1845 ORIGINAL, RIVETING DEPOSITIONS OF CAPTAIN AND CREW MEMBERS OF THE WHALING BARK ALTO OF NEW BEDFORD MASSACHUSETTS BESET BY LAWLESSNESS, DESERTION AND MUTINY

Good. 1845. On offer is a sensational, remarkable group of 1845 manuscript depositions  detailing the mutinous activity and desertions during a voyage of the  whaling Bark Alto between 1844 - 1845. The  eyewitness testimonies are  comprised of 37 pages or so of handwritten fair copies; five [5] complete  and one [1] incomplete deposition all by various crew members, the five  complete copies each personally attested and signed at the conclusion by  George William Gordon, American Consul at Rio de Janeiro, May 20, 1845.  Blunt facts display the ferocity of emotions and simmering violence  provide snippets like 'Palmer said to deponent that . . . he would put one  of those dirk knives into him' abound throughout the testimonies. The  depositions paint a picture of unbridled upset on the ship: lawlessless,  violence, suspicions of poisoning, desertion, and a final critical comment  from nature itself: a calamitous lightning strike makes for a final  exclamation point to the awful whaling voyage. The vessel at the center of  the events described herein, the Alto, was built in Tiverton, Rhode Island  [we note that research indicates the Alto was in fact the only such vessel  ever built at Tiverton] in 1826 and was lost near the Falkland Islands in  1870. The National Maritime Digital Library date the events related in the  documents occurred during the Alto's fourth voyage, under the direction of  Captain Nehemiah West (whose deposition is included), and which lasted  from September 1844 to April 1847. [A successful voyage commercially as  the records further note that the Alto collected 339 barrels of sperm oil,  304 barrels of baleen oil, and 2,700 lbs. of whale bone.] As a group, the  depositions--from the Captain, First, Second, and Third Mates, and two  boat helmsmen paint a vivid, often harrowing picture of a voyage fraught  with tension and danger. Researchers and historians will note that at  least two of the depositions document an ominous shipboard discussion of  the earlier, well-documented mutiny aboard the vessel Globe, out of  Nantucket, which took place in 1827. While the general outline of the  events remains consistent throughout, each of the deponents provides a  unique personal perspective on what transpired, often with the addition of  unexpected or surprising details omitted by the others. Virtually all of  the crew involved are identified by name multiple times throughout the  documents (two, however, are repeatedly described only as "Portuguese").  In broad overview, complaints from crew members that the vessel is leaky  and unseaworthy leads to refusal to perform duties; the captain  administers punishment, including placing crew members in irons and  striking them with a piece of "rattling" (ratline); a small group of crew  desert with one of the boats but are caught and jailed at St. Jago, Cape  Verde, and shipped back to the U.S. on the U.S. Sloop of War Decatur;  after a few months of relative calm unrest breaks out again, this time  with threats of violence to fellow crew members with clubs and "dirk  knives"; in the most dramatic event, eleven crew members desert with the  remaining two boats, taking with them a large store of the whaling  equipment. The Alto, its crew and equipment drastically reduced, suffers  the final indignity of a lightning strike, "breaking and splitting" the  mainmast, but is able to hobble into Rio de Janeiro, where these  eyewitness accounts were given to the American Consul and preserved in the  present documents. Here is a snippet from the deposition of helmsman  William Williams (approx. 8 pages on two pairs of conjugate leaves):  "William Williams . . . deposed as follows. . . . That he was born in the  County of Essex in England, is 29 years of age and a naturalized citizen  of the United States, was naturalized at Boston, Mass. in July 1842. That  he shipped on board the Barque 'Alto'--[Nehemiah] West Master at New  Bedford, in August 1844 as Boat steerer to proceed on a Whaling Voyage.  That the Vessel sailed on the 3rd September following. That 14 or 15 days  after the Vessel went out to sea all the foremost hands refused  duty--alleging that the Vessel was leaky. On their refusing duty, Captain  West interrogated each of them separately, and three of them returned to  duty and eleven still refused, and were sent below where they were kept  about 48 hours. While the eleven men were below as aforesaid, they  experienced two very heavy squalls but none of said men offered to return  to duty--but on the other hand, made sport of them that were at work.  After they had been below deck 24 hours the Master went forward, and  requested four of the men to come on deck. They refused to come unless all  were allowed to some on deck at a time--and after a good many threats on  the part of the men the Master told them, that if the men he had called  did not come on deck, that he would have the forecastle smoked [to force  them out]. Soon after, four came on deck as the Master had directed and  still refusing to go to duty, on being called upon the deck and refusing  duty, were put in Irons, and the others, one being called upon deck and  refusing duty, were seized in the rigging, there being no Irons to put  upon them. That at New Bedford, before sailing, one of the men named  Spencer who had shipped deserted, and another man named Charles Shane came  on board in his place--but Shane's name was not put on the Papers. That  when the men were called up as aforesaid, said Shane took the ground that  his name was not upon the Shipping Paper, and therefore he would not go to  duty and obey the Master--upon which the Master gave him four blows with a  piece of Rattling [i.e., part of the ratline]. George Ritter also who was  supposed to be the instigator in the men's refusing duty, and who was  insolent to the Master, also receive three strokes with the Rattling.  Another man, the steward named James Wilson, also got three blows with the  Rattling for insolence to the Captain. He said that he never was flogged  on board of a Blubber Hunter, although he had been on board of a Man of  War. No others were flogged or punished in any way, and they all returned  to duty." Scattered light soiling, a bit of staining, and handling wear  (creases; some tears, tiny holes, and small chips, mostly confined to  edges; no substantial losses); otherwise very good to fine overall, the  writing dark and distinct. Overall G.; Manuscript; 4to - over 9¾" - 12"  tall