WeRead Powered by ReaderPub
Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-ship Essex, of Nantucket; / Which Was Attacked and Finally Destroyed by a Large Spermaceti-whale, in the Pacific Ocean; With an Account of the Unparalleled Sufferings of the Captain and Crew During a Space of Ninety-three Days at Sea, in Open Boats in the Years 1819 & 1820. cover

Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-ship Essex, of Nantucket; / Which Was Attacked and Finally Destroyed by a Large Spermaceti-whale, in the Pacific Ocean; With an Account of the Unparalleled Sufferings of the Captain and Crew During a Space of Ninety-three Days at Sea, in Open Boats in the Years 1819 & 1820.

Chapter 1: NARRATIVE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY AND DISTRESSING SHIPWRECK OF THE WHALE-SHIP ESSEX, OF NANTUCKET; WHICH WAS ATTACKED AND FINALLY DESTROYED BY A LARGE SPERMACETI-WHALE, IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN; WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE UNPARALLELED SUFFERINGS OF THE CAPTAIN AND CREW DURING A SPACE OF NINETY-THREE DAYS AT SEA, IN OPEN BOATS IN THE YEARS 1819 & 1820.
Open in WeRead

About This Book

A first-person account describes a Pacific whaling voyage in which a large sperm whale attacked and destroyed the vessel, leaving survivors adrift in open boats for ninety-three days. The narrative chronicles the crew’s struggle with exposure, starvation, sickness, and the death of companions, and records the practical efforts at navigation, rationing, and rescue attempts. It presents detailed observations of maritime life, the physical and moral hardships of prolonged survival at sea, and the endurance and decisions that determined who lived and who perished.

The Project Gutenberg eBook of Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-ship Essex, of Nantucket;

This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook.

Title: Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-ship Essex, of Nantucket;

Author: Owen Chase

Release date: April 25, 2020 [eBook #61931]
Most recently updated: October 17, 2024

Language: English

Credits: Produced by Richard Tonsing, Mary Glenn Krause, and the
Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NARRATIVE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY AND DISTRESSING SHIPWRECK OF THE WHALE-SHIP ESSEX, OF NANTUCKET; ***

Transcriber’s Note:

The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.

NARRATIVE
OF THE
MOST EXTRAORDINARY AND DISTRESSING
SHIPWRECK
OF THE
WHALE-SHIP ESSEX,
OF
NANTUCKET;
WHICH WAS ATTACKED AND FINALLY DESTROYED BY A LARGE
SPERMACETI-WHALE,
IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN;
WITH
AN ACCOUNT
OF THE
UNPARALLELED SUFFERINGS
OF THE CAPTAIN AND CREW
DURING A SPACE OF NINETY-THREE DAYS AT SEA, IN OPEN BOATS
IN THE YEARS 1819 & 1820.

BY
OWEN CHASE,
OF NANTUCKET, FIRST MATE OF SAID VESSEL.
NEW-YORK:
PUBLISHED BY W. B. GILLEY, 92 BROADWAY.
J. Seymour, Printer.
1821.
Southern District of New-York, ss.

Be it remembered, That on the thirty-first day of October, in the forty-sixth year of the Independence of the United States of America, Jonathan Seymour, of the said District, hath deposited in this office the title of a book, the right whereof he claims as proprietor, in the words and figures following, to wit:

“Narrative of the most extraordinary and distressing shipwreck of the whale-ship Essex, of Nantucket; which was attacked and finally destroyed by a large spermaceti-whale, in the Pacific ocean; with an account of the unparalleled sufferings of the captain and crew during a space of ninety-three days at sea, in open boats, in the years 1819 and 1820. By Owen Chase of Nantucket, first mate of said vessel.”

In conformity to the Act of the Congress of the United States, entitled “An Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the Copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the time therein mentioned.” And also to an Act, entitled “an Act, supplementary to an Act, entitled an Act for the encouragement of Learning, by securing the copies of Maps, Charts, and Books, to the authors and proprietors of such copies, during the times therein mentioned, and extending the benefits thereof to the arts of designing, engraving, and etching historical and other prints.”

JAMES DILL,
Clerk of the Southern District of New-York.