In defense of their young, the whales were "wild, " often attacking the whaleboats. * * * * * For a time [fr om 191 3-16) it appeared that the Charles W Mo rgan's whaling days were over. Lying neglected and fo rlorn at a Fairhaven wharf, she seemed to have come to the end of her 75 -year career at las t . . .. Fortunately, Captain Benj amin C leveland, looking for a vessel in which to m ake a voyage after sperm and sea elephant oil to Desolation Island in the far southern Indian Ocean, knew vessels well enough to realize that the old bark was no t yet beyond redemption. After going over her carefully, he approached the W ing company with a view toward buying her. W ith backing fro m several other investors, he arran ged to p urch ase all bur 4/64, which were held by the estate of William R. W ing. T h e price paid was only about $6, 000, and C aptain Cleveland retained 24/64, enough to assure him of control. Fitting-o ut expen ses were heavy, however, even though n o thing was done that was not absolutely necessary. A few ro tted spots in hood ends and butts of the hull planking we re filled with troweling cement, and many of the sails and m uch of the gear we re leftovers from her for mer voyages or purchased secondhand. A small windfall in the fo rm of a semicharter by a motion picture company paid some of the bills. T he com pany was m aking a film called Miss Petticoats, starring Alice Brady, one of the forem ost luminaries of the silent film era, and since some of the scenes were set aboard a whaling ship , they were as delighted to find the Charles W Morgan available as Captain Cleveland was to welcome them aboard. No alterations were made to the hull except to nail a n ew name-H arpoon-over the old one, and since the com pany also ass umed som e of the fitting-out expense as well as p aying a leasing or chartering fee, the old skipper was more than pleased . The film was completed during the summer, and after a final session on the railway to check the bottom , refasten the copper where necessary, and thoroughly clean it, the Morgan was ready to sail. T his sh e did in September 19 16. T he crew included a set of adventuro us yo ung men from Bosto n, but most of the hands were experienced P ortuguese-American whalemen. They sighted the first whale of the voyage on 20 September, but although they lowered three boats none was able to get
SEA HISTORY 96, SPRING 2001
The Morgan under sail in 1920. (Courtesy Mystic Seaport, Inc.)
close enough to dart an iron, and they had Signed: Benj amin D . C leveland to return to the ship with nothing to show mas ter fo r their pains. T wo days later they sighted John D . Lopes cheffe mate a school, or pod, of whales and again the Charles Johnson boatsteerer three boats were lowered. T his time the Leaving D esolation Island on 12 M ay, the bow boat killed their whale, but the waist Morgan wo rked northward into the South boat was stove and lost their whale, while Atlantic and on 8 August raised the island the larboard boat struck but the iron drew of St. H elena, where she anchored next day. and they also lost theirs. T here she lay for eight days while fresh T wice more they struck and killed whales water was taken aboard, some repairs were before they sighted the island of St. Vincent made, and the crew was give n a chance to in the Cape Verdes on 9 November. "The stretch their legs ashore, a watch at a time. ship started leaking after the first storm by Sailing again on 16 August, the vessel folthe time we reached here she was leaking lowed a course to the West Indies, and on like a basket," wro te one of the Boston 23 September she anchored at the island of hands, who refused to sail and appealed to D ominica, the next day sailing for Stacia the American consul fo r a survey of the (S t. Eustatius). Apparently Captain Clevevessel's seaworthiness. After lying over for land learned that the US had entered the a co uple of days, they sail ed across to Brava Firs t W orld War fi ve months earlier, andhe and lay there for two more days making decided to avoid German raiders by making some minor repairs. Believing that the ship his way northward "island hopping." T hey h ad not been properly repaired, eight men sighted several sailing vessels and steamers deserted and hid in the hills until the as they worked their way toward home, but M organ departed . nothing eventful occur red. (Captain CleveWo rking southward and rounding the land is elsewhere reported to have told Cape of Good H ope, the M organ fin ally people in New Bedfo rd that they narrowly cam e within sight of D esolation Island on missed colliding with a mine outside of 11 February 19 17, but spent some ten days D ominica, but nowhere in the log is there beating up to it against headwinds. There mention of any such incident.) they anchored and began their hunt for The bark called at St. Barthelem y, but elephant seals . ... shortly thereafter the log ends abruptly, Hunting we nt on in ro utine fashion and no details of the passage up the Ameriuntil 19 April, when a simple entry in the can coast are reco rded. With a cargo valued log told a tragic sto ry. In Captain Cleve- at $2 1,000 , the Morgan arrived home on land's very original spelling, it reads: 23 0 ctoberl 9 17. ,!, About 10 o'clock a. m. very moderat whether but the see was very bad Boats Three voyages later, in 1921, the C harles W. wenton shoo r to bring ofeliphant bluber M organ ceased whaling after 80 years. and the surf riased up and turned one boat over and lost 4 men Ther names From T he C harles W . Morgan, second ediRichards Moor Aguste Lemas Albert tion, by j ohn F. Leavitt (Mystic CT, 1998), Rubeiro and D aniel O ' con or The rest of pp. 33-35, 73 and 79-82. Rep rinted here the crew on du ty at D esolation Island. with the permission ofMystic Seaport, Inc.
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