New-York tribune., 1902-10-31
FIRST AMERICANS JAPAN
OLD WHALING CAPTAIN OF WESTHAMP.
TON, LONG ISLAND. WAS ONE or
THOSE WHO WENT THERE
EIGHT YEARS BEFORE
COMMODORE PERRY.

Along with the bleaching ribs and iaWbones or
whales that decorate here and there the front
yard Of a farmhouse. there are preserved in the
Hanlptons gray haired men, with bronzed faces
and hard hands and in their eyes the CLEAN stliI
Of adventurous days. They make up the rem
nant of a generation Of whaling men that once
sailed in stout ships out Of sag HarboT 20 hun'
big game over tho oceans Of the world
Since the picturesque villages Essthampton'
Southampton and Westhampton have become the
summer haunt Of wealthy New-Yorkers these old
seadogs the objects Of much interest on ihe
part Of the visitors for I'm them i've the traditions
Of DAYS Of hardihood and daring that give % this
part Of Long Island element OF romance one
oc The most interesting and typical specimens or
this fast disappearing band Of old men IS Captain
Franklin Jessup. The former keeper OF Potunh Lie
Saving Station of here.
When in 1899 Captain Jessup retired to his farm
the title 10 which. by the way, has been held hr his
family ever since it purchased from the Ind
iaus-he had The record Of having been the onN
keeper Of life saving station on the Atlantic
coast who had held that position thirty years. Al
together he was some forty years I'm the service
and in that time according 10 his own recollection.
saved or assisted In saving some five hundred per
sons from death in the
There Is another thing, however, concerning Cap
tain Jessup Of which this village IS NOT a little
proud. So far known. he is the last survivor of
those in the whaIer Manhattan. Of sag Harhor,
Captain Mercator Cooper commandinG. Ehen as
the first American ship TO enter japanese har-
bor the vessel visited Yeddo Toxic, In April,
las siCh; years before Commodore Perry opened
the country { the World.
Captain Jessup firmly believes that. while not
widely known. the MaGhatten's visit. considering
its character. alone made possible Perry success
II was Civilizations entering wedge. Because of II
it was possible for Japan later 10 leap into the
ranks ~ tie leading nations Of the world. Before
the Manhattan no foreign ship had lain in Yeddo
Ray only the Chinese and Dutch had dealings
with the island people. Even they used only one
harbor. and that under restrictions Of extreme
riCor.
4 copy in handwriting Of an account of the Man
hattans call al Yeddo made from THE seamans
Friend" Of Honolulu. which printed ii in 1876,
Captain Jessup calls his most precious possession
This narrative written from Captain Cooper :
description by DR. {. F. Winslow. stationed. At
the United States Naval Hospital at Lahaina- But
few persons are permitted by Captain Jessup %
see the manuscript.
This account is introduced hy The Friends Cd
itor With the comment The period is now proha-
bly Fastening when the interior of that empire will
be exposed the Of the civilized world This
Of the Japan OF 1886
~sn,sin Cooner on his way 70 the whaling
ground stopped al the little island Of 81. Peter.
southeast Of Niphon. now Hondo. the princiTa! or
the japanese islands 10 look for turtle 10 reSheh
ur the diet Of his crew. Jessup, then an ordinary
seaman hut a friend OF the captain. went ashore
/ with him on the beach they found boat of Pc
cuIar construction, and further inland near little
/ hut discovered eleven strange looking men. who
! prostrated themselves before The Americans They
/ turned out 10 be japanese.
BY means Of signs Captain Cooper and Jessup
learned they had been shipWrecked months before.
The japanese were AT first in great fear, but were
/ finally persuaded 70 20 on board the Manhattan
With the understanding that they were 20 he taken
/ 10 Yeddo The captain mad two great and lauda-
! bic objects in view" says Dr. Winslows account.
The first was 70 restore the shipwrecked strangers
/ 10 their homes. The other Was 10 make strong
and favora bic impression the government In re-
spect the civilization - the United states and
its friendly disposition to the Emperor and people
Of Japan"
In sailing toward Niphon the Manhattan discov-
cred dismautled japanese junk IN a sinking con-
dition She bore cargo Of picked salmon, and
was bound from port I'M the extreme north ot
Niphon for Yeddc. From her the captain took
eleven more japanese. He took with him also a
chart of the islands that pr- WinsloW called 'one
Of the most interesting specimens OF geographical
ART and literature that ever wandered from the
shores Of Eastern Asia
Approaching the coast north Of Yeddo, Captain
Cooper uut two Of the shipwrecled men I'm a fishing
boat and sent them report his presence 10 their
government. The Manhattan Wa. however. driven
20 sea by a gale, then again made the land, and
the captain dispatched two more Japanese messcn-
gers without result lie then entered Yeddo Bay.
the harbor forbidden 10 foreigners pain of death
An Official maEnifceutly clothed. the ship I'm a
barge and by his orders she was towed up the bay
and anchored before a headland which hid behind
a. the city. rne ship boarded by more officials
in gorgeous raiment the Governor OF YeddO and
officers attached to the person Of the Emperor
i AN we're dled with an Unsuitable curiosity to
the strangers and inspect The thousand novelties
presented 10 their view" Says NinsioT narrative
Il remember II all better than some things that
happened last week added Captain Jessup. when
this portion of Dr. Wnslows story was read to
him He Is now close upon eighty. "one thing the
Taps couldn't undrTstand-that Is, those among
them who We're educated. for these only had heard
Of America Vas that thtIe were ,tNH Hlhas oi
men in the ship, black and white. We had several
that is the Dutch-but no darkoys II was funny
10 them so up 10 our colored fellows. look
feel OF thcIq 10 see II the color would rub off
They thought these were the real Americans and
that the white men among US were tngshmen
man ~ the Tinted states from cast to west and
told them the Americans 10 the north were white
and those 10 the south were black. That vas in
slavery times. Of course IL seemed TO help the
learned Japs "A little. but they kept haking
their heads just the same. They thought America
BY means OF Interpreter who had learned
little English from the Dutch. the captain was told
that neither he his must leave the shin
To give force TO the order the Interpreter dr.w a
naked sword across his throat.
obey the strangers law and his wish communi-
and the American people toward that digntary
and his subjects The shipwrecked sailors wept
This and the prudent conduct of the Americans
induced the Governor 10 treat them with much
This. however. did not extend 20 relaxation Of
the regulation about going the side. To make
obedience 10 il sure, Japanese officers We're kent
continually on the deck OF the Manhattan, and the
vessel Was surrounded by three circular barriers
OF boats. They were about one hundred feet apart
and the inner one the same distance from the shin
In the first circle the boats tied TO a ia vser
so compactly that. with their sterns toward the
Manhattan their sides touched each other. In tba
sterns were erected long lances and other steei
weapons Of various and curious forms such az
''
Sometimes" goes on DR.. WinsloW's story ..tbey
were covered with lacquered sheaths. al otbers
they we're lett 10 glisten In the sun. apparently
tSr the purpose OF informing The foreigners that
their application would follow anv arterrrt -