194 THE AMEklCAN WHALEMAN 



keep the contents of the try-pots at the boiling point for many 

 hours in succession. Thus, on January 31, 1835, the ship 

 Lyd'ia caught fire while cruising in the Pacific, and burned so 

 fiercely that she had to be abandoned in less than an hour. 

 Luclcily the three boats were sighted within a short time 5 but 

 the vessel was a total loss. The Lady Adams y last spoken o£F 

 the coast of Japan in July, 1823, is believed to have burned 

 soon afterwards, as an English whaler reported seeing a great 

 light in the probable location of the vessel. Another conflagra- 

 tion provides an interesting sidelight upon the institution of 

 American slavery. For the ship CassandeVy of Providence, 

 was deliberately set on fire by two negroes who were afraid of 

 being sold into slavery. This was on May i, 1848, in the 

 middle of the South Atlantic. The crew was forced to take 

 to the boats J and, in spite of an inadequate supply of food and 

 water, reached the coast of Brazil after ten days at sea. 



The losses due to storm and reef were even greater. Gales, 

 hurricanes, and typhoons swept away so many vessels that their 

 number is legion. One of the most tragic whaling wrecks was 

 that of the ship Henry, of Nantucket, which, after a long 

 Pacific voyage, was completely dismasted on July 27, 18 13, 

 when only a few days from her home port. Three men were 

 drowned at oncej but the remainder clung to the bowsprit, the 

 only portion of the vessel above water. From this precarious 

 perch one after another dropped into the sea until only five 

 were left. Heavy seas washed over them repeatedly, and only 

 the smallest rations of bread and water could be obtained from 

 the derelict. But this quintet lived on the bowsprit for forty 

 days, until at length they were taken off by an English vessel. 



The strange and uncharted waters so often explored by the 

 whalers increased immeasurably the dangers resulting from 

 reefs and shoals. One of these uncharted reefs, struck on 

 March 4, 1854, by the ship Cantoriy of New Bedford, caused 

 another amazing journey in small boats. This obstruction, 

 situated in the Pacific and almost on the equator, was near a 

 small, barren island. There the crew lived for four weeks, 

 subsisting upon food from the wreck and enduring the most 

 enervating heat. At the end of that time the supplies of food 

 and water were so low that they were forced to put to sea in 



