A 19th-century whaler sailed the ocean alone, set apart from the rest of the world.
A crew never knew where the hunt would take them. Big bowhead whales, the ones that would bring in large profits, often inhabited the icy waters of the Arctic. The crew tried to stay busy keeping the ship clean, maintaining their tools, and practicing how to lower and man the 30-foot-long whaleboats. But as the ship sailed the oceans, the men also endured long periods of waiting and hoping to catch sight of a whale. If they did see another ship, the two crews might participate in a gam, or a social get-together. After months at sea, visiting with other ships was a way to share news about home and information about whale sightings. Once a whale was sighted, however, there was plenty to do.
One afternoon in January 1851, 18-year-old Nelson Haley was a long way from home. The ship for which he had signed articles of employment, the Charles W. Morgan, had sailed from New Bedford, Massachusetts, six months earlier. It had reached the waters of New Zealand, hoping to find whales, sperm whales in particular. Despite his age, Haley was an experienced whale man. He had already sailed on one voyage, and he had been hired on as one of the Morgan’s harpooners.
From a post on a small platform near the top of the main mast, a sailor scanned the horizon. He was keeping a lookout for any signs of whales. Suddenly, he pointed and cried out, “Thar blows!” Guided by the sailor’s information, the captain altered the direction of the ship and tried to close some of the distance between the ship and the cruising whale.
この記事は Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids の September 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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この記事は Cobblestone American History Magazine for Kids の September 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Putting the Pieces Together
Americans needed to begin to put the past behind them, come together, and plan for the future in the spring of 1865. But Abraham Lincoln, the man best equipped to lead them and who had hoped to restore the country as smoothly and peacefully as possible, had been assassinated.
LAST SHOTS
The last Confederate forces in the Civil War didn’t surrender in the spring of 1865 or on a battlefield.
AND IN OTHER 1865 NEWS
A group of African Americans stop at the White House’s annual public reception on January 1, where they shake hands with President Abraham Lincoln.
A Plot to Kill President the
For several months, actor John Wilkes Booth’s band of conspirators had plotted to capture President Abraham Lincoln and hold him hostage in exchange for Confederate prisoners.
Let the Thing Be Pressed
In June 1864, Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant began a nearly 10-month campaign in Virginia.
HEALING THE NATION
President Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office for the second time on March 4, 1865.
A Helping Hand
The spring season is hard in any agricultural society. Plants and animals are too small to eat.
WAR SHERMAN-STYLE
As far as Union Major General William T. Sherman was concerned, the Civil War had gone on long enough.
PEACE TALKS
The fall of Fort Fisher made clear that the Confederacy’s days were numbered. Southerners were tired and hungry.
FORT FISHER'S FALL
Outnumbered Confederate soldiers inside Fort Fisher were unable to withstand the approach of Union troops by land and the constant Union naval bombardment from the sea.
