[Thomas Waters to his parents]
[from a transcript]
Ship Bethiah Jewett
Sydney. 20 August 1862
Dear Father & Mother
We left Sunderland 6 a.m. Sunday Feb.16th with a South channel pilot on board, but, finding a head gale in the North Sea, I concluded to run North about, consequently I landed the Pilot at Peterhead and after passing the Orkneys, encountered a thorough winter gale which in those high latitudes blow bitterly accompanied with heavy seas and a miscellaneous assortment of rain, snow, hail, and sleet, sometimes singly and sometimes mixed forming very undesirable varieties of weather. We lost two men overboard, our only casualties in regard to life, except some live stock drowned in their pens. The ship was rather badly damaged, struck by a sea which stove in 35 feet of our upper works, causing our gaping seams to swallow water faster than our pumps doubly mann’d could free us, finding the water fast gaining on us I gave orders to lighten the ship by throwing cargo overboard which helped us some, but the storm abating helped us the most; we battened tarr’d canvas over the seams and I proceeded on our voyage glad at having escaped foundering, but much to the disappointment of the crew who wished and expected me to put into port for repairs as they dreaded the Cape of Good Hope in a crippled ship, but I have confidence in the staunchness of the ship and moreover a captain soon loses his good name if he runs into port without dire necessity compels, as it brings great expense on the ship, cargo and underwriters. We have had the longest calm that I ever experienced – 40 days in which we only advanced a few miles, we were on the line and it rained day after day causing some sickness among the crew, but the children stood the climate first rate, they have all been very healthy tho’ we have had a very very long passage. Poor Amy 140 days after leaving Sunderland and just at my most anxious time making the land was at hand miscarried twins and suffered very much as we encountered very severe storms both before and after and during the occurence. Little Johnny likewise came in for his share of the hard times cutting his teeth, getting weaned and no proper food, and very improper nurses – a sailor servant boy and myself, the boy washed and dressed, fed and changed him, I tried it twice and I declare tho’ it was cold weather 50° S.Latitude I fairly perspired, the little fellow suffered a good deal and cried every night till his Mother got well, Alice was some help to us, but I think I must after this voyage with all my family take a good rest as I feel very much worn out and I think all of us would be the better for a rest ashore. Bad sailors are my greatest annoyance. The English laws seem to suppose that all common seamen are good men, and all Captains and officers bad men. The crew that I brought from New York were very very bad, the war in the United States [American Civil War] and the bitter hatred there to anything English forced me to take the scum of all the bad sailors; I tried fair means with them first, but found it useless as most of them were armed with revolvers and all with large sheath knives so they deemed themselves beyond control and refused duty as soon as they came on board. I tried to reason with them, but they pointed a couple of pistols at me and declared in very unpolite words that they would not work till they pleased, but I got some assistance from the harbour authorities and after a little resistance in which the revenue officers and my chief mate got badly cut and myself slightly, we secured half the crew in iron and with a steam tug ahead proceeded to sea where I adopted means to bring the mutineers to duty and I had little trouble till we arrived in Havre when of course they deserted. As they had received two months pay in advance and had only been 25 days on board so that they gained over a month’s pay, however one got drowned and the others as they were such very bad characters even the low sailors’ boarding house would not take them in, consequently they prowled the streets begging and stealing and eight or nine are now in some French prison, but I am sorry to say the ringleader escaped back to America – at least I recognized him on board an outward bound ship from Havre, he was the vagabond who stopped me twice in Havre in the low neighbourhood which generally surrounds docks, and I believe would have murdered me had not assistance opportunely arrived, however after the second attack I applied to the police and I got permission to carry a revolver which shielded me from further trouble, but it is a great bother carrying pistols as they often show their ugly barrels when you least desire it. I had a revolver in my pocket all the while I was in Surbiton I forgot to leave it behind.
I do not find any country equal to Nova Scotia for comfort and happiness. Sydney is a nice place but the convict system has ruined the morals of the people here and I think they beat sailors. Sydney harbour is the most beautiful port that I ever entered and the climate (winter) perfection, but the land is sterile tho’ covered with small trees or scrub, which by their verdure give a very pleasant appearance to the otherwise barren sandstone cliffs which compose the boundaries of the harbour.
I expect to sail from here to Callao on the 25th of this month. I hope you are all well, remember me kindly to John Harris and all other friends. Kiss Lizzie and May and tell Ben that I am very glad he has a son and I hope he may thrive like his cousin Tommy, give my love to Elizabeth and Mr Pyne and I hope Mrs & Mr Brown are well, I feel very grateful to them for their great kindness to my little girls.
I remain
Your affectionate son
Thomas Waters.