Willeby T. Corbett

Sailing Days

In the year of 1882, the bark “Olive Thurlow,” 789 tons, was built at Calais, Maine sailed from New York harbor bound for Adelaide, Australia, by way of Good Hope Cape. She was commanded by my father, Captain Tristram Thurlow Corbett. The cargo was case oil (kerosene and tin) and white pine planks. We also had a deck load of planks.

My father was accompanied by his entire family – my mother, my sister, and myself. Although I was very young at the time, I still vividly recall many events of this my first circumnavigation. We saw numerous icebergs while we were rounding the Cape of Good Hope, and in the Indian Ocean we ran into a Mauritius hurricane which cost us some sail, spars, and most of our deck load. We arrived at Adelaide 123 days following our departure from New York. During the voyage, our supply of potatoes became exhausted and we had to resort to cracker-hash, made from hardtack and “salt horse” (salt beef). In addition, father served a daily ration of lime juice to all hands as a preventive of scurvy.

Of course, we had no refrigeration in those days and our foods were principally tinned and salted. Our water supply, kept in a steel tank extending from quarterdeck to keelson, was supplemented by rainwater which fell occasionally and which was stored in casks lashed on deck. This water could be used after a period of aging.

After discharging at Adelaide a full cargo of wheat was loaded for Noumea, New Caledonia, where we took on flour for Auckland, New Zealand. New Caledonia was then a French convict station, and the Australian wheat was ground in a mill operated by convicts. They lined up to receive from me plugs of tobacco contributed by my father. Some of the recipients got back into line and tried unsuccessfully to obtain a second piece.

While we were at Noumea, another sister of mine was born.

Although my father was offered a charter to carry a cargo of tea from China, he decided instead to accept one from the Lobos de Afuera Islands to Havana. We crossed the Pacific in ballast to Lobos and there loaded guano. There was a large fleet of American sailing vessels loading at that port, mostly from the United States.

On the Fourth of July, 1883, Captain Dickinson of the full rigged ship “Alice M. Minot” of Bath, Maine, invited all captains and their families to a turkey dinner. The birds had been carried in coops from the states. In the absence of the usual fireworks, a number of empty tire barrels were lighted and set adrift. The holiday was further celebrated with lifeboat races, both sailing and rowing. Father’s crew won two of these contests.

After loading had been completed, we sailed around the Horn for Havana but did not encounter the usual heavy weather when rounding the Cape. South of it, we caught by hook-and-line six or eight albatrosses, which were turned loose on the main deck. As most of our readers know, albatrosses have a wing spread of twelve feet or more and they cannot rise to flight from a ship’s deck. They take off from the water only after making a long run, somewhat in the manner of a hydroplane. Believe it or not, all of the albatrosses became seasick after they had been on deck for only a short time. They were tossed overboard.

Off the coast of Brazil, we encountered the usual doldrums – calms with ground swells and occasional squalls – which delayed our progress. However, we arrived finally at Havana and, following discharge, loaded hogs-heads of sugar for New York. Considering the nature of our cargo from Lobos, it was fortunate that the sugar was packed in hogs-heads and not in the currently used gunny sacks.

Our ship’s company included six men before the mast, mostly A.B.’s, two mates, cook, steward and cabin boy.

The discipline aboard ship was excellent. It was generally known that the discipline on board ship in those days which undoubtedly contributed to the commanding position of ships under the flag of the United States, evidently is somewhat outmoded today, and unless fully restored will cause serious deterioration.

We arrived home in New York about fourteen months following our departure. My second circumnavigation, made a few years ago, required less than seven months, including extended stopovers in Japan, Shanghai, Manchuria, the Philippines and India. I was on a total of thirteen steamers during that trip and traveled more than a thousand miles by rail through India.

Over a period of about forty years, my mother accompanied my father on most of his voyages. We three children went along with them, too, until we reached school age. Our mother instructed us in the Three R’s, enabling us to enter school in somewhat advanced grades. Mother, the daughter and granddaughter of sea captains, shared with my father many hardships, including hurricanes and shipwreck.

Someone has said that a book should be written about the experiences of the wise of New England sailing ship captains before it is too late, but to the best of my knowledge, this has not been done.

Doubtless other members of our Club have circumnavigated the world in sail at a more mature age and I hope they will contribute accounts of their voyages to The Log.

One of my most pleasant experiences during many voyages has been to arrive in foreign ports and find the flag of our country flying from many mastheads. It has been demonstrated repeatedly that we need a strong Merchant Marine as an auxiliary to our Navy. However, the progressive demands of the seamen’s unions, if granted – with substantial increases in operating cost, now much higher than those on all foreign ships – could sweep our flag from the high seas, with consequent loss of employment aboard ship and in our shipyards. In that event the position of our country could be compared somewhat with the Australian kiwi, a bird that cannot fly though it has wings.

It is an important factor in our national defense, but unfortunately future prospects along these lines are not encouraging. The transfer of many of our war-built vessels to foreign flags and the high operating cost of United States ships make our Merchant Marine so non-competitive that it appears destined to be put out of business eventually and partially regulated to the scrap yards. I hope that proper foresight will keep our flag afloat on the high seas. We have made almost too often the mistake of permitting our deep water merchant vessels to go out of business resulting in the loss of skilled men at sea and in shipyards.

Source: Corbett, W.T. “Sailing Days” (publication unknown).

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The Eleanor M. Williams – Barkentine 

The Eleanor M. Williams, a barkentine of 650 tons, net register, was launched at Machias, Maine, in the spring of 1890. She was built by Mr. John Shaw of Machias, an experienced and well known builder of fifty-six vessels. Aside from Machias, Mr. Shaw had shipyards in Machiasport, Harrington and Cherryfield, all in the state of Maine.

The Williams was built for my (Willeby T. Corbett) father’s brother Captain Daniel Elwin Corbett, affectionately known as our “Uncle El.” The vessel was named for the wife of Captain Alexander Williams, New York Police, Old Slip Station, South Street, New York. Captain Williams, a share owner in the vessel, presented a full set of International Code Signal Flags, an Ensign and a Jack.

Captain Williams had acquaintances with Master Mariners, who berthed their vessels at piers along South Street, New York. Then many ships could be seen at the South Street, East River piers, with long bowsprits projecting over the street, much like a forest. I have a good photograph of the South Street of those days with the bow of full rigged ship A.G. Ropes, in foreground, berthed at pier of the Erie Railroad. The foreground building, in the photograph, is 25 South Street, the present location of the well-known Seaman’s Church Institute. That Institute has done, and is doing, much to improve conditions of seamen from all nations, while in New York. A grand Institution deserving of support. The Institute is known to sailors, the world over, as ” 25 South Street.” It is located, not far from the former office of my father’s uncle, Captain B.T. Thurlow (B. [Belcher] T. & Son) 38 South Street. The full rigged Bath ship, A.G. Ropes of Bath, Maine above mentioned, later was cut down to a coal barge and was lost on Hatteras while in tow…tow line parted.

Our first voyage, Uncle El loaded the Williams, at Wilmington, Delaware, with steel rails, railway cars and locomotives, consigned to Santos, Brazil. About that time father sailed for a Rio de Janeiro, where the brothers met, and had several days together. Uncle El jokingly suggested to father, that they trade vessels. The swap was not made.

Discharging of cargo from the Williams was delayed, causing anxiety to Uncle El. His vessel, being on first voyage, was not coppered and he feared the hull would be seriously damaged by the boring sea worms (toredos) which exists in tropical water and quickly destroy wooden ships. It should be explained that it was not customary, to place copper sheets on new wooden vessels until return from first voyage, during which the vessel is expected to “find herself”, (that is to provide for any shrinkage and adjustment of the hull structure).

Father in the Bark Olive Thurlow, sailed from Rio, bound for New York. Passing ships reported outbreak of yellow fever epidemic at Santos. He ran into Barbados, and upon cabling agents in Brazil was informed of his brother’s death. In the meantime Uncle Belcher Thurlow, in New York, had a cable from Brazil reading: “Corbett dead. Yellow fever. Cable instructions.” At first it was not known, in New York, whether the sad news referred to father, or to our Uncle El. Shortly thereafter there was received a cable sent by father from Barbados to Uncle Belcher, reporting that he had turned command, of the Olive Thurlow over to Captain William H. Gooding (of Yarmouth, Maine), his First Mate. Father’s message also reported that he was going to Santos to bring out the Williams. He left Barbados on first steamer for Brazil, at great personal risk (due to yellow fever epidemic). After much effort over several weeks, he accomplished discharge of the Williams, and took care of all his brother’s obligations, also arranged for a suitable monument to his brother.

Before the Williams was discharged, and could sail, most of the vessel crew had died with yellow fever, the cause of which then was unknown. New crew employed, glad to get away from Santos. It was not until the Spanish-American war, as elsewhere to be reported that the cause of yellow fever infection was discovered.

Improvements to Santos harbor, including dredging mud, and new pier construction, according to some reports, was thought responsible for the fever epidemic. The reference will, to some extent, indicate the confusion, on the cause of yellow fever infection. There were other equally strange theories, which I will not attempt to enumerate. They all were found incorrect, I believe. Uncle El left a fine family, his widow, and three wonderful daughters.

Captain William H. Gooding, who had temporarily served as first mate on the Olive Thurlow, and to whom father turned over command of the vessel in Barbados, was a long time, close friend of father’s. He sailed the Thurlow to New York. Prior to that Captain Gooding had lost his vessel, a bark, in which father owned shares, on a coral reef, in the South Pacific, unmarked on charts. He and his crew were held captives for about two years by natives, said to have been cannibals. All eventually escaped. Many believed Captain Gooding dead, but Mrs. Gooding, at no time, failed to have faith in his safe return. Sorry I cannot report details of Captain Gooding’s experience on the cannibal island and his escape. I did hear that he had no serious difficulty and was offered to take office as a chief of those friendly former cannibals. Father returned to New York on the Williams, sold the Thurlow, and bought his brother shares in the Williams.

For years, father sailed the Williams throughout the world. I accompanied him on some of his voyages, including Venezuela, Navassa and Barbados.

Father discouraged my strong desire to follow the sea, and I secured employment ashore.

In the spring of 1903, mother accompanied father on a voyage of the Williams, from Newport News, Virginia, with cargo of bituminous coal for the Havana Electric Railway, Light and Power Co., Havana. When approaching Cuba early one evening, the Williams grounded on a coral reef in the Bahamas. That, notwithstanding every precaution was being taken, including continuous use of hand sounding lead. Soon the vessel was surrounded by small boats filled with natives, who quickly can see opportunity for profit from a vessel in distress. Natives of the Bahamas soon swarmed over the vessel. Mother saw one of them walking out of the cabin carrying her best black silk dress. She took it from him. He said “I doesn’t mean no harm, ma’am. I’se juat takin it to the missus” or words to that effect. A big “boss man” [native] thought he could get enough boats to pull the vessel off the reef. But when an attempt was about to be made in the early morning, after under water examination, it was found that the vessel’s sternpost had broken when striking the reef, making salvage impossible. Father then prepared to abandon the vessel, after saving some sails, gear, ropes, blocks, spars and other supplies, as was possible. The salvaged material and all hands, were taken to nearby Bimini Island, thence on to Nassau, New Providence, where steamer passage was secure to New York.

It was at Nassau, New Providence Island, B.W.I. that grandfather, Captain Daniel Corbett, had been buried many years earlier. He had died at sea. Then, father was first mate, while his brother, our uncle El, was second mate. The entire crew was made up of boys and men from Cutler, Maine, father’s home town. A fact very unusual then, and impossible now. Crews of sailing vessels, today, our principally foreigners. Names of the new owners of the Olive Thurlow, cannot be remembered. While not certain, I think that vessel was bought by Pendleton Brothers of South Street, New York, owners of a large fleet, principally schooners.

It is believed that the Olive Thurlow, years later, was lost on, or near, Cape Hatteras, the graveyard of many fine vessels.

Source: Corbett, Willeby T. (Personal memoir. Previous publication unknown).

Mr. Corbett, who was 78 years old, was a descendant of Carr Thurlow and Captain Tristram Thurlow Corbett, and a first cousin of the late Charles E. Smith, of Cutler. He loved everything about Eastern Maine, especially the Machiases and Cutler, where he spent a good part of his life.

Mr. Corbett was a prominent citizen in his community, being vice president of the U.S. Steel Export Co. until his retirement in 1940, and an employee of the company and its predecessor corporations for more than 40 years. He was former chairman of the foreign commerce committee of the New York State Chamber of Commerce. He had been on both the Rockville Centre Board of Education and Public Library, a charter member of the volunteer fire department, a member of the draft board during World War II, a Mason, and a past commander of the Rockville Centre Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Mr. Corbett served in the Navy during the Spanish-American War.

Fifty years ago, Mr. Corbett and two other prominent citizens started the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce and it was at the anniversary dinner that he died suddenly.

Source: Duncan, Olive Corbett, Herald Tribune (Rockville Centre, N.Y.). Willeby T. Corbett obituary. (Date and page unknown).