[Thomas Waters to his parents]
[from a transcript]
Bethiah Jewett. Cork. 12 Oct.(1860)
Dear Father and Mother
I hope this will find you in good health as I am at present. We arrived here to day and I am waiting for orders before proceeding to my final port of discharge. I have a few repairs to get done here as I encountered a hurricane 6 days ago and lost all my topsails etc. and a man overboard and 2 others got legs broken. I picked up 9 men who had been wrecked, capsized and waterlogg’d and had been 8 days without food or water – poor fellows they are mere skeletons, their Captain and 2 of the crew were drowned. I have made a very fast passage, beat all the other ships, but l have lost much canvas and many spars. We fell in with plenty of ice (August) off Cape Horn and I came pretty near being washed overboard, never nearer in my life as a heavy sea pooped us and did us much damage. Write me all the news about Ben and Mary etc. If you have any letters for me from Amy send them at once.
Remember me kindly to Mr J.Harris. Amy wrote me in Peru that she had found out that home was her place to take care of her children and you will commend her notion, so I dont expect her in England. Please excuse my very bad writing, I am afraid you will think that most of my schooling was thrown away, but I got so many beatings at school that I believe I wrote my worst to spite the schoolmaster (bad excuse). Tell Papa if he will write me a letter I will write him one ever so tidy. I dont think Papa or I like writing, with best love to all, Eliz, Sarah, Jane, Nancy
I am your affectionate son
Thomas
Ship Bethiah Jewett,
J. Scott & Co.,
Queenstown, Cork.