Up to Dec^r       After Nov 1^st                                                               

4          address to U S Consul                                                                         

            Monte Video, after that to                                                                  

 

U.S.S. "Juniata", At sea,

August 22, 86.

 

Dear Cordelia,

to Monte Video, via England Am sorry I did not say two months to Cape de Verde Sat^y instead of two weeks. We are just about as near our first sounding day as we were the day we left New York. We ran into a heavy sea and unfavorable winds & we have done nothing the whole week but roll around & carry away first one rotten sail or rope then another. They say a bad beginning makes a good ending, I hope so. Yesterday the Capt was very near steaming into Norfolk to fill up with coal & repair things then go again. A good many things up aloft that should have been better attended to in New York, but everybody was too busy then running ashore. The ice machine—of which so much was prophesied while we were right close to a good market & ice house—broke down the first night out. A Lieut Wood, who is on board here, & is talked of as the inventor, & has had sort of supervision of it all along, tho' it really should devolve on me to keep it in order & run it—has been at / work on it all week, & he is no nearer making ice now than when in N.Y. Baker, our caterer, & Capt too came away without ice for the fresh provisions, so there was an immediate outcry for ice, & much surprise amongst them when there was no ice to be had, fue gratis. I have been a looker on in Venice, as it were, never had faith in the thing, so glad that Wood & the Executive, Burwell, were so anxious to assume charge of it they both expected lots of glory. They are both very welcome. It has been a high old six days, a howling wind & very heavy seas, not much sleep for any one until last night. my knees, thighs shoulder blades & elbows are sore with knocks & bruises. I think we are going to have better weather now. All week we have been in the Gulf stream, we are now on the outside edge of it off North Carolina. we have a good many soundings to make & a long distance to go to Cape de Verde before we get any more coal, so they will have to sail a good deal. We have been under sail / near all the time since leaving N.Y. except first day. They will have to do better than they have done, or it will be next midsummer or fall before we get to Valparaiso. I don't care how long they are getting there, nor where we go then, I have two measly specimens for assts, Lawrence & the last comer, Moritz, a Jew, first day out they both got sea sick & wanted to go on the list (sick) or be excused from watch somehow. they did not care a rap who stood their duty. D^r would not put them on the sick list, so I had to keep sending for them when their watch came around—they both seemed to be quite satisfied when laying down in their bunk, vomiting semi-occasionally, instead of going on deck in the fresh air when off watch. L— looks like the last rose of summer. Moritz d^o. I don't know what I should do without Herbert always on hand & ready for his duty. The other two will be more trouble to me than they are worth I expect.

 

23^rd      I hope you got all my letters. The last day writing I found an envelope addressed to Alice so I scribbled off a few lines later & was going to send them by Mrs Baker who remained on board to the last moment, but while I was below finishing she left suddenly & I did not have time to say goodbye or give her the letter. Everything has been stinking wet for several days with salt water or fresh. We don't look quite so salubrious as when in New York. Burwell does not make a very efficient Ex officer, as usual wants to have a finger in everybody's affairs to the neglect of his own. We have only been out 8 days or less, & he looks as tho' we had been out two years. D^r was telling me this a.m. (Monday) that they made a mistake some days ago of about 150 miles only after much figuring they have managed to locate our position & we are now steering back again, fortunately. We have good weather & a fair wind. Tuesday a.m. 24^th We are further out of our route than I thought. We won't be up to our first place for sounding before Wednesday a.m. where we ought to have been a week ago. at this rate we will be at Cape de Verde about 1^st of October. A lovely day today, everybody busy getting their things up in the sun. damp as a dungeon below here, & everything sticky, shoes all mouldy, white pants are like wet rags. 

 

         Aug 27^th Sunday Aug 29^th      We struck a cyclone & a sweet time we had of it from about 2 oclock a.m. to 7 in the evening. fortunately it passed us before the night set in on us. I have been through a good many gales in various seas but I never saw worse or heavier seas, or knew the wind to blow as it did for that time. Keeping a hat or cap on was out of the question, you had to hold on for dear life. I have heard of vessels shipping green seas, but I don't know that I ever saw a vessel take them in before. It was simply frightful, the way the water came into the ship. We had all the hatches battened down except one forward under the forecastle. All the officers were on deck, except the engineers & we were all in the engine & fireroom, most of the time. I was there pretty much all the time except when I wanted to see the Capt. The Capt said he never experienced such a wind & sea Saturday morning the sun shone as brightly & was as pleasantly as ever & the sea like a mill pond, hardly a ripple, but such a ship & such a sickly lot of uniforms I never saw. A tremendous lot of water came down into the steerage & ward room before the hatches were battened down & the boys were all sent on deck & the officers went also so the water had / full sweep. There was about water about a foot deep in every room & would splash over every thing when the ship rolled. Magazine (powder) & store rooms all flooded & today, Sunday, everybody's clothes & bedding is all in the rigging & deck strewed with paymasters clothing & stores. Flour & sugar & other things are being surveyed condemned & thrown overboard, the ship leaks more or less into the store rooms & everybodys room. She rode beautifully during the gale, rolled very easily & behaved herself very well but it was the immense waves that struck her so heavily making the things crack, starting leaks here & there. Everything held together well in engine & fireroom, the boilers show signs of having moved when the seas struck her, from the hull having worked, but nothing serious. Am mighty glad to get through it so well.

 

            In my room my things suffered less than any one, as I had stowed everything I could overhead, & in my bureau, the drawers and my trunk were comparatively empty. My bed & bedding were wet from water when ship rolled splashing over things. My shoes were tied together & hung up high, & the deck over my head is tight, strange to say. Tell Alice & Frank (they will remember the height of the poop) three immense seas each about as big as a house went clear over the poop, deluged the cabin & came down inside the cabin to wardroom.

 

(30^th)   We have not made much progress, we are not one third the way to Cape de Verde yet. I don't know what our chances are for meeting vessels here, but will have this closed ready for sending off in case one comes along. Several of the officers are busy with letters in expectation. The weather is perfect today, only a calm instead of a fair wind. Capt wants to save his coal for the present as we have over 2000 miles to go yet, & must save coal for distilling & in case of bad weather. He says he is in no hurry, it is all in a cruise and we may just as well put in our time here as any where else.

 

            Friday we had but one meal & that was a late one. Saty we had our regular rations, & about 11 oclock we had a symposium. Alice will know what it means. Capt came down, & we had several from the steerage, sung a different tune to the one of night before.

 

            Everything is going on quietly and smoothly, a few days after we left I had a spat with our caterer Baker, but it is all straight now All the time we were in & around New York I put up with a number of little things for policy's sake. The Jap steward & boys who waited on stbd side, line officers, always waited on them first, & then the Jap cook when cooking eggs &c for first breakfast early a.m. would cook for those Jap boys who waited on liners, & we on Stbd side would have to wait. I was often annoyed too by the steward & sometimes officers themselves calling my boy away when waiting on me or fixing my room. At last I was up the first one one morning & Baker came next, then Wood & one or two more liners, D^r & Pay are generally very late. My boy was at the galley but had to wait until all those others were attended to, & when at last I was served Wood called my boy away when he was waiting on me. He is the only darky left. The rest (darkeys) were all discharged the day before we left & Japs shipped, so my boy is the only one who can understand English, & is often called away to go on errands or deliver messages. I called the Steward after I had finished breakfast & told him in pigeon English what I wanted hereafter. then I hunted for Baker & told him that I had endured this thing for several months hoping that he would notice & correct matters. We had a free talk, at least I had, he did not seem to want to hear or say anything. Steward has also given my boy another room to take care I wanted him to re-arrange matters & I would suggest that when the boys commence waiting on the table they begin sometimes at one end sometimes at another, &c. &c.

 

I waited a few days, at last the changes were all made. Sometimes Mr Burwell is first waited on, sometimes last, ditto Baker or myself. & my boy was relieved of one room & this given to a Jap boy, Mr Burwells. Some time ago the liners passed a regulation that the two senior officers in the wardroom should have a boy to themselves. At that time the Exec & Navigator generally ranked the staff, now the staff rank the line, so the latter get the advantage & Exec is left. Burwell & next to him have had a boy to themselves & my boy had 3 rooms. Now myself & Paymaster have a boy to ourselves, & Burwells boy has 3 rooms, and I very often, too often, get waited on the first at table.

 

I have quoted regulations for Burwell several times concerning our firemen, &c, he has subsided.

 

            When we were getting up anchor to leave Staten Isl^d (Herbert was on watch in engine room, Exec always takes the watch on deck when getting under way or coming to anchor,) Burwell sends down a peremptory order for the Engineer to come on deck, he wanted to see him. Capt was on poop also, and I happened to be in engine room. Herbert was going to go on deck, I stop'd him, & told him never to go on deck unless relieved by some other Engr. He asked me then if I would look out for him. (he thought he must of course go as B— had sent for him) I told him no, to remain where he was. I sent word by the Marine to say to M^r Burwell that M^r H— was on watch. I did not hear from him again. Several other little things like that have happened. / but everything is going on all right. He & the rest of them are as pleasant as can be.

 

31^st      Last of day of August & we are only about 20 miles nearer Cape de V— than yesterday. perfect calm. We are all busy yet getting our things overhauled, with painting scrubbing & airing. I have my room smelling & looking sweeter than it was. My shoes in the drawer under my bunk this morning had mould on them about ¾ of an inch long. I think I shall get my oil cloth on the floor taken up, as the water lays under there & keeps things damp.

 

            My celluloid cuffs & collars answer first rate. The Capt seems first rate, quiet & business like, lives in Greenfield near North Adams I think, Mass. prefers being home or waiting orders to anything at Navy Yards, &c. Knows his business & attends to it when obliged to, & wants everybody else to have a quiet time.

            I will send George the Latitude and Longitude each day for him to look up when he gets his geography, so he can see our track.

 

Sept 5—I dont think we have made 10 miles a day since a week ago. Sea like glass and not a breath of wind. I would not be surprised if we put into Faial, Azores, for coal & make a fresh start. I hope so, would like to see Madeira too, but am afraid we wont.

 

            We had our first full dress muster / today first Sunday in the month. I suppose Geo Jr goes to school in the morning. I hope he is well & all ready. The weather today is perfect just comfortable with our light under clothes, & white pants & blouse on. The nights are comfortable too but ship rolling so keeps us awake. My stomach has not been behaving well of late. The shaking up we got, change of diet & water & one thing or another affected me somehow, tho' I kept on my feet every day. it is only within the past week that I have felt a little like myself again. It may be some from lack of exercise. Am all right again tho now as to my stomach. Everything is going along very pleasantly in the men. Last night (Saty) we had the Capt & several of the steerage in to supper, & during that time had some of their men from deck playing concertina & singing sailor songs. The first part of there affairs go all right. After Capt & one or two others go away the youngsters get drinking too much & noisy. I rather think the Capt will say something before the next. he has made remarks about the noise, &c, recently.

            Take them all in all I think the liners are much superior to those I have been with before. Wood, Usher & Rogers are first rate, bright and on the alert, the rest are fair.

 

D^r comes from Virginia, has been stationed in Washington most of his time, is a society sharp, recently married an Army officers daughter in Washington, a belle. he is a fine looking fellow, fond of posing, thinks himself a trifle better than ordinary folks, fond of talking. My 1^st A Engineer, Lawrence I think is about the biggest fool, using plain English, I have ever had. Gentlemanly & of good habits, as an Engineer tho' he is a failure, & a fraud on Uncle Sam. Moritz my junior Asst is a trifle better & may improve, but L— never. Herbert is first class in every way. Paymaster is from Boston, friend of Carrie W & Miss Trull, he is a pleasant fellow every way. Burwell is a failure as an Executive, and when he tries to show himself off in company generally succeeds in making himself ridiculous. I think we will have a pleasant time tho', Baker likes to hear himself talk, especially of his own affairs, but means well I guess. The midshipmen all seem to be a superior lot I think, very bright & hard workers. When comparing the liners with my senior Asst I feel mortified & ashamed, I don't wonder at the line ridiculing the Corps. We dont deserve anything better, or rather the worse I think from them, ~ from the Dept.

 

Sept 9—We sighted a steamer today from Liverpool for St Thomas West Indies, but too far away to give her our mail. We gave her our name so she could report us. 

 

For two days we have had a very good wind, under sail alone, lovely weather. A steady temperature in my room night & day 78 to 80. Everything remained so damp below after that bad weather, for several days & my getting wet so many times I fetched up with rheumatism in left hip & right arm & shoulder. Several others D^r included have had it too. Am just getting over it. Warm weather will get rid of it all right, we are getting south all the time & will soon have it warm enough. I did not think to say anything about numbering your letters, so could tell if any were missing, &c, I shall close these two letters, so if a vessel comes, be ready to mail them. I hope they will find you all well. Am afraid it will be some time before you get them, we have a long way to go yet, before we get to Cape de V. and if we have bad weather Capt will not stop there, but go right on to Rio Janeiro in that case it will be New Year before you get this. Remember me to all in Brighton, to the folks in the house & to Miss Abbott & Miss Hotchkins, if they take their meals with you again. Much love for you all. George, If F Eames sends papers send them on to me. /

 

Sept 16            Tomorrow is my birthday, a high old place to celebrate it. Salt-horse, canned salmon, bacon, &c, including canned Boston beans. I asked the Steward, sometime ago, to save me a plum pudding, English, canned. very good for can'd—

 

            We are all disappointed at not being able to go to the Azores, or Madeira. Capt has given it up, we are now steaming slowly for Cape de Verde, about 950 miles off yet. About 10 days more, two or three days past have been cold & wet, today is quite pleasant. Tell George that today we saw a tremendous big water spout, the only one I have ever seen. It was only a short distance away, & appeared to come towards us. The Capt ordered one of the guns loaded so as to fire at it if too close to us, but when all was ready, it broke. It must have been nearly ½ mile in height. It swayed first one way then another, with the wind I suppose, then broke up.

 

Sept 17—Wish I was home today to celebrate my birthday in a decent sort of way. I treated the folks in the wardroom to a drink of whiskey before 11am breakfast, & then had sherry at breakfast for them. I asked Baker to give me a plum pudding for dinner & he said he would, then Usher in the exuberance of his spirits, said he would make ice cream instead for me, so he started on it, but the Steward, a Jap, had peculiar notions of making ice cream, & Baker left it to the Steward & Usher, result was—no ice cream, no pudding. so did not have much of a feast. Bean soup, salt horse, green corn potatoes coffee & my sherry. I suppose we might have fared worse, but I had rather be ashore.

 

            We have lovely weather, sea like a lake, moonlight nights, perfect calm. We are now steering from our last sounding direct for Cape de Verde about a hundred & twenty miles a day, tis about 950 miles so with this weather about 8 days more. From there we hope to go to Port Praya, for stores, one of the same islands where we can get stores, about 50 miles from where we get coal.

 

Sept 22 We are sailing along merrily, will doubtless be in by Friday or Saty. The steerage here issued another edition of Westward Ho! will send two copies. Alice can send one to Maude if she wishes in case I send two.

 

This has been the most tedious trip I ever took, nearly 40 days out of sight of land, and such prison fare too.

 

I hope we will find our mails all right at Porto Grande, & that I shall hear of you all being well.

 

Remember me to everybody in the house & all the Brighton friends. I shall close this now, & write again after I have read my letters. Love to Ellen & family & to Geo & Anna when you write, & to your Mother. I dont know how the mails run from Cape de V—

 

            Much love for you & the children. I do hope you are all well. I have got over my stomach trouble & the warm weather has driven away the little touches of rheumatism I had for a few days. Remember me to the Howsons if they are back again, Herricks. Frosts & Fiskes. Wish I had a chance to get beaten at 4 or 6 handed euchre with them. They might lick me with a club every time.

 

Remember me to Mrs & Miss Bates, & to Canning when you see them

 

We have just dine sumptuously on salt horse, beans potatoes rice & hard tack. Bkft this a.m. cold pork & beans & rice. Ask Frank how he would like to board here.

                                                                                   

Much love for all

From George.

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