366. Sophus Harald Christensen Christmas-3091
The following letter and newspaper article was sent by Zillah Christmas, wife of grandson, Bryon Harold Christmas, in January 2004.[WHT: I enjoyed reading the 1931 letter, and found the 1933 news article, about his life as a young man fascinating. Today, 2004, the world seems much smaller, but not as nice.]
Shadeville
March 2 1931Dear Harald,
I received yours of 20th ult. Thanks for sending the things I required. I hope the ticket wins something.
You say it is tiresome work to be in an office all day. Yes, I quite agree with you, but, remember you know you are earning something all the time, whereas on the land one works very hard from morning till very late every day, and, at the end of the year show a loss of several hundreds of pounds, and, living hard all the time. You might say, well, it is not always like that, quite so, but how many of the old squatters can write out a cheque for 5 pounds and say that is my own money. There is not one along this road that has a penny to his name and have been working a lifetime, and have had very little comfort or pleasure. Our cattle and sheep are dying, we have absolutely no grass, no one about here has grass, many look for agistment.Your job may be hard at times, Harald, but, stick to it - it is a good job, and never think of going on the land before you retire and have plenty to live on. I love this life, and like to live here, but to make a living and keep out of debt is the hardest job in the world on the land. I have spent here out of money I had before buying this, over 5,000 pounds and now I owe 500 pounds, and I reckon I have worked very hard, too hard really for a man of 73 years of age. I am always working, but I am healthy and strong, thank God, only my head gives me trouble at times. I feel fairly good today, I am by myself, and will be all by myself for 3 to 4 days. I have sent Clare to help Tom shearing at The Pines. I pump everyday, and do many other jobs.
I have never yet met anyone who would believe me to be 73 years of age, still I can remember from the time I was a little over 3 years of age. We lived in Germany in Altona in Konigstrasse (King Street) during the war with Germany, we had beaten the Germans in 1858 (the year I was born) and we took Sleswick Holstein from them, but in 1861-62 they got Austria to help them and they were too strong for us and all women and children had to flee to Denmark. I remember on board the ship my Mother crying because it was night and my younger brother about 2 years was lost and eventually a soldier came carrying him on board. I was only 3 years and some months old but I shall never forget that night sailing to Denmark, Mothers and children huddled together on deck, very dark, all thinking and talking about the Germans might come and take us. We got to Denmark, and we lived in the Citadel, (I can draw a picture of the place now).
Sometime in 1862 1 was about 5 years - I had not started school - I was playing outside the house we lived in, and one of the big gates leading into the Citadel was only some 50 yards from the house. I saw a soldier coming walking slowly through the big gate, where the sentries were standing. He was dressed in a big military overcoat. I ran in and told my mother a wounded soldier was coming through the gate. My Mother came out, and cried it was Father.
Wounded Officers and soldiers had little attention shown them in those days, 68 years ago. My father was sent to hospital. My Mother and I, I was the eldest son, went to see him several times. I remember quite well. My Father died, my Mother got the Pension and married some years later again. My Mother was a well educated and talented woman - she was a descendant of people of high (or good) standing in England.I can remember almost every incident that has taken place since I was 3 years old. I have always given my age as 6 to 10 years younger than I really was because they would not believe me when I stated my right age. Three years ago (I was 70) 1 met Cecil Thackeray. I have known him for 37 years - his father's printing office stood where our home is now, he wanted me to take out probate insurance, and he said, "how old are you Harry?" I said 62. He said Oh! no Harry, give me your right age. Well I said I am 58, he said you are not 58. I said I will be. He got a little put out because he said I was only fooling. So you can see no one takes me to be 73 years of age because I am not a feeble, gray, helpless man. I always thank God for my good health and if I could only make good money so that I could improve this place and then retire I think I would be happy.
I did not intend to write all this. The fact is I remember it is Betty's birthday on Thursday. I thought I would write a few lines -
***unfortunately the ending of this-letter was torn off - perhaps there was some message considered too personal to keep that others might read.***
FROM THE ROCKHAMPTON MORNING BULLETIN OF lst FEBRUARY, 1933IN WINDJAMMERS
Crossing the Atlantic
ROUNDING CAPE HORNHARDSHIPS OF EARLY DAYS
Mr. S.H. Christmas, Shadeville, Springsure, writes: The interesting article on windjammers rounding Cape Horn, which appeared in a recent issue of your paper brought me back 55 years to the first time I went to America in a small 240 tons windjammer, and three years' later rounded the dreaded Cape Horn in a 294 tons windjammer, the smallest cargo carrying vessel (I was told) that had ever done so.
As we at present read so much about the big floating palaces of 50,000 tons or more with all their luxury crossing the Atlantic in a few days I shall set down a few details of how we rounded the dreaded Cape Horn and also crossed the Atlantic in small 200 to 300 tons windjammers 55 years ago.
In June, 1878, 1 completed my apprenticeship with Messrs Lion and Sons, a big shipbuilding firm in Elsinore, Denmark. I had also for many years attended evening school, where I studied several subjects, one of them being architecture, and my ambition now was to go to America. A few months later I heard that a small brig of 240 tons was bound for Savannah, Georgia, U.S.A., and would be ready to sail in a few days. The Captain belonged to E,lsinore and was a friend of my father. I joined the brig. Her name was "The Second of April", and she was teak built, of 240 tons, and 70 years old. She was not built to run fleetly before the gale: she was broad of beam, with bluff bow and heavy stern, and she had heavy spars and carried a big fore and main sail, lower and upper top sails, and big single top gallant sails. She also carried two small cannon on the forecastle, they were about 3 ft long and had a 2 in. bore. They might have done good work 60 or 70 years before, but we never used them.
With these backbreaking big sails it required every ounce of our strength to set them and take them in in a heavy blow. I signed on at 2 pounds per month; I lived aft and shared the mate's cabin. This really meant that I did duty as second mate and ship's carpenter, which was often done, although I had not then studied navigation.
The crew, as usual, were cosmopolitan, and as English was the most favoured, many of the orders given by the captain and mate were in that language. Captains in those days even of a 200 ton ship, thought themselves very important and walked with a dignity becoming an Emperor; of course, mates also, hence the frequent answers by the crew of "Aye, Aye, Sir." and "yes Sir", to every command given by the captain and mate, and no doubt they seemed to like it. When we cleared the outer pier the flag was dipped a few times and we set our course for Hudiksvall in the Baltic to take in a cargo of timber for Gibraltar. We soon got our cargo in and left Hudiksvall.
- 2 -The Captain gave the old ship all the canvas she could Possibly Carry and the wind was on our beam and at eight bells when we hove the log aiid it showed we were doing six knots an hour, we thought it marvellous. of course, she had a clean bottom.
It was late in the year and it was getting cold and stormy in the Kattigat and the North Sea and we worked hard both night and day in these storms to keep clear of land and avoid collisions. One stormy night in the North Sea, we nearly ran foul of a big fishing fleet. They were drifting, dragging their nets, there seemed hundreds of lights. it was marvellous to see these small boats weather a storm.
In the English Channel it was stormy and foggy, and there were many tense moments when we heard several fog signals at once. We were pleased when we passed Guernsey Island and got more room. The old ship leaked badly and we worked hard at the pumps morning and evening. it was blowing hard crossing the Bay of Biscay, and, as in the North Sea, the watch below was often called out at night to help take in sails.
We arrived at Gibraltar after a long stormy voyage. It was to us, a very interesting place. We saw but few soldiers; it was mostly Spanish people and some from Morocco, at times many boats came across from Tangier. We bought tobacco at 10d. and 1s. per lb., and Florida water at 1s. a bottle.
Late one evening it started to blow and many ships at anchor - ours also - started to drag their anchors, all were doing their best to avoid collisions. We had a lively time while it lasted. We discharged our cargo, took in ballast, and sailed for Savannah, Georgia, U.S.A.
Although we had many storms and calms crossing the Atlantic we did not mind so much now as we were in the temperate zone; and with an empty ship in a strong wind with all sails set we could at times get 7 knots out of her.
We had a few calms, with high rolling seas, and the heavy rolling of the ship and the combined flopping of sails and straining of rigging with every expectation of something snapping and a yard come crashing down was really worse than a storm.
We reached Savannah after a long slow journey. I was pleased I had reached my goal. It was a busy port and we soon had our ballast out and started to load resin and turpentine. I wanted to stay there, but the captain would not give me a discharge. In most of the southern States, the negro seemed to be in the majority.
One evening I went ashore I heard a well-spoken negro addressing a crowd, saying: "Vote for the man best fitted for the position no matter whether he is black or white."
We left Savannah, the weather and wind were fairly good. But, eleven days out we ran into a heavy storm at times more like a cyclone. It lasted four days and left the old ship a total wreck, railings, boats, water casks and many other things were washed over board - the galley door was smashed, the main top mast was broke.
- 3 -
On some of the yards were strips of canvas left from the blown out sails cracking like whips night and day. We had no warm food, the heavy seas dame over continuously night and day, every moment we thought the end would come. We knew the ship was half full of water.
We were all huddled round the main mast; we all had a life-line fastened to the mast; we were supposed to pump. How could we, with heavy seas breaking over, and our arms were raw from the chafing of our sodden clothes. There was not a dry place on the ship, and we never left the main mast for four days, our feet swelled in our boots. The wheel was made fast. We were hungry and sleepy. We had nothing but Holland gin and biscuits, and twice we had a little tinned salmon. not know where we were. We set a look of that big square black bottle but we drank, we had no water.
On the fifth day the storm abated, but the sea ran high. We had not seen the sun for four days and of course did not know where we were. We set a few sails the best way we could and steered due west.
On the sixth day we were able to get some observations and found we had drifted far to north-west and our nearest port was Wilmington in North Carolina, so we altered our course accordingly. We could only do about 3 knots an hour with the dead ship half full of water, still, now the weather was fine we would soon forget what we had suffered. After seven days of hard struggle of slow progress, we saw Cape Fear and were soon in Wilmington.
All the crew were discharged; only the captain and I remained aboard waiting for orders from the old country. The orders came to sell the ship.
For 70 years the old ship "The Second of April" had done faithful service, but now she was knocked down at auction for a few hundred dollars.
I stayed in Wilmington and took contracts repairing ships. I was doing well and at times I had 12 shipwrights working for me. There was no slip in Wilmington and when I had a contract to caulk the bottom of a ship I had to take it up the river a few miles and put it on a sandbank. I saved up some money and left America in 1881, took a trip all over Europe and then went home.
I wanted to see more of America, so I joined a beautiful new threemasted schooner of 294 tons - her name was "Elene" and I think she belonged to Falster, Denmark. She was no doubt Al at Lloyds, she was well rigged and carried a royal and many times in a strong wind with all sails set she would do 11 knots per hour. She could weather a storm well, took in very little water, and we seldom manned the pumps. The captain was a bad-tempered bully, but he was certainly the best sailor I have known.
We took in a general cargo at London, and were bound for Guayaquil, Ecuador. We had a fair passage until we reached Falkland Island, then it started to blow, and we knew we could expect rain and snowstorms at any time.
- 4 -It was also getting cold and the captain wanted to perform an operation on his pet cat before we got too far south where we could expect the real Cape Horn boisterous weather.
I cannot say if the operation was a success or not, but later we saw a trail of blood along the deck and up on the railing, and we all thought the cat had jumped overboard. Of course, the sailors said it was a bad omen and there seemed to be a gloomy atmosphere everywhere.
To make things worse one of the men, a young man of about 19 years, took sick the following day. He started to swell very much and when the captain came to see him he ordered the cook to bring warm water. The cook brought very hot water and the captain put it on the poor boy, who groaned in agony. The captain was in a bad temper and could not do the work so well, the boy lying in the bunk, so they pulled the boy out and when he fell on the floor the captain looked at him and said, "He is dead!" I stood at the door and said, "Yes, and you killed him. He flew out at me and putting his fist up near my face, said he would see me later and give me hell, which he did all right for a time, but I was young and strong. I knew my work. I would leave the ship somewhere on the west coast, so what did I care!
Next day we had to bury the dead boy. I had never attended a funeral at sea bef ore, so I did not know how to go about it. However, the mate told me. I got a canvas sack made, and put some iron and coal in the bottom and put the corpse in and sewed it up.
It was cold and blowing hard from the west, the sea was running high. It was not a nice day for the sad ceremony, and we were all in a sad spirit. Death at sea seems' more painful than ashore; here was only a small band of men, no one to take his place, we would miss him. We had corpse and plank ready, waiting for the captain or mate to come and read a prayer, but that duty fell on the cook. He read a short prayer, the ship hove to, we put the plank on the rail, put the corpse on it, tilted it a little, there was a flop and it was all over.
The ship was put to the wind again and we sailed on. I looked over the side and saw the floating corpse bobbing up and down. I sang out to the captain, "Look at him. He will not sink." He did not like it. Of course, I did not know, I should have put holes in the sack; it would perhaps never sink.
Next day I was called into the cabin, the captain sat at the table and pointing to the log, said, "Here, sign your name there." I knew pretty well what he had written and did not read it, but told him I would not sign. He jumped up and swore and told me again to sign. I said, "No." and walked past the mate and out. There was no more about it afterwards. We were getting further south and we were getting the real Cape Horn snorters, with rain and snow.
- 5 -But the captain was a good sailor; he drove that little ship through the mountainous seas, but she stood well up to it. She was new, but the great seas that came up to meet her and drive right over her, leaving hundreds of tons of water on her deck, made her tremble and then lie dead for a moment, before she would rise again ready for another full blow that would make her stagger for a moment, but she recovered, steadying herself to meet the next, and so on till we got round The Horn.
We stood on well south. It was bitterly cold, our clothes and oilskins were sodden, we had no dry clothes, rain and snow and the great seas washing over us continuously. It was hard to steer the ship and hold her on her proper course with great seas breaking over her, and at this time I saw the captain strike the man at the wheel because he was off the course a little.
I went up to him and said, "I saw you strike that man." He looked at me for a few moments and said, "Take the wheel." I took the wheel for nearly two hours, and he gave me a great lecture. That man was certainly not a coward, and not afraid of anybody, but from that day he treated me quite differently. It must have been because I spoke straight to him.
I was standing at the wheel one bitterly cold morning in my wet clothes, it was blowing hard, we were pressing on under lower top sail, when all of a sudden there loomed up about a mile to starboard a big full-rigged ship under lower top-gallant sails, going home (east). When our little ship rose on the crest of a big wave it was a beautiful sight.
Then we saw someone aft wave the American flag, and the captain gave orders to wave ours.
Day after day was practically the same, rain, snow and gale. We were cold, wet and miserable. But I certainly admired the captain. He was, it is true, bad tempered, but he could handle a ship. He could also be calm and use good judgment as a sailor. There was no unnecessary tacking; he stood south for days before he gave orders to 'bout ship. The food on deep sea ships in those days was not plentiful and we were always hungry. However, after about. three and a half weeks of hard battle, we got well up to the west and got round the Horn.We soon got into a milder climate and forgot Cape Horn, and in good time arrived at Guayaquil, Ecuador, in 2 degrees South. We arrived there in the rainy season; there was much sickness.
It was my intention to go to Quito if I possibly could, but I got fever and was sent to hospital, where I stayed about five weeks. As far as I could see there was only one ward with beds in (16) and we paid a dollar per day. The doctor came to see us every morning. He was a pleasant man and spoke English very well. There was a French engineer in the ward I was in; he came from the Panama Canal. Hundreds must have died there at that time. The engineer and I looked into one of the wards. It was fully 100 ft. long, and there were four tiers of patients the full length of the ward lying on the floor.
- 6 -When I left the hospital I was very weak and went back to the ship. The cargo discharged, we took in ballast and left for a small place along the coast and got a cargo of bamboos and empty bottles. A very strange cargo, with plenty of scorpions. We had not far to go with that cargo and were glad to get it out of the ship. Later we took in nitrate and went home round the dreaded Cape Horn again.
I have now given a few details of the hardships and suffering aboard small windjammers of 200 to 300 tons rounding Cape Horn and also crossing the Atlantic nearly 55 years ago, and one would think one such voyage quite enough, but that was not so. I wanted to see more of the west coast of America, so I joined the big ship "Atlanta", Captain Petersen, bound for Acapulco (Mexico). Again round the dreaded Horn, with all its hardships. This time with a cargo of coal from Cardiff. The journey out took us 171 days; she was not a slow ship, but we had some trouble again rounding the dreaded Cape Horn.
Again we had a funeral near the Horn. The second mate died. Like the captain and chief mate, he was a good man, well liked. He got a decent funeral; there was no mistake this time. The captain read a prayer and said a few nice words. The weather was stormy, it was a sad ceremony. Nothing could me more sad on a deep sea windjammer than a funeral. Flag at half-mast, the ship hove to, tilting the plank, and it was all over.
I took his place and I got on well with the captain and chief mate.
I travelled to many places on the west coast, but now wanted to settle down. I went home in 1886 and left for Australia shortly after in the S.S. Prussia and arrived in Sydney in December 1886. I have lived at North Rockhampton for the last 40 years.
368. Adolf Frederick Christmas-1332
Moved to Pittsburg, PA shortly after their 1894 marriage.Name: Adolph Trederick Christmas
Birth Date: 16 Jul 1866
Birth Place: Copenhagen, Denmark
Residence: Easton, Penna, Pennsylvania
Passport Issue Date: 2 May 1922
Father Name: John F Christmas
Father's Birth Location: Denmark
Passport Includes a Photo: Y
Source: Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925 (M1490)1900 Census, Allegheny Co., PA; Wilkinsburg; Dwelling 5; ED: 529, p. 1A list Adolphe F. Christmas, age 33, born July 1866 in Denmark, as were parents; wife, Constance, 28, born June 1871, born in Denmark, as were parents, married 6 years & 2 children: John, 5 & Walter 1, both born in PA.
1920 Census, Northampton Co., PA; Eastern City; Dwelling 346; ED: 110, p. 14B list Adolph F. Christmas, age 53, Mech. Eng., born in Denmark, immigrated in 1889; wife, Constance A., 48.
U.S. Passport Applications, 1795-1925 - Ancestry.com
Constana a Christmas
Birth Date: 4 Jun 1871
Birth Place: Copenhagen, Denmark
Gender: Female
Residence: Easton, Penn, Penna
Passport Issue Date: 18 Jul 1919
Spouse Name: Adalph Christmas
Spouse Birth Place: Copenhagen, Denmark
Passport Includes a Photo: Y
Source: Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925 (M1490)
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