Old Weather Forum

SPHolmes wrote:Mon Mar 11, 2019 2:33 pm I've just traced Leander Clark Owen back to some Puritans who travelled to the America before 1670. You can see a picture of him and his wife Jane and more details at
https://www.geni.com/people/Captain-Lea ... 7014126821

(I'm never sure about copyright of photos I've downloaded so I didn't post the image here, expect it's OK though)

Always nice to put a face to the name
Apologies if this has already been posted!

Randi wrote:Mon Mar 11, 2019 3:07 pm

AvastMH wrote:Mon Mar 11, 2019 11:06 pm Wow! That's a great post - thank you! I looked at the link and discovered that the reason why his name was ringing such a bell, and I hadn't spotted this - is that he does appear at least twice in my logbook manifest list. We will be doing the North Star 1881-1882 journey!

NBWM North Star ODHS 223 North Star (Steam bark) of New Bedford, mastered by James S. Carter and L.C. Owen, on voyage from 2 May August. 1881- 30 July. 1882. 1881 1882

And here's the dread event as North Star waits to sink - not the best July 4th But it's going to make an epic set of ice report transcriptions for us.

SPHolmes wrote:Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:35 pm and here's Leander Owen and Martin Millard who were the masters of the Mary and Helen

http://www.explorenorth.com/library/yaf ... keenan.htm

AvastMH wrote:Fri Mar 15, 2019 8:01 pm

SPHolmes wrote:Fri Mar 15, 2019 1:35 pm and here's Leander Owen and Martin Millard who were the masters of the Mary and Helen

http://www.explorenorth.com/library/yaf ... keenan.htm

I took the liberty of copying the picture for us. It's an amazing photo. I reel at the thought of the things that they have seen, and the hardships endured in the Arctic.

SPHolmes wrote:Fri Mar 15, 2019 8:19 pm Even better, read about Leander's son here - page 33

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5H- ... ry&f=false
( this is copyright 2006 I think so I didn't post it)

Leander's son lived in Martha's Vineyard , invented the Victrola (early record player) and made a lot of money. He lived in England for 5 years but sent his laundry home to the Vineyard each week!

I'll see what else I can find

Randi wrote:Fri Mar 15, 2019 9:19 pm Great find!

AvastMH wrote:Sun Mar 24, 2019 10:14 am A piece of one-up-man-ship... Mary and Helen has had a good season (27 whales) so good that she has to get additional help from the Alaska to stow oil....

Wednesday Sept 8th 1880 'employed in boiling and coopering hired a cooper from schooner "Alaska"'

AvastMH wrote:Sun Mar 24, 2019 12:58 pm When lives are at risk the whaling comes second...

News that the Lolita has run ashore on St Lawrence Isle arrives at Plover Bay, and so the Mary and Helen, on September 14th 1880


The next couple of days a gale moves through Plover Bay. By Friday 17th Sept 1880 the weather is back to fine again so...

'The Schooner Julia A Long sailed to day for St Lawrence Isle At 6 AM got under weigh for St Lawrence Isle with 3 men from wrecked Schooner Loleta and Left J My Coff US Rev Relief also towed out of Plover Bay US Schooner Yukon'


At 6 PM on Saturday 18th Sept 1880 they reach the Lolita and her beleaguered crew part company. 6 crew came onto the Mary and Helen and the remainder joined the J.A. Long to head to Honolulu (a popular port for whalers travelling up and down the Pacific).

AvastMH wrote: US Cutter Relief mentioned in the Lolita rescue on Sept 17th 1880
'The Schooner Julia A Long sailed to day for St Lawrence Isle At 6 AM got under weigh for St Lawrence Isle with 3 men from wrecked Schooner Loleta and Left J My Coff US Rev Relief also towed out of Plover Bay US Schooner Yukon'


I looked up the US Cutter Relief and found something a bit surprising:

List of US Cutter Service ships
and
USRC Relief, was a revenue cutter of the United States Revenue Cutter Service in commission from 1867 to at least 1870. She was the first Revenue Cutter Service ship to bear the name.

Here's the 17th Sept 1880 from the Yukon log book, but no mention of USCR Relief:


Frustratingly I can't find the log of the Julia A Long :-\

---

Thanks to Hurlock for suggesting a trip around the Corwin logs - they being active in the same area of the Arctic due to famine.

SPHolmes wrote: The Releif is mentioned in the M&H logs for July 23 1880 - Spoke the Releif vessel from San Francisco .
There is also mention of missing ships 9 & 11 June 1880
spoke barks Sea Breeze, Helen Mar and Rainbow got tidings of the missing ships

natives came on board but no tideings of the missing ships

SPHolmes wrote: The Mary and Helen visited Honolulu in April 1880, and the crew appear to have 1/2 day at liberty ashore.

There was a deserter on 10 April 1880


and next day 11 April 1880 a stowaway was found


A month later they get a 4th mate (https://archive.org/details/maryhelenst ... 6/mode/1up)

AvastMH wrote:

SPHolmes wrote: The Releif is mentioned in the M&H logs for July 23 1880 - Spoke the Releif vessel from San Francisco .
There is also mention of missing ships 9 & 11 June 1880
spoke barks Sea Breeze, Helen Mar and Rainbow got tidings of the missing ships

natives came on board but no tideings of the missing ships

I'm itching to get a few minutes to try to sort out this Releif/Relief ship oddity

AvastMH wrote:

SPHolmes wrote: and next day 11 April 1880 a stowaway was found

I checked up on the pay for a 'green hand' (no - I'm not thinking of applying for the post! ). Whalers were paid by the 'lay' which meant a portion of the profits. Green hands could expect to get at least 1/200th. Apparently Herman Melville got 1/175th for his first trip.

AvastMH wrote: Log Book Section C: Crew and people met

Date	Time		Remarks
18800410			James Parker shipped at this Port Honolulu deserted this day Apr 10th 1880
18800411			Found a Stowaway on board named Charles Tompson Capt has agreed to give him green hands pay Signed by Charles tomson witnesses Frank Reynolds Burman E. Gay
18800505	Latter Part		got up steam at 7 am and steamed offshore and got Mr Graves our 4th mate out of Brig Hidalgo
18800519	7 AM		natives on board
18800523	4 PM		off St Lawrence Isle and natives came off had seen plenty of whales and caught one
18800523	Latter Part		natives came from shore
18800530	3.30 AM		natives reported no whales

AvastMH wrote: Log Book Section C: Ships met

Date	Time		Remarks
18800502	Latter Part		Progress, John Howland, Rainbow, Norman, Tom Pope (Thomas Pope)
	Commenced		John Howland
18800505	Commenced		Sea Breeze, Norman, Abrm Marker, Dawn, Progress
18800505	Latter Part		Hidalgo
18800506	Commenced		Sea Breeze, Norman
18800510			Sea Breeze
18800511	Latter Part		Sea Breeze
18800512	Commenced		Sea Breeze
18800524	Middle Part		John Howland
18800525	Commenced		John Howland
18800525	Middle Part		John Howland
18800526	4PM		John Howland
18800526	Middle Part		John Howland
18800527	Commenced		John Howland, Sea Breeze, Helen Mar
18800529	4 PM		Dawn, Francis Palmer

BaroquePearl wrote: Mary & Helen Crew List:
Anyone Cabara 33 of Sao Nicolau, Cape Verde
John Duarte 22 of Sao Miguel, Azores
George Suza 22 of Sao Jorge, Azores
Charles E. Healy 18 of Sandwich
Henry Valentine 23 of Portland, CT
James Brown 22 of Portland
Frank Houghes 22 of North Easton
M.V.B. Millard 41 of North Darmouth
Richard Green 40 of New York
M.C. Lockhart 25 of New Brunswick
Willis Lockhart 22 of New Brunswick
Milton F. Lockhart 21 of New Brunswick
Edward C. Snow 25 of New Bedford
John Mountain 17 of New Bedford
Frank Morris 36 of New Bedford
William H Harrison 28 of New Bedford
Almanca A. Cornell 35 of New Bedford
J. H. Cobb 23 of Nantucket
Frank Reynolds 46 of Mansfield, CT
C.E.Sage 21 of Lyons, NY
Burman E. Gay 32 of Lyons, NY
G.H. Kopneicier 30 of Louisville, KY
Japan Charley 50 of Japan
Irving Reynolds 17 of Greenspoint
Charles Peters 23 of Germany
Leont D. Cross 24 of Gergonia
George A. Saunders 13 of Fairhaven
Winfield Trott 25 of Eastport
Thomas Mendez 26 of Brava
Henry R. Farrin 24 of Bath
Thomas Francis 22 of Attawa
Frank J. Smith 21 of Bangor
Alfonse Alfred 17 of Mauritius

Mr. Graves is listed as being picked up from Brig Hidalgo as 4th mate. This person does not appear on the original crew list, not certain if he was hired off the Hidalgo, logbook does not say beyond him coming aboard as 4th mate.

Charles Thompson is a stowaway from Honolulu who is taken on for green horn wages

3 men are listed as having deserted in Honolulu:
Alfonse Alfred
Fred Smith (not sure if this is the Frank J. Smith on original crew list?)
James Porter - this person does not appear on the original crew list however was aboard when they reached Hawaii.