The Republican journal., 1913-11-13

accomplished, to bring her up to moor
ings at Blackwell
'She is 3, 400 tons burthen, 305 feet
long; 50 feet beam; hold, 80 feet, and
has come here ballasted with 5000 tons
of guano. She is the largest sailing ship
of her kind in the world'
DIR. Limeburner came to Jersey City
in 1880, and is one of the oldest prac-
titioners in this city. DR.. Limeburner
was well acquainted with Capt Samuel
Samuels, skipper on the famous packet
'Dreadnought, who died in 1908, and
frequently visited friends in this city for
years before his death. Capt. Thomas
B. Luther of 145 Clerk street recently
had the unique experience of visiting the
port from which he sailed on whaler
for the first time fifty-six years ago. 1t
was while en- route to Oak Bluffs, Mar
tha's Vineyard, Mass, with his son-in-
law and daughter, Capt and Mrs. Tim
othy J. Murphy, with whom he lives.
While on this trip the party stopped off
at New Bedford, Mass. once the great
est whaling port on the continent. 1t
was from there that Captain Luther
shipped before the mast as a whaler
Naturally, he found many changes and
the whaling industry there is now al
most unknown. However, the visit
made him reminiscent, and he was re-
Gently prevailed upon to tell some of his
experiences.
Il was born in Pennington, Monroe
County, N. Y, about seventy -four years
ago." said Capt. Luther, "and as boy
OF IL drove pair of mules on the Erie
Canal. In 1856 l shipped on the whaler
William and Henry Captain Grinnell
of New Bedford. She was ship rugged
and 264 tons net register. In later days
she would have been considered pretty
small vessel, but to my boyish eyes then
she was whopper. Well, we sailed
around the Horn to the Pacific whaling
grounds. Off the Horn we had continu-
ously bad weather for twenty EIGHT days,
though the waves never washed over the
deck then or at any time | was on this
ship. Before we could head her for the
north on the Pacific side, we had been
blown 81 degrees south. The first land
we sighted was the island of Juan Fer
nandez, then as now Gillian convict
settlement. remember we landed there
and got some peaches and fresh fish.
also recall that the first man we met on
the landing was red-headed Irishman.
CATER leaving Juan Fernandez we
cruised off the Galapagos Islands and
caught about dozen sperm whales. We
then put into Tombos, Peru, refitted and
procured fresh supplies. Then we left
for the Arctic whaling grounds and after
passing the Boring Straits, going as far
north as u degrees, we caught whales
that yielded 285 barrels of oil. 1t was
then near summer and we had continu.
GUS sunlight for two weeks. After ar
uneventful voyage we returned to New
Bedford. The following year we made
a second cruise in the Arctic, but it wae
not such success as the first.
Returning east l shipped on the 'Yor'
ick,' Captain Soule, Of the Dramatic
Line of North Atlantic packets, leaving
her later for the bark Jane Lovett.
bound from St. John, N. B., for Dublin.
Following the discharge Of our cargo, We
we ordered to Ardrossan, Scotland, load
ing there for New York. My next shir
was the sVandalia,' Captain Patten, in
the cotton trade. left her in New Or
leans and for three summers was on the
yacht 'Corypheus.' working during the
winter as rigger. The Civil War WA
then beginning and / came to New York
on the brig Brill