United States Merchant Marine Academy - Midships Yearbook (Kings Point, NY)

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A jaggini; wlieel carved from whalebone b y a wlialema skilled in the art of scrimshaw. The men sat smoking their pipes, talking, scrimshawing, and joking about their friends and their occupation. But most of all, these men scrimshawed carving trinkets such as fancy cor- set stays, jagging wheels, or just fancy ornaments and knick-nacks out of whalebone and teeth. Some of these carvings are so delicate that they have come to be attributed to be the works of genuine masters. This was the way a whaleman lived with death by violence on one hand and extinction by boredom on the other. Skip sat by this gathering listening and watch- ing with awestruck senses. The stories were many and varied, but all pertained to the only topic— whaling. The songs, mostly ballads, were of wine, women, adventure, and their love of the life as a whaleman. They talked at length about Mocha Dick, the great white whale that was continua lly out- smarting the best of boatsteerers and running away with the irons of deft harpooners after they were fast to his hump. Stories such as this and about the otlier monsters of the ocean deeps gave young Skip a lot to think about. Were these tales merely the boyish fancies of the minds of old and aging men? Could there be a whale, a white one at that, that was capable of being in one ocean one day and another ocean on the opposite side of the world the ne.xt day? Ships, whales, and whalemen— what an adventure this voyage was going to be. As dark approached, the men began drifting towards the forecastle hatch. Tomorrow would probably be a rugged day with the green hands practicing at the manly art of pulling an oar and the first day on lookout for whales. The captain passed on his offer of a silver dollar for the first man who sighted a whale and one to each member of the crew that brought the first whale to bay alongside the ship. With a prize as noble as this offered, you could be sure that action would begin well before they crossed the A landlubber ' s impression of what a man on lookout aboard a whaler must look like. The shoes and clothing are definitely not the type used.

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A sketch showinp the crew scrambhng for salt junk. and began to bang on an old pot with a serving spoon. Well, young feller, that ' s what we been waitin ' fer. Better hurry on over to the pot afore it ' s all ate an ' we don ' t git our share. Here, grab a cup an ' a plate an ' unsheath yer knife so ' s yer ready to harpoon yerself a hunk o ' salt junk. Tain ' t much fer taste, but helps to fill the empty space in yer midships section. All of a sudden, Skip saw a mass of men emerge from the fo ' c ' sle hatch and decend upon the steaming pot of salt junk, or salt horse as it was called occasionally to give the menu a little variety. Along side of this pot was a keg filled with hardtack, a kind of biscuit that was too hard to chew without first being soaked in water or coffee. Salt horse and hardtack were the staples of the whaleman ' s daily diet. Salt junk or salt horse, or by any other name, was nothing more than heavily salted beef of a low grade. Often, this beef still rotted when cruising the warmer climates towards the end of a voyage. The hardstack was constantly subject to mildew and meal worms and as time drew on, even the water in the casks began to stink. For long periods of time, the menu was completely void of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, and fresh meat. The captain avoided making landfalls as long as the ship had an adequate supply of fresh water. Occasionally, the cook would mi. up a batch of labicrosse which was nothing more than a hash of salt horse and hardtack properly seasoned with the necessary spices and herbs. Another favorite of the Yankee whaleman was plum duff, a pudding made with fresh fruit. These dishes were only served on special occasions such as religious holidays, national holidays, and to cel- ebrate the passing of various landmarks of the voyage such as the point at which the hold became half full of oil. On rare occasions, when an e.xtra large whale was harpooned and it yielded an unusual amount of oil, the captain would order the cook to make plum duff or labicrosse as a reward for the men for the fine job they had done. Later on after chow, Jim took Skip forward to the hatch cover where the ship ' s keepers and the watch below gathered to spin yarns, sing, and scrimshaw after the evening meal. This, and an occasional frolic were the only ways the men had to reduce the boredom of a long and often monotonous voyage.

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equator into the South Atlantic wlicic they in- tended to make tlieir first cruise. With the stories he had heard on deck, Skip went below to attempt to get some sleep. Need- less to say, the night was a restless one and Skip was awake the next morning before the watch on deck came below to rouse him out just before daybreak. Skip washed his face hastily and then ventured out on deck to let the fresh salt air awaken him the rest of the way. Well, today was the day-today Skip would start his new job. About the best place to start anything is at the beginning, so Skip started aft to the galley to see the cook. After learning more about his duties from the cook. Skip went below and set the table in the saloon for breakfast. After serving the morning meal, Skip cleaned the officer ' s quarters, the steerage, the saloon, and the pantry and then went on deck to catch a breath of fresh air. The captain had ordered all green liands into the boats for pulling practice immediately after breakfast and the men were still working diligently at mastering this difficult art. Lookouts were posted high in foremast and were already busy scanning the horizon for the plumed spout of the great leviathan and the re- ward of one silver dollar. The carpenter was busy at his bench cutting planking for the boats and assembling barrels to hold the oil tr ' ed from the first whale that was yet to be captured. His was a busy job, often as many as three whales a day would be «iSitffii: