The Mary Celeste

by Stan Mason

  On the fifth of September, 1872, the Mary Celeste docked at New York after arrangements had been made to bring her from Cow Bay at Cape Breton Island. She had previously completed a voyage from Porto Rico (now Puerto Rico) to test her seaworthiness and capability. At the time of the transfer of the shares to Captain Briggs, the vessel was berthed at Pier 44, at Hunter’s Point, along the East River. The Captain arrived in New York on his own, a week before his wife and daughter were due to set off to join him. He had a variety of matters to settle before their arrival relating to personal and business activities. Despite the fact that the shipping company controlled details concerning the arrangement of contracts, cargoes and finance, the responsibilities of the Captain were fairly extensive concerning the loading of the cargo, the condition of the vessel, the purchase and embalement of provisions and, last but not least, the hire of a hard-working, efficient, obedient crew. Subsequently, Captain Briggs became immersed in the many duties which required his attention for the voyage.

  The contract was the first one received by the main owners of this particular vessel. It was agreed between J.W. Winchester & Company and Messrs. H. Mascarenhas & Co., of Genoa in Italy, for the former to carry 1,700 barrels of crude alcohol to be used in fortifying Italian wines. As a result of the mystery which eventually overtook the Mary Celeste, it was the last order ever negotiated between the two companies. After examining the pier and the dockside, Captain Briggs was not satisfied that the location was suitable for handling such a large number of barrels, so he took steps to arrange to move the ship to Pier 50 which he felt was more suitable for loading purposes. His experience and efficacy was such that, in a short while, he found himself with a lot of time on his hands and no one with whom to spend it. It gave him the opportunity to look round the city and to note the latest changes in development......for it was growing and changing year by year.

  In 1872, New York was a varied city. On the one hand it had become a rich metropolis comprising the commercial and banking capital of America. On the other hand it was also a poor city with dirty streets and improper drainage. The air stank from the exhalations of abattoirs, gas works, decaying waste, and the festering bodies of dead animals. In fact, pollution in the city was so high, and levels of hygiene so low, that the death rate of human-beings was higher than in any other large city in the Western world. This fact was particularly ironic as forty-four per cent of the population were immigrants who had departed from their healthier native shores to make a new life for themselves in the city.

  The political boundaries of New York in 1872 were fixed around Manhattan and the small islands in the East River, while Brooklyn was regarded as the third largest town in the United States with some four hundred thousand inhabitants. No one in New York had a good word for its thoroughfares. Vehicles of every description and function crowded together unable to escape the same line of movement. Attempts had been made to improve the situation. Only five years earlier a city ordinance had excluded swine from built-up sections in the city, when sows, hogs and piglets had roamed the streets aimlessly, devouring stale cabbage leaves and other garbage. The measure proved to be far too feeble to show any degree of success. Wooden planks split under the pressure of business traffic for which they were never intended, while cobblestones were torn loose faster than they could be replaced. The greatest concern, however, related to horses which were always in danger of slipping and hurting themselves seriously on many of the badly pock-marked roads. To complicate matters, life overflowed the houses and shops into the streets as merchants spread their wares across the pavements. At that time, horse-drawn street-cars were the main method of mass transportation. The cars of twelve separate transport companies wound their way through the city on twenty-one distinct routes at an average speed of four to six miles per hour. However, after heavy rainstorms, even a major avenue such as Broadway was turned into a sluggish stream of deep brown mud. Of particular annoyance was that parked horse-drawn vehicles and hand-trucks forced the rate of progress to slow to a crawl by reducing road space. Furthermore, pedlars roaming the city caused havoc with their carts by stalling the general movement of traffic. In fact public markets were so blocked as to become impenetrable. In addition, the Mayor of New York was constantly besieged by complaints that one street or another was closed because of filth.

  At the time Captain Briggs arrived in New York, an animal virus had swept the city striking down most of its horses. This created a situation where horse-drawn cars were being run on a very limited basis, mainly on the far side of the city. As his location close to the East River was fairly distant from the place where his relatives and friends resided, and the hire of private carriages was costing at least ten dollars a trip, the Captain decided to remain on board, devoting himself to business matters on and about the dockside, and seeking daily comfort by reading his Bible. His problem of loneliness was resolved on Sunday the twenty-seventh of October, 1872, when Mrs. Briggs, accompanied by her daughter, Sophia Matilda, clutching her doll which was called Sarah-Jane, arrived at the Fall River Line’s destination point at North River Pier, where Captain Briggs met them and arranged conveyance across the town to the Mary Celeste. Mrs. Briggs was less impressed by her quarters on board than her husband. From her point of view, the cabin would be quite comfortable for one person on their own, especially a seafaring man who had experience in living in such a small area, but it was less than adequate for two adults with a child. Although the idea of discomfort on a long trip provoked complaints from her, there had been a number of other matters which required a degree of soul-searching. A great deal of serious discussion had taken place between her and the Captain in the past month for a number of reasons. Firstly, they had to decide whether it was advisable for Mrs. Briggs to make the trip. She had sailed with her husband on many occasions before but her dilemma was divided between her wish to stay with her loving husband or the need for her to remain with her children at the family residence, Rose Cottage, until Benjamin returned. They were a close-knit family and hardly relished being apart from each other for any period of time. It was most unfortunate that the Captain was a seafaring man and had to travel for long distances most of his life. Without her husband’s consent, Sarah Briggs realised they would be apart for the best part of four months.....perhaps even longer. Secondly, if they agreed to sail together, they had to decide whether it was advisable to take Sophia Matilda with them on the voyage. She was not yet two years old. Leaving her behind with her grandmother for all that time was less than a satisfactory solution. Thirdly, there was the problem of their son, Arthur. He had started his schooling and it was considered unreasonable to remove him from his studies for four months or more. The fact that Sarah Briggs was willing to go to sea with her husband was indicative of her devotion towards him and her need to be with him all the time. It was not an easy decision to make to leave her son behind. Ultimately, arrangements were made to leave Arthur with his grandmother in order to allow him to continue his studies without interruption. It was this slender thread of destiny which determined whether the boy was to live or die.

  Captain Briggs warmed to the arrival of his wife and daughter, enjoying the spirit of family life once more. This was enhanced by a visit from the Reverend William H. Cobb, the brother of Mrs. Briggs, and his wife, on Thursday the thirty-first of October, 1872. They came during the morning and took Sarah and Sophia for a ride up to Central Park. The day was brightened considerably for the family and improved even more later on when news arrived that the Captain’s share in the Mary Celeste had been registered on the twenty-ninth of October. His investment of 8/24ths of the vessel was secure.....subject to the money borrowed for this purpose from Simpson Hart by mortgage. On the thirtieth of October events began to move more swiftly. The Mary Celeste was moved from Pier 44 to Pier 50 on the East River and the delivery and loading of cargo commenced. While this was going on, the Briggs family did not find themselves short of tasks. Much of the day involved supervisin
g the loading of cargo from the quay to the ship by the Captain, while Mrs. Briggs prepared food and victuals and attempted to make the cabin as comfortable as possible. There was also the delivery of a sewing-machine and a harmonium (or melodeon) on the ship.....the latter being used regularly each evening to accompany their singing. In addition, general reading of chapters from the Bible was standard practice, while a review of the family photograph album provided the Captain and his wife with a great deal of nostalgia. The loading of the cargo was completed on the second of November, but not without incident. A poorly-loaded bundle of barrels fell from a low height as it was being lifted aboard and, although none of the barrels was affected, there was serious damage to one of the life-boats. Captain Briggs was furious at the accident to the boat and removed it with a request to the company to replace it immediately. Captain Winchester normally arrived at Pier 50 every other day from his office about a mile away and he promised to endeavour to obtain another boat to replace the one which had been damaged. There is no doubt that his intentions were strictly honourable and that he intended to carry out his promise. However, for whatever reason caused him to delay, there was no replacement. Consequently, when the Mary Celeste finally sailed with her cargo for Genoa, she sported only one life-boat aboard for the ten people who sailed in her.

  One of the major duties to fall to Captain Briggs was the signing of a crew to man the ship during the voyage. In days when sailors were still press-ganged or shanghaied, it was important to select a crew which could be trusted.....a very difficult task indeed! For the Mary Celeste, only seven sailors were required which included a First-Mate, a Second-Mate, a Cook who substituted also as a Steward, and four others. The Captain had already selected his First-Mate who had worked for the company for the previous two years and had shown himself to be a sober young man, completely trustworthy. Coupled with that reference, the sailor was related to Captain James Winchester, the owner of the company. There could be no better comfort than having the man serve under him for the duration of the voyage. As soon as the crew had signed on, the Captain wrote his last letter to his mother.

  New York Nov. 3rd, 1872

  My Dear Mother,

  It is a long time since I have written you a letter and I should like to give you a real interesting one but I hardly know what to say except that I am well and the rest of us ditto. It is such a long time since I composed other than business epistles. It seems to me to have been a great while since I left home but is only a little over two weeks but in that time my mind has been filled with business cares and I am again launched away into the busy whirl Of business life from which I have so long been laid aside. For a few days it was tedious, perplexing, and very tiresome, but now I have got fairly settled down to it and it sits lightly and seems to run more smoothly and my appetite keeps good and I hope I shan’t lose any flesh. It seems real home-like since Sarah and Sophia have got here and we enjoy our little quarters. On Thursday we have a call from Willie (REV. WILLIMAM H. COBB, BROTHER OF MRS. BRIGGS) and his wife. They took Sarah and Sophia with them on a ride up to Central Park. Sophia behaved splendidly and seemed to enjoy a ride as much as any of us. It is the only time they have been away from the vessel. On account of the Horse disease the horse-cars have not been running on this side of the city so we have not been able to go and make calls as we were so far away from anyone to go on foot, and to hire a private carriage would have cost us at least $10.00 a trip which we didn’t feel able to pay and we couldn’t walk and carry Sophia a mile or two which we should have had to (DO) to get to the ferry for Iva (WORD UNINTELLIGIBLE) or E-port (PROBABLY ELIZABETHPORT). It has been very confining for S. but I hope when we return we can make up for it. We seem to have a very good Mate and Steward and I hope shall have a pleas- ant voyage. We both have missed Arthur and I believe I should have sent for him if I could have thought of a good place to stow him away, Sophia calls for him occasionally and wants to see him in the Album which by the way is a favourite book of hers. She knows your picture in both Albums and points and says Gamma Bis. She seems real smart - has got over the bad cold she had when she came and has a first rate appetite for hash and bread and butter. I think the voyage will do her lots of good. We enjoy our melodeon and have some good sings, as I was in hope Oli (OLIVER E. BRIGGS, BENJAMIN’S BROTHER) might get in before I left but I’m afraid not now. We finished loading last nigh t and shall leave on Tuesday morning if we don’t get off tomorrow night, the Lord will- ing. Our vessel is in beautiful trim and I hope we shall have a fine passage, but as I have never been in her before I can’t say how she’ll sail. Shall want you to write us in about 20 days To Genoa, care of Am. Consul and about 20 days after to Messina care of Am. Consul who will forward to us if we don’t get there. I wrote James (JAMES C. BRIGGS, ANOTHER ER BROTHER OF BENJAMIN) to pay you for A’s board and rent: if he forgets, call on him also for any money that may be necessary for clothes. Please get Eben to see his skates are all right and the holes in his new thick boot heels. I hope he’ll keep well as I think if he does he’ll be some help as well as comp- any for you. Love to Hannah. Sophia calls Aunt Aunt Hannah often: I wish we had a picture so she could remember the countenance as well as name hoping to be with you again early in the spring.

  With much love I am

  Yrs. affly. BENJ.

  (At the top of the fourth page the following words were scribbled: ‘Shall leave Tuesday morning.’)

  On the fourth of November, 1872, Captain Briggs went to the office of the United States Shipping Commissioner in New York to sign the ‘Articles of Agreement’ and the ‘List of Persons Composing the Crew’ of the Mary Celeste. On the same day, insurance was arranged by J.W. Winchester and Company with an underwriter of Atlantic Mutual Insurance Company for $3,400 dollars on the freight on charter from New York to Genoa in Italy. The Captain finally made arrangements for communications to be sent to him in twenty days’ time to the American Consul at Genoa, and then to Messina......about twenty days after. Everything was set for a fair and successful voyage!

  From that moment, for reasons known only to the parties involved, the normal run of events were changed. It was usual for Captain Briggs to spend the last evening before sailing with members of his family. He had never considered any other course of action in the past. On this occasion, however, his agenda altered significantly. The background to the event concerns Captain Morehouse, an old friend of Briggs, whose own command.....the Dei Gratia.....was located at Erie Basin in the East River complex being loaded with barrels of petroleum. Morehouse and Briggs had seen each other twice during the last few days of October so there was no need for them to renew old acquaintances. Nonetheless, on the night before sailing, Briggs did not spend the evening with his family but agreed to dine out with his friend. Coincidentally, the two ships were bound for Genoa although the contents of the cargoes differed and the departure dates spanned some eight days between them.....the Dei Gratia was to be loaded at Venango Yard with a cargo of 81,126 gallons of refined petroleum and sail on the fifteenth of November.

  While Sarah put Sophia to bed in her tiny cabin bunk on board ship, her husband disembarked and met the Captain of the Dei Gratia at a pre-arranged point of the docks alongside the East River. After walking for some distance, they managed to hail a cab and gave the driver instructions to proceed into the city. They drove to Astor House, a place of good repute, where one could wine and dine in comfort.....but not without a little expense. There was clearly good friendship between the two men and no animosity whatsoever. They discussed their problems at length over the meal concerning cargoes, crews, the weather, and the capability of their vessels. After all, what else was there to discuss? There was no reason for one of them to be jealous of the other because they both had similar ships, cargoes of a like nature, and they were both Captains with a command. Apart from that, they had enjoyed a friendship for many years and sustained a deep-rooted respect for each other. As the evening wore on, they enjoyed th
e fare although Captain Briggs limited his liquid intake to a solitary alcoholic drink in deference to the many swallowed by his dining companion. Eventually, when the meal was over and the bill was settled, the two men made their way back to the East River docks to their respective places of rest for the night. Captain Morehead was to have time on his hands before his ship sailed, but Captain Briggs was set to depart on Tuesday the fifth of November.....the following morning!

  It was a dull cloudy day with a strong headwind but the Mary Celeste moved away slowly from Pier 50 with her total cargo of 1,700 barrels of crude alcohol. However, Captain Briggs was not satisfied that the weather was calm enough to leave New York Harbour, especially as a heavy mist prevented a clear view. In due course, he decided not to continue the journey and anchored off Staten Island, only a mile away from their departure point. Sarah Briggs, with time on her hands, wrote to her mother-in-law.

  November 7th, 1872

  Dear Mother Briggs -

  Probably you will be a little surprised to receive a letter with this date, but instead of proceeding to sea when we came out Tuesday morning, we anchored about a mile or so from the city, as it was a strong headwind, and B. said it looked so thick and nasty ahead we shouldn’t gain much if we were beating and banging about. Accordingly we took a fresh departure this morning with wind light but favorable, so we hope to get outside without being obliged to anchor. Have kept a sharp look-out for Oliver (CAPTAIN OLIVER EVERSON BRIGGS, BENJAMIN’S BROTHER) but so far have seen nothing of him. It was rather trying to lay in sight of the city for so long and think that most likely we had letters waiting for us there, and be unable to get them. However, we hope no great change has occurred since we did hear and shall look for a goodly supply when we reach G. (GENOA). Sophie thinks the figure 3 and the letter G. on her blocks is the same thing so I saw her whispering to herself yesterday with the 3 block in her hand - Gam-Gam-Gamma. Benj. thinks we have got a pretty peaceable set this time all around if they continue as they have begun. Can’t tell yet how smart they are. B. reports a good breeze now, says we are going along nicely. I should like to be present at Mr. Kingsbury’s ordination next week. Hope the people will be united with him, and wish we might hear of Mrs. K’s improved health on arrival. Tell Arthur I make great dependence on the letter I shall get from him, and will try to remember anything that happens on the voyage which he would be pleased to hear. We had some baked apples (sour) the other night about the size of a new-born infant’s head. They tasted extremely well. Please give our love to Mother and the girls, Aunt Hannah, Arthur and other friends, reserving a share for yourself. As I have nothing more to say I will follow A. Ward’s advice, and say it at once.