The term board originally meant a plank or flat surface. Interestingly, both uses of the word in the title of this article come from the same origin. Board also means food because it is served on a plank. Ships also bring people onboard using a plank. OK, let s talk about food. How do you know how much to take when you don t know how long the trip will take? The Lady Washington and Columbia expedition from Boston to the Pacific Northwest had so many unknowns. It took eleven months. There was no way to determine what food would be available at the infrequent stops or from the ocean itself. Not only does food spoil with age, but also the sea state can send barrels crashing against the side of the hold. 1. From which port did the Lady Washington and Columbia expedition depart? 2. Where was the first destination? 3. How long did the voyage take? 4. What was one of the unknowns cited in the reading? Food was plentiful though lacking variety, especially as the voyage progressed. The main staples were bread and salted meat. The bread had little in common with our soft sandwich variety. The flour and water mixture based on drawing from http://www.asailorslifeforme.org/educator/scene_sailors_eating.php was baked hard to reduce spoilage. Each piece was about the size of a flat biscuit and sometimes was called ships biscuit or pilot bread. Beef or pork got loaded in barrels of brine with vinegar or lots of rock salt. It was so salty that the cook soaked it in seawater to reduce the salt. 6. Although food was deemed plentiful by the crew, what was lacking? 7. Name the most common food the sailors ate. 1 of 6 2015 Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority Draft 12/15/2015 3:46 PM
Here is a list of provisions for the Columbia: 110 barrels beef 60 barrels pork 1070 lbs fresh beef 4 quintel fish 170 lbs suet 2 barrels vegetables Bread 6 kegs butter 502 lbs. cheese 2 barrels peppers 10 bushels malt 3 barrels mustard 4 casks corn Cask onions 6 bushels cranberries 6 bushels barley 50 bushels potatoes 9 ¼ dozen cabbages 17 bushels turnips 15 ¼ bushels peas and beans 20 barrels of flour 150 lbs coffee 10 boxes chocolate (500 lbs each) 5 barrels sugar 3 kegs essence of spruce 20 barrels cider 4 cask rice 3 barrels raisins 331 gallons rum 331 gallons vinegar Ships also brought animals to provide fresh eggs, dairy, and meat. One special goat named Nancy became a favorite of the crew. She travelled back to Boston and shipped out on the 2 nd Columbia expedition making her the first known goat to travel around the world. 23 April 1791 John Hoskins wrote in his journal the morning she got into the rice stores that Nancy deprived us of the greatest delicacy, we had in the ship, her milk, which made our tea so much more palatable. 8. What did the ships bring to provide an ongoing source of food? 9. According to John Hoskins journal, what was the greatest delicacy Nancy provided? 10. What happened to Nancy? Sailors suffer from scurvy when out to sea for months. Captain James Cook experimented with diet to find a solution to this problem. Vitamin C was isolated and discovered in the early 20 th century but 18 th century sailors had some knowledge of food s role in combatting the disease. Haswell writes in his Lady Washington journal, wild chickweed, hogweed, and mullis in great abundance which would prove strong antiscorbutic to any vessel Brett s Harbor. And yet the second Columbia journal talks of burying sailors up to their knees in dirt to cure scurvy. Lady Washington and Columbia brought cranberries from the bogs on Cape Cod to combat this disease. 2 of 6 2015 Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority Draft 12/15/2015 3:46 PM
11. What is one condition that sailors suffer from? 12. What did Captain Cook find is essential in a diet to combat scurvy? 13. Superstitions or home remedies for curing diseases continued. Although Captain Cook found through experimentation the foods that stopped scurvy what odd remedy still persisted? Compared to working class people in early America, sailors ate rather well. What people ate in the 18 th century was usually based on local seasons, as transportation of food was a cumbersome task. Sailors got unusual fresh fruits and vegetables while visiting places such as Hawaii and Tahiti. Food quality also varied as the cook on board was often a deck hand that could no longer climb in the rigging. Some shipmasters neglected providing for the crew, but most wanted healthy energetic sailors on board. 14. Why did food preparation vary aboard the ships? Sources: Grossman, Anne Chotzinoff and Thomas, Lisa Grossman. (2000). Lobscouse & Spotted Dog. WW Norton. Bown, Stephen R. (2005). Scurvy: How a Surgeon, a Mariner, and a Gentlemen Solved the Greatest Medical Mystery of the Age of Sail Paperback, July 2005, Thomas Allen & Son Howay, Frederic W. (1941). Voyages of the 'Columbia' to the Northwest Coast 1787-1790 and 1790-1793. Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society. 3 of 6 2015 Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority Draft 12/15/2015 3:46 PM
Bread Recipe (makes about 18 pieces) 1 cup water 3 cups flour 1. Pour water in a large bowl. 2. Add flour one cup at a time mixing thoroughly between each cup. 3. Dump the lump and remaining flour on a clean counter or cutting board. 4. Kneed until the dough is smooth. 5. Let the dough sit for 5 30 minutes. 6. Roll out the dough to ½ thickness. 7. Try to roll it into a rectangle. 8. Cut approximately 3 squares. 9. Carefully transfer the squares to an ungreased cookie sheet. 10. Make holes about ½ apart using a chopstick or similar small diameter object. 11. Bake at 275 for 25 minutes. Turn bread over and bake another 25 minutes. 12. Turn the oven off and leave the bread in overnight. 13. The next day, bake for 1 hour at 225. 4 of 6 2015 Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority Draft 12/15/2015 3:46 PM
Writing Prompts Imaginative Pretend that you are a journalist for a Boston newspaper. Also, make believe that Nancy the Goat can talk. (This is called personification) Write a news story that includes her and as well as interviews with sailors about the Lady Washington and Columbia expedition. Remember to be imaginative! Write a story about a sailor that has declining physical abilities. Research the different job responsibilities of a sailor on a tall ship. Identify the physical demands of a tall ship sailor. Include how he must have felt as a valuable crewmember no longer to pull his own weight. Write a story about a cook aboard the Lady Washington or Hawaiian Chieftain who had amazing abilities for making special birthday dinners for the crew. Tell about a crewmember that had a birthday and what the cook made for the birthday. Remember to give the cook and crewmember a colorful nickname like Knuckles the cook. Persuasive You are an investor in the Columbia expedition and understand the importance of having a crew that is well nourished so they can perform under the harsh circumstances at sea. You have also read about what Captain Cook discovered about scurvy and a healthy diet. While reviewing the provisions planned to stow on the Lady Washington you notice there are some important items listed. What are the items? Your task is to persuade the other investors to bring appropriate food and provisions. What are the qualities of a person that is a good cook? Write a story about someone you know that is a good cook and what makes him or her good. We know that staying active is important for good healthy living. Life aboard a tall ship is extremely physically demanding. Think of all the responsibilities of a tall ship sailor. Now write a manual for a potential sailor to prepare them for the physical demands they will encounter. You can also use illustrations to support what you have written. 5 of 6 2015 Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority Draft 12/15/2015 3:46 PM
Expository Explain to a landlubber the difference between life in a boarding house and life as a sailor at sea. There are many jobs available in the maritime industry. Look up: http://www.mapyourcareer.org/maritime/maritime-careers.html Research being a cook or chef in the maritime industry and tell why you would like this as a career. 6 of 6 2015 Grays Harbor Historical Seaport Authority Draft 12/15/2015 3:46 PM