The Republican journal., 1873-09-25
A Bark lO9 Years Old.


cargo of petroleum, rosin and turpentne.
The True Love arrived here some two
weeks ago from Greenland with cargo
OF kryolite consigned to the Pennsylvania
Salt Manufacturing Company. Before
long the news spread that the vessel was
overa century old and deep interest in her
was excited in the community thousands
OF whom have journeyed to the pier at
which she lay, to get q glimpse of the
quaint and venerable vessel Believing
that description and history of the ship
and its career would possess at this time
more than an ordinary interest the facts.
have been obtained and furnished the fol-
lowing narrative:
Built tor the merchant trade, she was
launched at Philadelphia, United States, in
the year l164 and has consequently reached
the patrlarchal age of lO9 years. Having
proved to be a handy Swift-sailing craft,
the True Love was employed by the
Americans, during their first war with
England, as y privateer; but, being cap
tured by y British cruiser, was purchased
in Hull, from the English Government
about the year 100. She was then en-
ployed III the wine trade between Oporto
and Hull. The little craft being got up in
true man-of-war style, with figure head
and quarter galleries, still carried no less
than six guns on Il side and was stoutly
manned for defense, seeing that France
being at war with Great Britain, the chan
mel and the coasts of Portugal swarmed
with hostile cruisers, and the wine trade
was then carried on at great risk. But the
True Love boldly ran her own convoy
without waiting, as was the custom, for an
armed escort and although on many occ;l-
sions chased by the French she always
managed to escape.
In the year 1871 we find the good ship
transformed into whaler, being strength
ened and fortified to encounter the dan
gers of the icy north. In this trade she
was singularly fortunate, braving numcr-
Gus pcrls to which many Of her old
consorts succumbed, and many ship
wrecked crew has she brought home safe
h, W hose vessel mad been crushed bv the
relentless ice
In 1880, the most disastrous Year in the
records Of the Davis Strait whale fishery,
the True Love formed one of the fleet in
Melville Bay, when twenty staunch and
true vessels We're totally lost, and twelve
others were seriously damaged by the ice
Although then exposed to the most immi-
nent danger, the subject of our narrative
remained unharmed. In 1881 she again
returned in safety, when several of her
consorts We're frozen up for the winter,
and more than half their crews perished
OF cold and starvation, while other ships
We're entirely lost The veteran Captain
Wells, of Hull, who had been in command
Of the old ship on many Il trying occ:-
sion, used to relate numerous instances Of
her hairbreadth escapes. He told how,
when exposed to a heavy squeeze among
the ice foes the True Love would quietly
rise up on the surface and rest there until
the danger was past. thus avoiding the
fate which many of her sisters suffered
This lucky peculiarly is without doubt
due to the remarkable and almost unique
model of the old ship, which, though an
tiqlated. modern builders might do wr!l
to copy-in some points at least
In 1862 under Captain K. Wells, ,jr.,we
find her again among the foes as tough rs
ever; and while several ships are wrecked
around her, she is as usual, squeezed up
on the ice on three different occasions.
when her crew had the utmost difficulty TO
get her atloat again by saving and blast
inc the heavy ice from beneath her. Dur
ING another voyage, under Captain W
Walker. she lay for six whole weeks upon
the ice in Melville Bay, and considerable
labor WAS needed then tp launch her old
frame into its proper element; but that was
nothing, as long as She had saved herself,
and was sound rs before
This wonderful vessel must have made
not less than eighty voyages to Greenland
and Davis Straits, crossing the Atlantic
and Polar Ocean no less than one hundred
and sixty times. without Il single mishap
Her last voyages as Il Whaler We're made
under her old commander, Captain Wells,
in 1867, and Captain Walker, in 1865.
During the long career of the True Love
in the whaling trade she has brought home
not less than between three and four hun
dred whales.
Captain Thomas Wetherill, the present
owner, purchased the True Love in 1869,
and has kept her in steady service since
The following is a copy of the ships papers
rs obtained at the Office of the consigneeS,
Messrs. b. Crowley Il Co., ship brokers;
Certificate of British Registry.-1his Is
to certify that i'll pursuance Of an act in
the toulh year OF the reign OF King Will
liam ~, instituted ''an act for the register
ing of British vessels, y Thomas Ward ,mer-
chant, and William Ward, merchant, botl
of the town or borough of kingston-upon-
HUH, HIN lilD l1lttttc ullu SIb5tIlDCQ tuC tVS
aration required by said act, and having
declared that they are sole owners in tht
/, proportions specified on the back hereof
OF the ship or vessel called the True Love
of Hull, which is Of the burden Of 296 81
"a tons, and whereof John Parker j.
master, and that the said ship OF vesse
). was built at Philadelphia in North Ameri
ca, in the year l7G4, rs appears by the Ger
Of frpantaI at this mort tht
10Th of March, 1881, No. lG, now de.iy
cred up and cancelled
BY the ships papers it appears tha
james Gleadow tide surveyor, ut the por
of Hull certified the following as the di
mensions of the barr. lone deck, three
masts; length from main stem to sterl
post, 96 feet breadth at the broadest par
l above the mainwales, y feet II inch
g depth of hold, 16 feet , inches; square
rugged standing bowsprit; square-sterned
carvel built no galleries; no tigurehead
, The harque has changed owners man,
times.
In shape the barqne As Sefy much like
= the one in which William Penn arrived Il
the time he made the treaty with Che In
dians The sides batter inWards to the to
n of the ounwale, and this makes the vesse
: much broader at the water line than o.
n deck In nautical language the sides Al
: known as '.tumbling home because the
J fall in above the bends They are directl.
opposite in construction to those Of Il shl
known rs II wall-sided vessel.
a The speed Of the True Love has been Il
4 high as nine and a half knots an hour, br
e her usual speed is six knots an hour
!, TIE SHAHs PRIv ATE BALLET. An Eng
n lsh girl joined the ballet troupe which tn
e Shah organized in London, and withou
: doubt Persia would have had an Englis
Il queen but for the unhappy fact that i
3 Paris the Shah succeeded in adding tw
d French performers to his troupe. In tn
4 first performance thereafter the Englis
i girl saw, or thought she saw her Easter
+ master bestowing too much favor on tn
1 new comers, who really threw their shape
a ly limbs much higher than she, and, stun
0 by jealous wrath, the plucky little woma
: planted Il succession of right and lef
e handlers and sundry kicks on the person