was perfectly illiterate, so far that he was able to read our scraps of newspapers. This was a source of great gratification to him, and some amusement to me. I have heard him, when he did not suspect that I was within hearing, hold dialogues with himself on the subject of his acquirements. Fancying himself at home, he would begin with ‘Mother, have you got a newspaper?’ ‘No; what do you want with a newspaper?’ ‘I want to read it’ ‘Poh! You can’t read.’ ‘Can’t I? send to the Bell and borrow one; I would read it.’ I would then come in, and ask him, ‘well, Sam, what did the old woman say? He would laugh, and reply she would be frightened, and say ‘Sam, who learned you to read? I would say, ‘that American captain I was so long with.’ I had also taught Louder the principles of navigation. p. 144: November 25th, the wind blowing strong against us, we obtained some elephant pup skins, which we intended to manufacture into parchment, and make a log book. We had previously tried this, and found that it answered perfectly well. Barron, William. Old Whaling Days. Hull, UK: William Andrews & Co., 1895. p. 59: Conclusion—Advice to Apprentices. NOW if any youth, who is intending going to sea, should read this rough sketch of the life of an 3 apprentice, I would advise him to be very careful how he enters upon his duties. He should be civil to everybody and dutiful to his officers, doing his best to gain their good-will by performing what he is told, cheerfully. When he is set to do anything, do it quickly with a good grace. Nobody gains ill-will so soon as a sulky, grumbling boy. I will vouchsafe to say at the end of a long voyage a civil boy will be respected. Do not listen to the yarns of some men. When they wish you to stay, leave at once, and begin some trifling job, also improve your mind with reading, and your spare time in learning navigation. When the men see you are superior in education to them, they will treat you with respect. If a poor fellow cannot write, proffer to write his letters for him. It will cost nothing, and he will send a letter to his friends, otherwise he would neglect doing so, and I can assure you that he will befriend you in some way or other. Help those who are not so well educated as yourself, and do not taunt them because they are not so, although there are not so many now as formerly who cannot write. p. 84: However, we who were brought up to Arctic life at the period of which I am writing, gain experience as we grow older not to act foolhardily. At the same time I think youths ought not to be checked in showing their pluck in times of danger. Beale, Thomas. The Natural History of the Sperm Whale…, to which is Added, a Sketch of a South-Sea Whaling Voyage. London: John van Voorst, 1839. Part I is a scientific and fairly analytic description of the sperm whale, from physiology to diet to reproductive systems. Part II on the voyage begins in October 1830, observing no land between England and Cape Horn, where the Fuegians despite the gloomy terrain and wretched conditions “seem to possess a considerable share of that inestimable blessing—happiness” (p. 200). It is both charming and frightening in its description of certain adventures, and very good at describing the extremes of ennui and excitement. p. 130-33, a curious example of a reading experience which I find compelling though off the usual path of this compilation: 4 CHAPTER X. AMBERGRIS, ALTHOUGH ambergris, even during the sixteenth century, appeared to be much valued as a mercantile commodity by the English, it is curious that we knew nothing of its source, and very little of the use which was made of it in other countries. In the year 1672, we find the Hon. Robert Boyle claiming the honour of having discovered its source from a manuscript which was found on board a Dutch East Indiaman which had fallen into our hands by the chance of war. This precious document stated, that “ambergreese is not the scum or excrement of the whale, but issues out of the root of a tree, which tree, howsoever it stands on the land, alwaies shoots forth its roots towards the sea, seeking the warmth of it, thereby to deliver the fattest gum that comes out of it, which tree otherwise by its copious fatness might be burnt and destroyed: wherever that fat gum is shot into the sea, it is so tough that it is not easily broken from the root, unless its own weight and the working of the warm sea doth it, and so it floats on the sea; there was found by a souldier 7/8ths of a pound, and by the chief two pieces, weighing five pounds.
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