A SAILOR’S VIEW
From The Sea Serpent Journal
by Hugh McCulloch Gregory
Hugh McCulloch Gregory was born in Brooklyn, NY Dec 14, 1834.
Well-educated, he spent his freshman year in 1852 at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. For some reason he then decided to go to sea as a regular sailor. He worked on the Great Republic in 1853, but when it burned at its dock on Dec 26, 1853, he joined the crew of the Sea Serpent.
From Feb 24 1854 to Feb 16 1855, the year after Sarah wrote her Journal, Hugh Gregory took almost the same itinerary with Williams Howland as the captain.
He wrote The Sea Serpent Journal documenting his travels.
It is a stark contrast to Sarah’s Journal, since it is told from the perspective of a sailor, rather than as a passenger in the Cabin.
THE OFFICERS AND CREW
Captain: Williams Howland
1st Mate
2nd Mate
3rd Mate
Steward
Cooks
Boatswain: a ship’s officer in charge of equipment and the crew
Starboard Watch:
NY to CA: 6 men
CA to Hong Kong: 5 men
Larboard Watch:
NY to CA: 7 men
CA to Hong Kong: 5 men
WHAT TYPE OF WORK DID THE SAILORS DO?
CLICK BELOW TO READ WHAT IT WAS LIKE
RAISE THE ANCHORWHAT WERE THEIR WORK HOURS?
The ship needed to be manned 24 hours a day.
The Crew was split into 2 teams or “watches”,
so that they could sleep or relax when not keeping watch.
They were called the “Starboard Watch” and the “Larboard Watch”.
Watches were split into five 4-hour increments:
FIRST WATCH: 8PM to Midnight
MIDDLE WATCH: Midnight to 4AM
MORNING WATCH: 4AM to 8AM
FORENOON WATCH: 8AM to Noon
AFTERNOON WATCH: Noon to 4PM
This was followed by 2 “Dogwatches” of 2 hours each:
FIRST DOGWATCH: 4PM to 6PM
SECOND DOGWATCH: 6PM to 8PM
This allowed for the sailors to work different hours each day
and also allowed them to eat dinner in shifts.
BELLS
Bells were rung to signal time in half-hour increments
with the number of bells indicating how far they were into the “watch”.
Hourglasses filled with sand indicated when 30 minutes had elapsed.
For a 4-hour watch, the watch was over at “8 Bells”.
WHAT WERE THEIR QUARTERS LIKE?
A pretty mess our room presents, and one, too, well calculated to take all the romance from a sea life. Six of us huddled away in our little room, the majority in their bunks (some two in a bunk) and the rest writing and sewing. A water cask blocks up our window, and wet clothes and a dirty floor add to our comfort. The owners of the ship ought to be ashamed of themselves for the manner in which they have packed us boys in like pigs. And too, the ship is poorly found, a circumstance for which there is not excuse. There is no wonder that G.M. & Co can afford to give to expeditions in search of Franklin and humane objects ashore and get a name for generosity, when they “gouge” so from the sailors in their employ.
All night long we, poor creatures in our room, had a concert, for, the hen coop being front of our quarters, we of course had a full share of rooster, hen, goose, and duck melody; added to all this the Chinese brought a grizzly bear (a cub) which one of them owned and sat his cage by the hen coop, and such an outrageous racket as he raised was a caution, and Fanny, Mr. Hooper’s terrier, of course joined concert.
WHAT DID THE SAILORS EAT?
BREAKFAST
SCOUSE
Scouse: a miserable compoud of crackers and salt beef made like hash – nearly every day.
Today the cook gave me a doughnut because I went up into the top for the codfish. It was a goodly doughnut, fair in all its proportions, with here and there a currant showing its black face like an oasis to cheer the traveler.
MUSH
The scouse is a libel on pig fodder, the mush is never cooked, the beans are awful and the Cape Cod turkey, or in plain English codfish, is the meanest mess of all. However, I am always so hungry I can eat what is set before me without a second bidding.
The way we are fed is truly outrageous. Until the last week the beef has smelt so that we could hardly eat it; and tonight, a new barrel of bread being opened, on eating it we found it thickly populated with maggots. Except the first two barrels we have been eating musty bread, which I thought was bad enough, but maggots finish the affair.
DINNER
BEANS, RICE or CAPE COD TURKEY (Codfish)
Spuds – potatoes and pork – what a grand feast did I have, for “spuds” come but once a week.
We had fresh pork for dinner for the first time since we sailed, and a most agreeable feast it was, after living a month and a half on salt provisions.
GETTING ALONG WITH OTHERS
BONDING
While sitting on the topgallant forecastle one of the sailors named Harry, who has taken quite a fancy to me, came and offered to show me how to make all sorts of sailor knots. He seems to be a very fine man, much above the ordinary run of sailors, and seems to know his profession well.
DISAGREEMENTS
Had quite a row with old Billy about getting ahead of him when the coffee was served out. He threatened to pour his hot coffee over me and was wonderfully astonished when I told him if he did I would throw mine, pot and all, in his face. He went forward vowing vengeance and warning me to look out for my head some dark night. So I suspect he means to strike me with a reef point when we are reefing topsails. If he ever strikes me I will level him with a belaying pin.
MISCHIEF
We found Ned and Bob side by side asleep on a coil of rope to windward, and Burt on top the hurricane house. No time was lost in devising a trick to play on them, and it was agreed to lash Bob and Ned together and tie them to a belaying pin and to lash Burt’s legs to the mainsail. And then we went forward and let the pigs out, knowing well that the boatswain would call all the boys to put them in again. Letting them out, we came aft and laid down. Soon the pigs, some twenty in number, came grunting down the main deck, and the boatswain began to curse and swear at them and sung out for the boys. Such a scrabbling I never saw before. Bob and Ned went head over heels and Burt nearly struck his head thro’ the mainsail. A long chase was it before we got the “critters” in, but a merry one was it. I thought I should die of laughter.
MISTREATMENT
The boatswain gave orders for only one man to stay at a bar, the rest to go forward and help stow the chain on deck. For some reason or other, best known to himself, Charley Koerner did not go. I said to him (in fun), “Lay forward, Charley,” to which he replied, “I’ll see you d–d, first,” or something to that effect. About ten minutes after, the boatswain came aft in a tearing rage saying, “Mr.K., lay forward, I’ll teach you better than to send me a message, ‘to be d–d’.” Charley told him that he never said anything about him, whereupon the boatswain kicked him. Charley then went forward.
CONTACT WITH HOME
When meeting another ship at sea it was customary to give them your ship’s name so that they could “report” that they had seen you.
Hopefully the news would get back to your family so they knew that you were safe.
What a blessing to be reported at home it is, is only known to those who for weeks and weeks are most emphatically alone in the world. I myself feel 100 per cent happier since speaking the brig because I know that those at home whom I love most, will know whereabouts I am and that I am safe so far on my journey, and that their anxiety will be relieved. And too it is pleasant to see anything at sea; it begets a social feeling, as it were, and gives a feeling to all that we are not alone, a feeling which grow imperceptibly on one when for day after day he sees naught but the blue water around and the blue sky over him.
In a calm sea, a boat came from another ship and some came aboard. The Whaler Corinthian from New Bedford, 38 months out and now headed home. A chance to send letters! More than 50 letters for home were handed in. I gave the one who took my letters all my chewing tobacco and magazines, and felt that even then I was but doing a slight return for the favor he was doing me.
The nearer I get to San Francisco the better I feel, for I long to get my letters and learn all the news at home.
Never felt so discouraged in my life. I was so confident that I should get letters that a refusal never entered my head, when all my hopes were dashed by a cool, “None for you.” If those at home only knew how I had set my heart on a letter by the mail and how bitterly I was disappointed they would not have forgotten me so soon.
DANGERS AT SEA!
Around Cape Horn:
The last few days have given good proof of Maury’s statement, viz: “that between 35 and 40 degrees south was a dangerous part of the ocean, for a constant succession of squalls and calms required great care to be exercised in crossing it”. We have had a most provoking series of calms generally followed by a gale or squall ever since we crossed 35 degrees south.
While weighing anchor and in the act of fleeting jig the chain surged, running out several fathoms and carrying Mr. Lind with it forward of the windlass. For a second I thought it was the last of him, but luckily the chain ceased paying out and we hauled him out. On examination we found that nothing was injured except a bruised ankle; it was a miracle that he was not killed outright, as he would have been had the chain run out a fathom more.
MAN OVERBOARD!
A sad, sad day, and one which to my dying day I shall never forget. Tilly and George sprang up the mizzen, when just as Tilly got onto the yard he slipped and fell, going overboard. “All hands! Man overboard!” spread like wildfire. Tacks and sheets were let fly, and every man went to work with a will. The ship was then wore and we stood back in hopes to save him, but alas! Tho’ many an anxious eye scanned the horizon, still no vestige of him could be seen, and with sad hearts we again stood on our way. A most gloomy evening did we fellows pass; for the reflection kept forcing itself on our minds that Tilly, the life and soul of our party with whom in the morning we had cracked our jokes, was no more and the God only knew who next would follow. All hands felt alike, old sailors wiping the tears from their eyes while the Captain and mate cried outright for a few seconds on the poop. But sadder tears will be shed over him by those at home, who will receive when least they expect it the sad tidings.
A CLOSE CALL
At 9am an accident happened to me which I shall not forget for a long while. I was forward, sitting on one of the head guys, talking to Bill Clohecy, the ship going about 10 knots and a heavy swell from the N at the time, when a wave struck us and carried me off with it. I sunk a tremendous distance and rose about ten feet astern of the ship. The 2d mate threw a brace to me, but I missed it; and when I rose on the next wave, the Sea Serpent was at least five or six times her length from me and I could see a boat lowering and that she was hove to. Stripping myself, I struck out for a bench which the 3d mate had thrown overboard and, after two or three minutes hard work, reached it and then felt myself safe! In about five minutes I was in the boat and soon reached the ship, which went on her course again. Indeed it was only a miracle that I was saved, for had it been blowing hard or been squally it would have been impossible to have lowered a boat, and my chances for life would have been indeed slight. However, a “miss is as good as a mile” and here I am, safe and sound, thankful for my escape.
APPROACHING PORT
Cleaned the ship to make it “look bright again for port”.
Cleaned themselves up as well and even shaved and had haircuts.
All hands seemed to be possessed of a cleaning mania The ship was covered with beds, blankets and clothes spread out to air, while every bucket was in use and all hands washing and shaving.
Both watches busy all day cleaning ship, painting, varnishing gratings and overhauling the windlass; a dirty job!
During the forenoon watch from 8 to 12 shackled the cables to the anchors and sent up weather main-topgallant-studding-sail booms and set the sail. During the afternoon scraped the masts and touched up the paintwork on deck.
Dick Lyman opened a barber shop in the boatswain’s locker and one after another of the forward hands came out, with his hair cut, a la Phalon.
SAN FRANCISCO!
Discharged cargo for 4 days.
Took on ballast for 4 days – 375 tons in all.
Glory of glories! At 1PM began to shorten sail and at 2PM were alongside Broadway wharf. No sooner were we fast, than Mr. Vincent made his appearance with letters from home…all were well. Went ashore in the evening and saw the city. The principal places of resort I found to be the gambling houses and, under the guidance of one who had been in the city before, I started to see those of most repute, viz: the Eldorado, Arcade, Polka, etc. The rooms were crowded, and money seemed to fly so to speak. Heavy bets were won and lost in a turn of a card, and money changed hands to a great amount.
CHINA
China was in the midst of the Taiping Rebellion, led by Hung Hsiu-ch’uan, whose goal was to set up a new dynasty.
The rebels had captured Nanking in 1853 and had made it their capital.
The Chinese city is mostly in ruins, having been bombarded so long; but the European part is beautiful. Large houses built in a style peculiar to the place, and mostly surrounded by elegant gardens, give a stylish and rather an imposing look to the city as you approach it. The city is ruled by the three powers, American, French and English, who have control of the customhouse and who, in company with a Chinese consul, make any laws necessary to govern the place. The money collected at the customhouse is to be given to the party that come out conquerors in the present civil struggle.
Discharged cargo and ballast for 8 days.
Loaded tea, silk, straw and animals for many days.
The principal duty all day was getting the stock, comprising sheep, pigs, ducks, chickens, geese, turkeys and pigeons, in their proper sea quarters, and a most lovely serenade they kept up. Shanghais are all the rage, and for a quarter of a dollar I became the possessor of a rooster which many a “Shanghai fancier” in the States would envy me the possession of.
HOME TO NEW YORK!
Passed the “Narrows”.
And so ends my first voyage.
From The Sea Serpent Journal – Hugh McCulloch Gregory’s Voyage around the World in a Clipper Ship, 1854-55; edited by Robert H. Burgess; published for The Mariners’ Museum, Newport News, Va. by the University Press of Virginia, Charlottesville