Sea History 028 - Summer 1983

Page 49

and paint it and rig it up again. Although they made it a little bit shorter than the original one. And the Old Man said: " Next time we have to come up here, this mast is coming down regardless. I'll take care of it myself." He said: " I'm not going to take any more rigger's words for measuring." So that was the whole thing . Now, of course, it didn't do any damage to the ship other than scarring up the top of the house where the wood fell down. She had a big cap or a ball on top of the mast and I think that was the only thing that saved it from going through the top of the house. It was a hardwood ball , but it split in two or three pieces. I kept a piece for years as a sourvenir, but somehow in the course of years it disappeared . It left a big dent on the top of the house. There was canvas over the top and it tore that up-the splinters just gouged it up. We had to repair it so that it wouldn't leak . Mr. Wells then asked: A lot of blocks and rigging came down with it , of course? No, there was nothing much in the way of rigging. We never set a gaff topsail on her. But there was the topping lift for the spanker boom and all that because we had a gaff up there and that all came falling down . The blocks were all split so everything had to be renewed . The mast itself, up to the hounds , was okay. Mr. Wells : Was the spanker mast knocked out of plumb at all? No, the lower mast was steel of course, and that part was all right. It was just the wooden top that went.

*

*

*

*

*

That was a horrible winter. Gosh, you just froze to death there and it was a real miserable place to be in . We finally got through unloading the ship. We got ballast in her and then went down to Norfolk again and Dallas and loaded coal for South America. The war was on full blast and there was no point in trying to go to Europe any more. There were too many submarines and raiders and so that took care of that. We were comparatively safe.

www Above, the handsome Edward Sewall storming along with hands aloft on the fore topgallant yard-two are just visible under the flag at the main truck. Captain Richard Quick , on his quarterdeck , master under God- excepr when rhe harpies of rhe shore rake over. Cartoon by Th omas Wells, A/CH. Phoros courtesy Main e Maritime Mu seum.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.