John Jewitt captive of Chief Maquinna at Nootka Sound , boston
- Thread starter hmmm
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This sentence suggest to me that the 'Boston' was a brigantine wooden ship.
"Through a contract to copper the hull of the Boston, a 240-ton American brigantine fitted for the fur trade, Jewitt and his father got to know her captain, John Salter."
Don.....
Source: http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cach...nd+,+boston&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&ie=UTF-8
"Through a contract to copper the hull of the Boston, a 240-ton American brigantine fitted for the fur trade, Jewitt and his father got to know her captain, John Salter."
Don.....
Source: http://74.125.113.132/search?q=cach...nd+,+boston&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&ie=UTF-8
hmmm
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thanks for that, could they have used steel ribs? hear is why i ask, i live not Far from nootka sound the site of the maquinna massacre and have found human heads hidden in caves, i suspected they where from the Boston but never had the ships location or enough evidence to prove it. 2 days ago i was in my boat and i found what looked like ribs sticking out of the muck. i went back yester day and checked them out, they are made of steel and are 20 feet apart. it is definitely a ship, the question is , what ship and is it connected to bem bones. 
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hmmm said:
Not to sound morbid, but were they bare skulls or what? How were they situated? Any other bodily remains in vicinity?
Stan
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The 'Boston' lies in Friendly Cove.
If nothing were taken off her since she was burned and scuttled, certain items were left on her that would aid in ID-ing the vessel today. Here are some excerpts from several online sources:
When John got able to stand, Maquina told him
he must get the ship round to Friendly Cove.
As the wind was exactly fair for the
purpose, they succeeded in running her into the
cove, and got her ashore on H (??) sand beach.
As they arose, early in the morning, and went
out, on looking towards the ship, they saw her
wrapped in flames.
Besides, there were a great many provisions still
on board, which they had hoped to take out for
their own use and comfort and there were many other articles that would have
been left to their enjoyment.
And he now saw that the burning of the ship,
which he had before regretted so much, was a wise
direction of Providence ; as there was on board a
large quantity of rum, which, had it been secured
by the natives, would have been a source of great
trouble to him and Thompson, if it did not cause
their death.
John lost his anvil and bellows, which had not
been removed to the beach.
If nothing were taken off her since she was burned and scuttled, certain items were left on her that would aid in ID-ing the vessel today. Here are some excerpts from several online sources:
When John got able to stand, Maquina told him
he must get the ship round to Friendly Cove.
As the wind was exactly fair for the
purpose, they succeeded in running her into the
cove, and got her ashore on H (??) sand beach.
As they arose, early in the morning, and went
out, on looking towards the ship, they saw her
wrapped in flames.
Besides, there were a great many provisions still
on board, which they had hoped to take out for
their own use and comfort and there were many other articles that would have
been left to their enjoyment.
And he now saw that the burning of the ship,
which he had before regretted so much, was a wise
direction of Providence ; as there was on board a
large quantity of rum, which, had it been secured
by the natives, would have been a source of great
trouble to him and Thompson, if it did not cause
their death.
John lost his anvil and bellows, which had not
been removed to the beach.
hmmm,
Of course, the Nootka (as they were known, decapitated some of their enemies during raids/fights, so the skulls you have found are not necessarily from the crew of the Boston. For the information of those who may not be familiar with the story, Maquinna had the all but one other of the rest of the crew decapitated, and laid the heads out on the deck so that Jewitt could look at them and tell him if there was anybody else missing.
Jewitt was the blacksmith, so was kept prisoner by the Nootkas for about two years, as he was useful. He eventually tricked Maquinna into allowing him to go on board a visiting British boat, who rescued him.
I know a story about a cave a little further north, near San Josef Bay, where an American recluse named Lincoln supposedly found a pit containing decapitated corpses wearing body armor, including breastplates. If the story is true, these would have been from an earlier period, as sailors in the 18th and 19th centuries would not have been wearing armor.
I would encourage you to let the Provincial archaeologist know about your find (of the cave) so the skulls can be examined before somebody steals them, as has happened in other instances in the Pacific North West. A knowledgeable anthropologist would eb able to tell if they were non-Native skulls, and perhaps tell whether they were from the crew of the Boston
I doubt that the Boston was anything other than a conventional wooden ship, so I think that those iron ribs must belong to a more recent wreck. Still interesting. Thanks for the posting.
Mariner
Of course, the Nootka (as they were known, decapitated some of their enemies during raids/fights, so the skulls you have found are not necessarily from the crew of the Boston. For the information of those who may not be familiar with the story, Maquinna had the all but one other of the rest of the crew decapitated, and laid the heads out on the deck so that Jewitt could look at them and tell him if there was anybody else missing.
Jewitt was the blacksmith, so was kept prisoner by the Nootkas for about two years, as he was useful. He eventually tricked Maquinna into allowing him to go on board a visiting British boat, who rescued him.
I know a story about a cave a little further north, near San Josef Bay, where an American recluse named Lincoln supposedly found a pit containing decapitated corpses wearing body armor, including breastplates. If the story is true, these would have been from an earlier period, as sailors in the 18th and 19th centuries would not have been wearing armor.
I would encourage you to let the Provincial archaeologist know about your find (of the cave) so the skulls can be examined before somebody steals them, as has happened in other instances in the Pacific North West. A knowledgeable anthropologist would eb able to tell if they were non-Native skulls, and perhaps tell whether they were from the crew of the Boston
I doubt that the Boston was anything other than a conventional wooden ship, so I think that those iron ribs must belong to a more recent wreck. Still interesting. Thanks for the posting.
Mariner
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I'll go along with Mariner on the ship construction.
1803 seems a little too early for a composite (wood & iron) vessel. From the little exposure we've had with them I think they came into being later on in the mid 1800's. I'm not referring to iron clad wooden warships.
1803 seems a little too early for a composite (wood & iron) vessel. From the little exposure we've had with them I think they came into being later on in the mid 1800's. I'm not referring to iron clad wooden warships.
hmmm,
I can't really tell how old those cannon balls are. I don't know who would be firing cannons around the west coast of Vancouver Island in modern times, and why there would be a lot of unexploded ones in any case. I don't suppose they could date back to the days of the Tonquin, which was blown up by one of her crew in Clayoquot in 1811 after the captain's behaviour caused the local Indians to attack the ship. There is some doubt as to exactly where the Tonquin incident took place, but I think it was probably near the Island that now bears its name. I know that the metal looks in good condition, but if iron is buried in mud, it can sometimes be amazingly well preserved. I have seen iron chisels that were found in the Makah village of Ozette, just south of Cape Flattery, which was buried by a mudslide in 1700. They looked as if they had just been left in your yard for a few days.
Keep us posted as you work it out. I am sure that there is somebody on this forum that will be able to date that kind of cannonball.
Good luck,
Mariner
I can't really tell how old those cannon balls are. I don't know who would be firing cannons around the west coast of Vancouver Island in modern times, and why there would be a lot of unexploded ones in any case. I don't suppose they could date back to the days of the Tonquin, which was blown up by one of her crew in Clayoquot in 1811 after the captain's behaviour caused the local Indians to attack the ship. There is some doubt as to exactly where the Tonquin incident took place, but I think it was probably near the Island that now bears its name. I know that the metal looks in good condition, but if iron is buried in mud, it can sometimes be amazingly well preserved. I have seen iron chisels that were found in the Makah village of Ozette, just south of Cape Flattery, which was buried by a mudslide in 1700. They looked as if they had just been left in your yard for a few days.
Keep us posted as you work it out. I am sure that there is somebody on this forum that will be able to date that kind of cannonball.
Good luck,
Mariner
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