Families at Sea

Emma and Dewis Spicer were wife and husband aboard the same sailing vessels, but they recorded very different versiosn of the same day!

Sunday February 19, 1882

From Liverpool Towards New York aboard the barque J. F. Whitney

Emma Spicer

comes in strong breeze of wind and snow - the first snow storm of any account that I ever saw at sea but it looks like home today with the snow drifting about and it is cold so it makes our seaboys look whizzled up. Most of them have scarcely any clothes. We passed the time away reading and singing.

Dewis Spicer

Comes on light breezes backing to west 1:30 tacked ship; 6 pm strong breeze stowed light sails 8 pm stowed top Gall. Sails Wind SW by S; 10 pm Wind ended early shifted WNW 11 pm tacked ship WNW with sleet and rain; 6 am commenced to snow and continued snowing very thick the remainder of the day; 8am set main top Gall. Sail. Noon - thick snow storms Lat about 45 24 N. 47 36 W

Monday February 20, 1882

Emma Spicer

Cloudy weather and cold it looks very wintry. Have head winds and are making nothing today. I do hope we will get a chance soon. Dew is getting discouraged but we might as well laugh as cry for we can't do anything unless we have free winds. I knit a mitten for Dew today and set up the other one. Vessel in sight this evening. All is well.

Dewis Spicer

[MARKED BY A PRESSED FLOWER, A PANSY, A VICTORIAN SYMBOL OF *thoughts*.] Comes in with clearing weather. 2 pm ceased snowing but kept cloudy and cold winds brisk NW 4 pm wind west with hard squalls; 11 pm stowed upper topsail and spanker main sail etc. wore ship. Strong breeze with hard squalls; 2 am jib stay carried away; 8 am wore ship Noon set upper topsails etc. light baffling winds got jib stay spliced and jib back; very cold weather. Lat 44 22 N Long 47 36 W

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