Families at Sea
Emma and Dewis Spicer were wife and husband aboard the same sailing
vessels, but they recorded very different versiosn of the same day!
Sunday February 19, 1882
From Liverpool Towards New York aboard the barque J. F. Whitney
Emma Spicer
comes in strong breeze of wind and snow - the first snow
storm of any account that I ever saw at sea but it looks like
home today with the snow drifting about and it is cold so it
makes our seaboys look whizzled up. Most of them have
scarcely any clothes.
We passed the time away reading and singing.
Dewis Spicer
Comes on light breezes backing to west
1:30 tacked ship; 6 pm strong breeze stowed light sails
8 pm stowed top Gall. Sails Wind SW by S; 10 pm Wind ended
early shifted WNW
11 pm tacked ship WNW with sleet and rain; 6 am commenced to
snow and continued snowing very thick the remainder of the
day; 8am set main top Gall. Sail. Noon - thick snow storms
Lat about 45 24 N. 47 36 W
Monday February 20, 1882
Emma Spicer
Cloudy weather and cold it looks very wintry. Have head winds
and are making nothing today. I do hope we will get a chance
soon. Dew is getting discouraged but we might as well laugh as
cry for we can't do anything unless we have free winds.
I knit a mitten for Dew today and set up the other one. Vessel in
sight this evening. All is well.
Dewis Spicer
[MARKED BY A PRESSED FLOWER, A PANSY, A VICTORIAN SYMBOL OF *thoughts*.]
Comes in with clearing weather.
2 pm ceased snowing but kept cloudy and cold winds brisk NW
4 pm wind west with hard squalls; 11 pm stowed upper topsail
and spanker main sail etc. wore ship. Strong breeze with hard
squalls; 2 am jib stay carried away; 8 am wore ship
Noon set upper topsails etc. light baffling winds got jib stay
spliced and jib back; very cold weather.
Lat 44 22 N Long 47 36 W
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Copyright Dan Conlin 1997. Revised Sept. 7, 1997