THE AMEBIC AN WHALE - FISHERY. 245 



of the "stars and stripes," the banner of Chile — red, white- and blue, mth its star, 

 emblems of republican power and prowess — was raised at her peak, when she 

 again resumed the Avork of a common carrier. But, in 18G6, she was fitted for a 

 whaling -voyage ; and it is asserted by one authority, that the Maria Pacheco found- 

 ered at sea in 1870 ; and another record maintains that she sunk at her anchors, 

 the same year, in the roadstead of Payta, at the advanced age of eighty- eight. 

 This memorable old vessel was one of those models which combined great capacity 

 with fast sailing, for her time: her length being "eighty-six feet; breadth, twenty- 

 three feet and one inch ; depth, eleven feet six and a lialf inches ; and measure- 

 ment, two hundred and two and twenty -eight ninety -fifths tons." 



In 1820, a whale -ship was built at Plymouth, Mass., named the Mai/floicer. 

 This vessel made several voyages from that port, after which she was sold to a 

 firm in New Bedford; and in April, 1849, she was among the gold-fleet which 

 sailed for California, making a passage of one hundred and sixty -five days, enter- 

 ing the Golden Gate September 13th, and soon after rested on the mud -flat in front 

 of the then tented city of San Francisco. Here she was dismantled, mutilated, and 

 turned into a store-ship, and her cabin was transformed into convenient quarters 

 for a gentleman and his wife, where they made it a pleasant sub -aquatic residence. 

 The vessel was of that ancient build which presented a swelled stern and drooping 

 bow, with her masts standing plumb or pitching forward ; and the question was 

 frequently asked by passing gold -miners, on their way to the "diggings," if she 

 was really the ship that brought over the Pilgrims? It is said, too, by good 

 authority, that pieces of timber were taken from her sides, as souvenirs, by several 

 California adventurers, who believed her to be the old Pilgrim ship of 1620. 

 After being battered as a receptacle of merchandise for several years, the capacious 

 port which had been cut in her side was closed up, and she was again refitted for 

 a whaling- cruise ; but the expedition proved to be unsuccessful, and she again 

 returned through the Golden Gate, with a broken voyage and in a leaky condition. 

 Soon after, however, she was turned into a lumber -carrier, and literally pumped 

 her way back and forth between Puget Sound and San Francisco ; until, becoming 

 so shattered that she could no longer efficiently perform sea voyages, was made to 

 transport lumber across the Strait of Juan do Fuca, to A^ictoria, in the time of the 

 Frazer River gold fever ; and, after a changing career of forty years, returned to 

 San Francisco, where she was dismantled for the last time, and her hull broken up. 



The question is frequently asked, What has become of the large number of 

 whale -ships which were but a few years ago engaged in the fishery? In answer, 

 we will state, that the scattered wrecks of many are found in every quarter of the 



