Niantic (whaling vessel)
Encyclopedia
Niantic was a whaleship that brought fortune-seekers to Yerba Buena
later renamed San Francisco during the California Gold Rush
of 1849. Run aground and converted into a storeship and hotel, she was a prominent landmark in the booming city for several years. The site of Niantic beside the Transamerica Pyramid
is now a California Historical Landmark
. Artifacts excavated in 1978 and the ship's log from her last voyage are on display in the San Francisco Maritime Museum.
. Originally intended for trade with China
, she was later converted to a sperm whale
r. Owners in 1840 appear to have been N. L. and G. Griswold of New York
.
1840—Niantic, Captain Doty in command (Captain Robert Bennett Forbes acting), sailed with tea
and silk
from Port of Canton
to an unstated destination (perhaps New York) via Anjer (Anyer
), Indonesia
, just missing a blockade
by the British in Canton as part of the Opium Wars
. "Probably this was the last and most profitable voyage of Niantic as a merchant ship."
The China trade painting of Niantic at right shows her at the Whampoa
anchorage near Canton
. Although the date is unknown, 1840 seems likely.
1844—Niantic bought by C. T. Deering for whaling.
June 4, 1844—Niantic sailed from Sag Harbor, Captain Slate in command, for Pacific whaling cruise, including New Zealand whaling grounds.
February 1, 1847—Niantic returned to Sag Harbor after voyage of nearly three years.
1847—Niantic purchased by Burr & Smith of Warren
, Rhode Island
.
September 16, 1848—Niantic sailed from Warren, Captain Henry Cleaveland of West Tisbury, Massachusetts
(Martha's Vineyard
) in command, headed for northwest Pacific. His sons James and Daniel Cleaveland were first and second mates, respectively.
in January 1849, Niantic put into Paita (Payta), Peru
on March 8, and received a letter there from the American consul in Panama requesting them to carry passengers from Panama
to San Francisco. Large numbers of people (in some accounts referred to as Argonauts) had crossed the Isthmus of Panama
and were waiting on the Pacific coast for transportation to California
; the gold rush had begun. The vessel was immediately modified to carry passengers above and below the weather deck. They departed Paita for Panama on March 25, taking 150 mules, perhaps 200 barrels of potatoes, a large amount of lumber, and other supplies.
Arriving on the Panama coast April 8, Niantic spent nearly four weeks in preparations. She departed for San Francisco May 2 with 246 passengers; 20 are reported to have been accommodated in the captain's cabin alone. Sixteen passengers paid $250 each, and the remaining paid $150, or an unrecorded amount. Thus, the total passenger fees probably amounted to $38,500. One slave was included among the passengers. Two passengers died en route.
Experience whaling in the Pacific and familiarity with its winds gave Cleaveland an advantage over other ships in the race to San Francisco; for 28 days he headed generally southwest, against the vocal objections of dismayed passengers, before catching the southeast trade wind
s beginning May 24, and finally turning northwest May 30. Niantic was thus one of the first ships to bring gold seekers to San Francisco, arriving at 11 pm July 5, 1849.
for assaulting Captain Cleaveland with a knife, and five were released the sixth day (including one released by the Warren). This may have left a crew as small as five to finish unloading the ship. The Niantic's log ends the next day, July 12, 1849.
Without a crew to sail, and with more ships arriving daily, the officers of Niantic were instructed by her owners, probably through an agent in San Francisco, to sell the vessel. With the aid of her empty whale oil
barrels tied to her hull for extra buoyancy, the ship was floated on a high tide into shallow water, just offshore from the intersection of Clay and Montgomery Streets. Now hard aground, Niantic was converted for use variously as a warehouse, store,
offices, and hotel.
"Over the gaping wound in her stout oaken side, where a doorway was cut for a public entrance, was inscribed the hospitable legend, 'Rest for the weary and storage for trunks.'"
Access was first by a pier or footbridge, but later, the sandy bluffs along Montgomery Street
were flattened and the shallows around the ship were filled.
The Cleavelands appear to have purchased the smaller vessel Mary Wilder, and were able to sail out of San Francisco with a crew of just six.
In 1907, Niantic was again discovered during rebuilding from the San Francisco Fire of 1906. A new Niantic Building was constructed.
A plaque was placed at 505 Sansome at Clay by the Historic Landmarks Committee of the Native Sons of the Golden West, on September 19, 1919.
, now about six blocks from the waterfront. Excavations were hurried, and there was little time for preservation or study.
One last basket of intact bottles of champagne (Jacquesson et Fils) was found deep in the charred remnants of the hull. One of these bottles was later given to Dionis Coffin Riggs, the great granddaughter of Captain Cleaveland, in appreciation for donating the ship's log to investigators.
Although some of the Niantic's remains were removed to a landfill, a portion of the bow remains undisturbed under a parking lot, perhaps to be "rediscovered" yet again in the future.
Yerba Buena (town)
Yerba Buena was the original name of San Francisco when in the Spanish Las Californias Province of New Spain, and then after 1822 in the Mexican territory of Alta California, until the Mexican American War ended with the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, when California became a territory of the...
later renamed San Francisco during the California Gold Rush
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
of 1849. Run aground and converted into a storeship and hotel, she was a prominent landmark in the booming city for several years. The site of Niantic beside the Transamerica Pyramid
Transamerica Pyramid
The Transamerica Pyramid is the tallest skyscraper in the San Francisco skyline and one of its most iconic. Although the building no longer houses the headquarters of the Transamerica Corporation, it is still strongly associated with the company and is depicted in the company's logo...
is now a California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmark
California Historical Landmarks are buildings, structures, sites, or places in the state of California that have been determined to have statewide historical significance by meeting at least one of the criteria listed below:...
. Artifacts excavated in 1978 and the ship's log from her last voyage are on display in the San Francisco Maritime Museum.
Early years
1832—Niantic built in ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. Originally intended for trade with China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, she was later converted to a sperm whale
Sperm Whale
The sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus, is a marine mammal species, order Cetacea, a toothed whale having the largest brain of any animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the animal's head. The sperm whale is the only living member of genus Physeter...
r. Owners in 1840 appear to have been N. L. and G. Griswold of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
1840—Niantic, Captain Doty in command (Captain Robert Bennett Forbes acting), sailed with tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
and silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
from Port of Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
to an unstated destination (perhaps New York) via Anjer (Anyer
Anyer
Anyer is a town in Banten, formerly West Java, Indonesia, fifteen kilometres south of Merak. It is home of a forty metre lighthouse built by King Willem III of the Netherlands in 1885 as a memorial for the townspeople killed by the eruption of Krakatau, which destroyed the town.It is also the...
), Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, just missing a blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
by the British in Canton as part of the Opium Wars
Opium Wars
The Opium Wars, also known as the Anglo-Chinese Wars, divided into the First Opium War from 1839 to 1842 and the Second Opium War from 1856 to 1860, were the climax of disputes over trade and diplomatic relations between China under the Qing Dynasty and the British Empire...
. "Probably this was the last and most profitable voyage of Niantic as a merchant ship."
The China trade painting of Niantic at right shows her at the Whampoa
Whampoa
Whampoa is the old English transliteration of Huangpu District, Guangzhou, in China.From there, it derives its other meanings, and can also refer to:* Relating to the Whampoa district:...
anchorage near Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...
. Although the date is unknown, 1840 seems likely.
1844—Niantic bought by C. T. Deering for whaling.
June 4, 1844—Niantic sailed from Sag Harbor, Captain Slate in command, for Pacific whaling cruise, including New Zealand whaling grounds.
February 1, 1847—Niantic returned to Sag Harbor after voyage of nearly three years.
1847—Niantic purchased by Burr & Smith of Warren
Warren, Rhode Island
Warren is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 10,611 at the 2010 census.-History:Warren was the site of the Indian village of Sowams on the peninsula called Pokanoket , and was first explored by Europeans in 1621, by Edward Winslow and Stephen Hopkins...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
.
September 16, 1848—Niantic sailed from Warren, Captain Henry Cleaveland of West Tisbury, Massachusetts
West Tisbury, Massachusetts
West Tisbury is a town located on Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,467 at the 2000 census. Along with Chilmark and Aquinnah, West Tisbury forms "Up-Island" Martha's Vineyard.- History :...
(Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
) in command, headed for northwest Pacific. His sons James and Daniel Cleaveland were first and second mates, respectively.
Peru, Panama, and the race to California, 1849
After rounding Cape HornCape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
in January 1849, Niantic put into Paita (Payta), Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
on March 8, and received a letter there from the American consul in Panama requesting them to carry passengers from Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
to San Francisco. Large numbers of people (in some accounts referred to as Argonauts) had crossed the Isthmus of Panama
Isthmus of Panama
The Isthmus of Panama, also historically known as the Isthmus of Darien, is the narrow strip of land that lies between the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, linking North and South America. It contains the country of Panama and the Panama Canal...
and were waiting on the Pacific coast for transportation to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
; the gold rush had begun. The vessel was immediately modified to carry passengers above and below the weather deck. They departed Paita for Panama on March 25, taking 150 mules, perhaps 200 barrels of potatoes, a large amount of lumber, and other supplies.
Arriving on the Panama coast April 8, Niantic spent nearly four weeks in preparations. She departed for San Francisco May 2 with 246 passengers; 20 are reported to have been accommodated in the captain's cabin alone. Sixteen passengers paid $250 each, and the remaining paid $150, or an unrecorded amount. Thus, the total passenger fees probably amounted to $38,500. One slave was included among the passengers. Two passengers died en route.
Experience whaling in the Pacific and familiarity with its winds gave Cleaveland an advantage over other ships in the race to San Francisco; for 28 days he headed generally southwest, against the vocal objections of dismayed passengers, before catching the southeast trade wind
Trade wind
The trade winds are the prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics, within the lower portion of the Earth's atmosphere, in the lower section of the troposphere near the Earth's equator...
s beginning May 24, and finally turning northwest May 30. Niantic was thus one of the first ships to bring gold seekers to San Francisco, arriving at 11 pm July 5, 1849.
Storeship and hotel
In San Francisco harbor, most of the crew deserted to join the gold rush. Niantic's log records that five of the crew deserted the first day, nine the second day, three more deserted the fourth day and two were arrested by the US Sloop of War WarrenUSS Warren (1827)
The fourth USS Warren was a second-class sloop-of-war in the United States Navy.Warren was built at the Boston Navy Yard between 1825 and 1827 and was commissioned at her builders on 14 January 1827, Master Commandant Lawrence Kearny in command....
for assaulting Captain Cleaveland with a knife, and five were released the sixth day (including one released by the Warren). This may have left a crew as small as five to finish unloading the ship. The Niantic's log ends the next day, July 12, 1849.
Without a crew to sail, and with more ships arriving daily, the officers of Niantic were instructed by her owners, probably through an agent in San Francisco, to sell the vessel. With the aid of her empty whale oil
Whale oil
Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales, particularly the three species of right whale and the bowhead whale prior to the modern era, as well as several other species of baleen whale...
barrels tied to her hull for extra buoyancy, the ship was floated on a high tide into shallow water, just offshore from the intersection of Clay and Montgomery Streets. Now hard aground, Niantic was converted for use variously as a warehouse, store,
offices, and hotel.
"Over the gaping wound in her stout oaken side, where a doorway was cut for a public entrance, was inscribed the hospitable legend, 'Rest for the weary and storage for trunks.'"
Access was first by a pier or footbridge, but later, the sandy bluffs along Montgomery Street
Montgomery Street
Montgomery Street is a north-south thoroughfare in San Francisco, California, in the United States.It runs about 16 blocks from the Telegraph Hill neighborhood south through downtown, terminating at Market Street. South of Columbus Avenue, Montgomery Street runs through the heart of San Francisco's...
were flattened and the shallows around the ship were filled.
The Cleavelands appear to have purchased the smaller vessel Mary Wilder, and were able to sail out of San Francisco with a crew of just six.
Fires, 1850-1852
The converted vessel burned repeatedly in the fires that devastated the new city of San Francisco over the next several years, but was repeatedly rebuilt as the Niantic Hotel, looking less like a ship each time. The Niantic Hotel was described in about 1852 as the finest hotel in San Francisco.1872, 1907, 1919
The hull of Niantic was rediscovered when the old Niantic Hotel was demolished in 1872. Thirty-five baskets of champagne were found in the ruins.In 1907, Niantic was again discovered during rebuilding from the San Francisco Fire of 1906. A new Niantic Building was constructed.
A plaque was placed at 505 Sansome at Clay by the Historic Landmarks Committee of the Native Sons of the Golden West, on September 19, 1919.
Excavation, 1978
Niantic was rediscovered once again in 1978 during excavation for the Mark Twain Plaza Complex next to the Transamerica BuildingTransamerica Pyramid
The Transamerica Pyramid is the tallest skyscraper in the San Francisco skyline and one of its most iconic. Although the building no longer houses the headquarters of the Transamerica Corporation, it is still strongly associated with the company and is depicted in the company's logo...
, now about six blocks from the waterfront. Excavations were hurried, and there was little time for preservation or study.
One last basket of intact bottles of champagne (Jacquesson et Fils) was found deep in the charred remnants of the hull. One of these bottles was later given to Dionis Coffin Riggs, the great granddaughter of Captain Cleaveland, in appreciation for donating the ship's log to investigators.
Although some of the Niantic's remains were removed to a landfill, a portion of the bow remains undisturbed under a parking lot, perhaps to be "rediscovered" yet again in the future.
California Historic Landmark
The site of Niantic is designated as California Historical Landmark #88.San Francisco Maritime Museum
A portion of the Niantic's hull and rudder, with several related artifacts, is in the San Francisco Maritime Museum. The display includes the ship's log kept by First Mate James Cleaveland, recording the arrival in San Francisco. A diorama shows the ship as she is believed to have appeared in 1850, converted to a storeship but not yet landlocked.External links
- Buried Ships Notes by Ron Filion
- Men and memories of San Francisco, in the "spring of '50." By T.A. Barry and B.A. Patten Includes details of later history of Niantic to 1870s
- California illustrated; including a description of the Panama and Nicaragua routes. By J.M. Letts. An account of the voyage from Panama.
- "High And Dry", Greg Pabst's HIST 660 Page. Short account and several illustrations.
- The Niantic Uncovered..., Excavation in 1978
- San Francisco Diggin's - Detailed account from someone who took part in the 1978 excavation; photos of the dig and artifacts
- California State Parks Office of Historic Preservation, San Francisco Historical Landmarks
- NoeHill: Site of Niantic Storeship and Niantic Hotel
- National Park Service, Reflections of the Gold Rush, A survey of the park's collections, by Stephen Canright