American Merchant Ships and Sailors | Page 2

ICE PACK facing 204

ADRIFT ON AN ICE FLOE 206
DE LONG'S MEN DRAGGING THEIR BOATS OVER THE ICE 210
AN ARCTIC HOUSE 224
AN ESQUIMAU 227
THE WOODEN BATEAUX OF THE FUR TRADERS facing 236
"THE RED-MEN SET UPON THEM AND SLEW THEM ALL" 241
ONE OF THE FIRST LAKE SAILORS 243
"TWO BOAT-LOADS OF REDCOATS BOARDED US AND TOOK
US PRISONERS" 245
A VANISHING TYPE ON THE LAKES 249
"THE WHALEBACK" 253
FLATBOATS MANNED WITH RIFLEMEN facing 266
"THE EVENING WOULD PASS IN RUDE AND HARMLESS
JOLLITY" 271
THE MISSISSIPPI PILOT 286
A DECK LOAD OF COTTON 290
FEEDING THE FURNACE 293
ON THE BANKS 314
"THE BOYS MARKED THEIR FISH BY CUTTING OFF THEIR
TAILS" 322
FISHING FROM THE RAIL 328

TRAWLING FROM A DORY 333
STRIKES A SCHOONER AND SHEARS THROUGH HER LIKE A
KNIFE facing 334
MINOT'S LEDGE LIGHT 345
WHISTLING BUOY 354
REVENUE CUTTER 360
LAUNCHING A LIFEBOAT THROUGH THE SURF 364
THE EXCITING MOMENT IN THE PILOT'S TRADE facing 366
**Transcriber's notes: Illustrations: Most quirks were left as written,
only changes made listed below. List reads: "THE LOUD LAUGH
OFTEN ROSE AT MY EXPENSE" Tag reads: "THE LOUD LAUGH
ROSE AT MY EXPENSE" Added missing illustration to list: AFTER
A BRITISH LIEUTENANT HAD PICKED THE BEST OF HER
CREW 18 Changed MOULDERING to MOLDERING to match
illustration and text Page 227: Changed Illustration tag "AN
ESQUIMAUX" to "AN ESQUIMAU" to fit text.

Contents
PAGE
CHAPTER I.
1
THE AMERICAN SHIP AND THE AMERICAN SAILOR--NEW
ENGLAND'S LEAD ON THE OCEAN--THE EARLIEST
AMERICAN SHIP-BUILDING--HOW THE SHIPYARDS
MULTIPLIED--LAWLESS TIMES ON THE HIGH
SEAS--SHIP-BUILDING IN THE FORESTS AND ON THE

FARM--SOME EARLY TYPES--THE COURSE OF MARITIME
TRADE--THE FIRST SCHOONER AND THE FIRST
FULL-RIGGED SHIP--JEALOUSY AND ANTAGONISM OF
ENGLAND--THE PEST OF PRIVATEERING--ENCOURAGEMENT
FROM CONGRESS--THE GOLDEN DAYS OF OUR MERCHANT
MARINE--FIGHTING CAPTAINS AND TRADING
CAPTAINS--GROUND BETWEEN FRANCE AND
ENGLAND--CHECKED BY THE WARS--SEALING AND
WHALING--INTO THE PACIFIC--HOW YANKEE BOYS
MOUNTED THE QUARTER-DECK--SOME STORIES OF EARLY
SEAMEN--THE PACKETS AND THEIR EXPLOITS
CHAPTER II.
53
THE TRANSITION FROM SAILS TO STEAM--THE CHANGE IN
MARINE ARCHITECTURE--THE DEPOPULATION OF THE
OCEAN--CHANGES IN THE SAILOR'S LOT--FROM WOOD TO
STEEL--THE INVENTION OF THE STEAMBOAT--THE FATE OF
FITCH--FULTON'S LONG STRUGGLES--OPPOSITION OF THE
SCIENTISTS--THE "CLERMONT"--THE STEAMBOAT ON THE
OCEAN--ON WESTERN RIVERS--THE TRANSATLANTIC
PASSAGE--THE "SAVANNAH" MAKES THE FIRST
CROSSING--ESTABLISHMENT OF BRITISH LINES--EFFORTS
OF UNITED STATES SHIP-OWNERS TO COMPETE--THE
FAMOUS COLLINS LINE--THE DECADENCE OF OUR
MERCHANT MARINE--SIGNS OF ITS REVIVAL--OUR GREAT
DOMESTIC SHIPPING INTEREST--AMERICA'S FUTURE ON
THE SEA
CHAPTER III.
89
AN UGLY FEATURE OF EARLY SEAFARING--THE SLAVE
TRADE AND ITS PROMOTERS--PART PLAYED BY EMINENT

NEW ENGLANDERS--HOW THE TRADE GREW UP--THE PIOUS
AUSPICES WHICH SURROUNDED THE
TRAFFIC--SLAVE-STEALING AND
SABBATH-BREAKING--CONDITIONS OF THE TRADE--SIZE OF
THE VESSELS--HOW THE CAPTIVES WERE
TREATED--MUTINIES, MAN-STEALING, AND MURDER--THE
REVELATIONS OF THE ABOLITION SOCIETY--EFFORTS TO
BREAK UP THE TRADE--AN AWFUL
RETRIBUTION--ENGLAND LEADS THE WAY--DIFFICULTY OF
ENFORCING THE LAW--AMERICA'S SHAME--THE END OF
THE EVIL--THE LAST SLAVER
CHAPTER IV.
121
THE WHALING INDUSTRY--ITS EARLY DEVELOPMENT IN
NEW ENGLAND--KNOWN TO THE ANCIENTS--SHORE
WHALING BEGINNINGS OF THE DEEP-SEA FISHERIES--THE
PRIZES OF WHALING--PIETY OF ITS EARLY
PROMOTERS--THE RIGHT WHALE AND THE CACHALOT--A
FLURRY--SOME FIGHTING WHALES--THE "ESSEX" AND THE
"ANN ALEXANDER"--TYPES OF WHALERS--DECADENCE OF
THE INDUSTRY--EFFECT OF OUR NATIONAL WARS--THE
EMBARGO--SOME STORIES OF WHALING LIFE
CHAPTER V.
155
THE PRIVATEERS--PART TAKEN BY MERCHANT SAILORS IN
BUILDING UP THE PRIVATEERING SYSTEM--LAWLESS
STATE OF THE HIGH SEAS--METHOD OF DISTRIBUTING
PRIVATEERING PROFITS--PICTURESQUE FEATURES OF THE
CALLING--THE GENTLEMEN SAILORS--EFFECTS ON THE
REVOLUTIONARY ARMY--PERILS OF PRIVATEERING--THE
OLD JERSEY PRISON SHIP--EXTENT OF

PRIVATEERING--EFFECT ON AMERICAN MARINE
ARCHITECTURE--SOME FAMOUS PRIVATEERS--THE
"CHASSEUR," THE "PRINCE DE NEUFCHÁTEL," THE
"MAMMOTH"--THE SYSTEM OF CONVOYS AND THE
"RUNNING SHIPS"--A TYPICAL PRIVATEERS' BATTLE--THE
"GENERAL ARMSTRONG" AT FAYAL--SUMMARY OF THE
WORK OF THE PRIVATEERS
CHAPTER VI.
193
THE ARCTIC TRAGEDY--AMERICAN SAILORS IN THE
FROZEN DEEP--THE SEARCH FOR SIR JOHN
FRANKLIN--REASONS FOR SEEKING THE NORTH
POLE--TESTIMONY OF SCIENTISTS AND
EXPLORERS--PERTINACITY OF POLAR VOYAGERS--DR.
KANE AND DR. HAYES--CHARLES F. HALL, JOURNALIST
AND EXPLORER--MIRACULOUS ESCAPE OF HIS PARTY--THE
ILL-FATED "JEANNETTE" EXPEDITION--SUFFERING AND
DEATH OF DE LONG AND HIS COMPANIONS--A PITIFUL
DIARY--THE GREELY EXPEDITION--ITS CAREFUL PLAN AND
COMPLETE DISASTER--RESCUE OF THE GREELY
SURVIVORS--PEARY, WELLMAN, AND BALDWIN
CHAPTER VII.
233
THE GREAT LAKES--THEIR SHARE IN THE MARITIME
TRAFFIC OF THE UNITED STATES--THE EARLIEST
RECORDED VOYAGERS--INDIANS AND FUR TRADERS--THE
PIGMY CANAL AT THE SAULT STE. MARIE--BEGINNING OF
NAVIGATION BY SAILS--DE LA SALLE AND THE
"GRIFFIN"--RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY LAKE SEAMEN--THE
LAKES AS A HIGHWAY FOR WESTWARD EMIGRATION--THE
FIRST STEAMBOAT--EFFECT OF MINERAL DISCOVERIES ON

LAKE SUPERIOR--THE ORE-CARRYING FLEET--THE
WHALEBACKS--THE SEAMEN OF THE LAKES--THE GREAT
CANAL AT THE "SOO"--THE CHANNEL TO
BUFFALO--BARRED OUT FROM THE OCEAN
CHAPTER VIII.
261
THE MISSISSIPPI AND TRIBUTARY RIVERS--THE CHANGING
PHASES OF THEIR SHIPPING--RIVER NAVIGATION AS A
NATION-BUILDING FORCE--THE VALUE OF SMALL
STREAMS--WORK OF THE OHIO COMPANY--AN EARLY
PROPELLER--THE FRENCH FIRST ON THE MISSISSIPPI--THE
SPANIARDS AT NEW ORLEANS--EARLY METHODS OF
NAVIGATION--THE FLATBOAT, THE BROADHORN, AND THE
KEELBOAT--LIFE OF THE RIVERMEN--PIRATES AND
BUCCANEERS--LAFITTE AND THE BARATARIANS--THE
GENESIS