American Merchant Ships and Sailors

American Merchant Ships and
Sailors, by
by Ray Brown

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Willis J. Abbot, Illustrated by Ray Brown
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Title: American Merchant Ships and Sailors
Author: Willis J. Abbot
Release Date: April 18, 2005 [eBook #15648]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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MERCHANT SHIPS AND SAILORS***
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Transcriber's Note: General: Varied hyphenation is retained. In list of
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AMERICAN MERCHANT SHIPS AND SAILORS
by
WILLIS J. ABBOT
Author of Naval History of the United States, Bluejackets of 1898, etc.
Illustrated by RAY BROWN
New York Dodd, Mead & Company The Caxton Press New York
1902

[Illustration]

BOOKS BY WILLIS J. ABBOT
[Illustration]
Naval History of the United States
Blue Jackets of 1898
Battlefields of '61

Battlefields and Campfires
Battlefields and Victory

Preface
In an earlier series of books the present writer told the story of the high
achievements of the men of the United States Navy, from the day of
Paul Jones to that of Dewey, Schley, and Sampson. It is a record
Americans may well regard with pride, for in wars of defense or
offense, in wars just or unjust, the American blue jacket has discharged
the duty allotted to him cheerfully, gallantly, and efficiently.
But there are triumphs to be won by sea and by land greater than those
of war, dangers to be braved, more menacing than the odds of battle. It
was a glorious deed to win the battle of Santiago, but Fulton and
Ericsson influenced the progress of the world more than all the heroes
of history. The daily life of those who go down to the sea in ships is
one of constant battle, and the whaler caught in the ice-pack is in more
direful case than the blockaded cruiser; while the captain of the ocean
liner, guiding through a dense fog his colossal craft freighted with two
thousand human lives, has on his mind a weightier load of
responsibility than the admiral of the fleet.
In all times and ages, the deeds of the men who sail the deep as its
policemen or its soldiery have been sung in praise. It is time for
chronicle of the high courage, the reckless daring, and oftentimes the
noble self-sacrifice of those who use the Seven Seas to extend the
markets of the world, to bring nations nearer together, to advance
science, and to cement the world into one great interdependent whole.
WILLIS JOHN ABBOT. Ann Arbor, Mich., May 1, 1902.
[Illustration: NEW ENGLAND EARLY TOOK THE LEAD IN
BUILDING SHIPS]
List of Illustrations

PAGE NEW ENGLAND EARLY TOOK THE LEAD IN BUILDING
SHIPS Frontispiece
THE SHALLOP 2
THE KETCH 5
"THE BROAD ARROW WAS PUT ON ALL WHITE PINES 24
INCHES IN DIAMETER" 7
"THE FARMER-BUILDER TOOK HIS PLACE AT THE HELM" 8
SCHOONER-RIGGED SHARPIE 11
AFTER A BRITISH LIEUTENANT HAD PICKED THE BEST OF
HER CREW 18
EARLY TYPE OF SMACK 21
THE SNOW, AN OBSOLETE TYPE 29
THE BUG-EYE 34
A "PINK" 38
"INSTANTLY THE GUN WAS RUN OUT AND DISCHARGED" 42
"THE WATER FRONT OF A GREAT SEAPORT LIKE NEW
YORK" 55
AN ARMED CUTTER 57
"THE LOUD LAUGH OFTEN ROSE AT MY EXPENSE" 65
"THE DREADNAUGHT"--NEW YORK AND LIVERPOOL
PACKET 69
THERE ARE BUILDING IN AMERICAN YARDS facing 82

"A FAVORITE TRICK OF THE FLEEING SLAVER WAS TO
THROW OVER SLAVES" 95
DEALERS WHO CAME ON BOARD WERE THEMSELVES
KIDNAPPED facing 98
"THE ROPE WAS PUT AROUND HIS NECK" 103
"BOUND THEM TO THE CHAIN CABLE" 114
"SENDING BOAT AND MEN FLYING INTO THE AIR" 128
"SUDDENLY THE MATE GAVE A HOWL--'STARN ALL!" facing
132
"ROT AT MOLDERING WHARVES" 140
"THERE SHE BLOWS!" 144
"TAKING IT IN HIS JAWS" 146
NEARLY EVERY MAN ON THE QUARTERDECK OF THE
"ARGO" WAS KILLED OR WOUNDED 162
THE PRISON SHIP "JERSEY" 163
IF THEY RETREATED FARTHER HE WOULD BLOW UP THE
SHIP facing 176
"I THINK SHE IS A HEAVY SHIP" 179
"STRIVING TO REACH HER DECKS AT EVERY POINT" 186
"THEY FELL DOWN AND DIED AS THEY WALKED" 199
"THE TREACHEROUS KAYAK" 203
THE SHIP WAS CAUGHT IN THE