August 19, 2025 • 11 mins
Owen Chase (October 7, 1797 – March 7, 1869) served as the First Mate of the ill-fated whale ship Essex, which met a tragic fate when it was rammed and sunk by a sperm whale on October 28, 1820. In the aftermath, Chase penned the gripping account titled Narrative of the Most Extraordinary and Distressing Shipwreck of the Whale-Ship Essex, published in 1821. This harrowing tale not only chronicles the desperate survival of the crew but also served as a profound inspiration for Herman Melvilles iconic novel, Moby-Dick. (Summary from Wikipedia)
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Section eight of the Shipwreck of the whale ship Essex
by Owen Chase. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
Recording by Phil schamph Chapter three, Part five, December twenty
third to January seventh. December twenty third, at eleven o'clock
(00:22):
a m. We again visited our spring. The tide had
fallen to about a foot below it, and we were
able to procure before it rose again, about twenty gallons
of water. It was at first a little brackish, but
soon became fresh from the constant supply from the rock
and the departure of the sea. Our observations this morning
(00:44):
tended to give us every confidence in its quantity and quality,
and we therefore rested perfectly easy in our minds on
the subject, and commenced to make further discoveries about the island.
Each man sought for his own daily living on whatsoever
the mountains, the shore, or the sea could furnish him with,
and every day during our stay there, the whole time
(01:08):
was employed in roving about for food. We found, however,
on the twenty fourth, that we had picked up on
the island everything that could be got at in the
way of sustenance, and much to our surprise, some of
the men came in at night and complained of not
having gotten sufficient during the day to satisfy the cravings
of their stomachs. Every accessible part of the mountain contiguous
(01:32):
to us, or within reach of our weak enterprise, was
already ransacked for birds, eggs, and grass, and was rifled
of all that they contained, so that we began to
entertain serious apprehensions that we should not be able to
live long here at any rate. With the view of
being prepared as well as possible, should necessity at any
(01:53):
time oblige us to quit it, we commenced on the
twenty fourth to repair our boats and continue to work
work upon them all that and the succeeding day. We
were enabled to do this with much facility by drawing
them up and turning them over on the beach, working
by spells of two or three hours at a time,
and then leaving off to seek for food. We procured
(02:16):
our water daily when the tide would leave the shore,
But on the evening of the twenty fifth found that
a fruitless search for nourishment had not repaid us for
the labors of a whole day. There was no one
thing on the island upon which we could in the
least degree rely except the peppergrass, and of that the
supply was precarious and not much relished without some other food.
(02:41):
Our situation here therefore now became worse than it would
have been in our boats on the ocean, because in
the latter case we should be still making some progress
towards land, while our other provisions lasted, and the chance
of falling in with some vessel be considerably increased. It
was certain that we not to remain here unless upon
(03:02):
the strongest assurances in our own minds of sufficient sustenance,
and that too in regular supplies that might be depended upon.
After much conversation amongst us on this subject, and again
examining our navigators, it was finally concluded to set sail
for Easter Island, which we found to be east southeast
(03:24):
from us, in latitude twenty seven degrees nine minutes south
longitude one hundred nine degrees thirty five minutes west. All
we knew of this island was that it existed, as
laid down in the books, but of its extent productions
or inhabitants, if any, We were entirely ignorant. At any rate,
(03:45):
it was near by eight hundred and fifty miles to
the coast, and could not be worse in its productions
than the one we were about leaving. The twenty sixth
of December was wholly employed in preparations for our departure.
Our boats were hauled down to the vicinity of the spring,
and our casks and everything else that would contain it
(04:06):
filled with water. There had been considerable talk between three
of our companions about their remaining on this island and
taking their chance both for a living and an escape
from it, And as the time drew near at which
we were to leave, they made up their minds to
stay behind, the rest of us could make no objection
(04:26):
to their plan, as it lessened the load of our boats,
allowed us their share of the provisions, and the probability
of their being able to sustain themselves on the island
was much stronger than that of our reaching the mainland.
Should we, however, ever, arrive safely, it would become our duty,
and we so assured them to give information of their
(04:48):
situation and make every effort to procure their removal from thence,
which we accordingly afterwards did Their names were William Wright
of Barnstable, Massachusetts, Chapel of Plymouth, England, and set weeks
of the former place they had begun before we came away,
to construct a sort of habitation composed of branches of trees,
(05:12):
and we left with them every little article that could
be spared from the boats. It was their intention to
build a considerable dwelling that would protect them from the
reins as soon as time and materials could be provided.
The captain wrote letters to be left on the island,
giving information of the fate of the ship and that
of our own, and stating that we had set out
(05:34):
to reach Easter Island, with further particulars intended to give
notice should our fellow sufferers die there, and the place
be ever visited by any vessel of our misfortunes. These
letters were put in a tin case and closed in
a small wooden box, and nailed to a tree on
the west side of the island, near our landing place.
(05:56):
We had observed some days previously the name of a ship,
the Elizabeth, cut out in the bark of this tree,
which rendered it indubitable that one of that name had
once touched here. There was, however, no date to it,
nor anything else by which any further particulars could be
made out December twenty seventh. I went before we set
(06:21):
sail this morning, and procured for each boat a flat
stone and two armfuls of wood with which to make
a fire in our boats, should it become afterwards necessary
in the further prosecution of our voyage. As we calculated,
we might catch a fish or a bird, and in
that case be provided with the means of cooking it. Otherwise,
(06:43):
from the intense heat of the weather, we knew they
could not be preserved from spoiling. At ten o'clock a m.
The tide having risen far enough to allow our boats
to float over the rocks, we made all sail and
steered around the island for the purpose of making a
little further observation which would not detain us any time,
and might be productive of some unexpected good fortune. Before
(07:07):
we started, we missed our three companions, and found they
had not come down, either to assist us to get off,
nor to take any kind of leave of us. I
walked up the beach towards their rude dwelling and informed
them that we were about to set sail and should
probably never see them more. They seemed to be very
much affected, and one of them shed tears. They wished
(07:30):
us to write to their relations, should providence safely direct
us again to our homes, and said but little else.
They had every confidence in being able to procure a
subsistence there as long as they remained. And finding them
ill at heart about taking any leave of us, I
hastily bid them good bye, hoped they would do well,
(07:52):
and came away. They followed me with their eyes until
I was out of sight, and I never saw more
of them. On the northwest side of the island, we
perceived a fine white beach on which we imagined we
might land, and in a short time ascertain if any
further useful discoveries could be effected, or any addition made
(08:13):
to our stock of provisions. And having set ashore five
or six of the men for this purpose, the rest
of us shoved off the boats and commenced fishing. We
saw a number of sharks, but all efforts to take
them proved ineffectual, and we got but a few small fish,
about the size of a mackerel, which we divided amongst us.
(08:35):
In this business we were occupied for the remainder of
the day until six o'clock in the afternoon, when the men,
having returned to the shore from their search in the mountains,
brought a few birds, and we again set sail and
steered directly for Easter Island. During that night, after we
had got quite clear of the land, we had a fine,
(08:56):
strong breeze from the northwest. We kept our fire going
and cooked our fish and birds, and felt our situation
as comfortable as could be expected. We continued on our course,
consuming our provisions and water as sparingly as possible, without
any material incident, until the thirtieth, when the wind hauled
(09:17):
out east southeast directly ahead, and so continued until the
thirty first, when it again came to the northward and
we resumed our course. On the third of January, we
experienced heavy squalls from the west southwest, accompanied with dreadful
thunder and lightning that threw a gloomy and cheerless aspect
(09:37):
over the ocean and incited a recurrence of some of
those heavy and despondent moments that we had before experienced.
We commenced from Deucey's Island to keep a regular reckoning,
by which on the fourth of January we found we
had got to the southward of Easter Island, and the
wind prevailing east northeast, we should not be able to
(09:59):
get on to the Ea eastward. So as to reach it.
Our birds and fish were all now consumed, and we
had begun again upon our short allowance of bread. It
was necessary, in this state of things, to change our
determination of going to Easter Island and shape our course
in some other direction, where the wind would allow of
(10:19):
our going. We had but little hesitation in concluding, therefore,
to steer for the island of Juan Fernandez, which lay
about east southeast from us, distant two thousand, five hundred miles.
We bent our course accordingly towards it, having for the
two succeeding days very light winds and suffering excessively from
(10:42):
the intense heat of the sun. The seventh brought us
a change of wind to the northward, and at twelve
o'clock we found ourselves in latitude thirty degrees eighteen minutes
south longitude one hundred and seventeen degrees twenty nine minutes west.
We continued to make what progress we could to the
eastward end of Section eight
Section eight of the Shipwreck of the whale ship Essex
by Owen Chase. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.
Recording by Phil schamph Chapter three, Part five, December twenty
third to January seventh. December twenty third, at eleven o'clock
(00:22):
a m. We again visited our spring. The tide had
fallen to about a foot below it, and we were
able to procure before it rose again, about twenty gallons
of water. It was at first a little brackish, but
soon became fresh from the constant supply from the rock
and the departure of the sea. Our observations this morning
(00:44):
tended to give us every confidence in its quantity and quality,
and we therefore rested perfectly easy in our minds on
the subject, and commenced to make further discoveries about the island.
Each man sought for his own daily living on whatsoever
the mountains, the shore, or the sea could furnish him with,
and every day during our stay there, the whole time
(01:08):
was employed in roving about for food. We found, however,
on the twenty fourth, that we had picked up on
the island everything that could be got at in the
way of sustenance, and much to our surprise, some of
the men came in at night and complained of not
having gotten sufficient during the day to satisfy the cravings
of their stomachs. Every accessible part of the mountain contiguous
(01:32):
to us, or within reach of our weak enterprise, was
already ransacked for birds, eggs, and grass, and was rifled
of all that they contained, so that we began to
entertain serious apprehensions that we should not be able to
live long here at any rate. With the view of
being prepared as well as possible, should necessity at any
(01:53):
time oblige us to quit it, we commenced on the
twenty fourth to repair our boats and continue to work
work upon them all that and the succeeding day. We
were enabled to do this with much facility by drawing
them up and turning them over on the beach, working
by spells of two or three hours at a time,
and then leaving off to seek for food. We procured
(02:16):
our water daily when the tide would leave the shore,
But on the evening of the twenty fifth found that
a fruitless search for nourishment had not repaid us for
the labors of a whole day. There was no one
thing on the island upon which we could in the
least degree rely except the peppergrass, and of that the
supply was precarious and not much relished without some other food.
(02:41):
Our situation here therefore now became worse than it would
have been in our boats on the ocean, because in
the latter case we should be still making some progress
towards land, while our other provisions lasted, and the chance
of falling in with some vessel be considerably increased. It
was certain that we not to remain here unless upon
(03:02):
the strongest assurances in our own minds of sufficient sustenance,
and that too in regular supplies that might be depended upon.
After much conversation amongst us on this subject, and again
examining our navigators, it was finally concluded to set sail
for Easter Island, which we found to be east southeast
(03:24):
from us, in latitude twenty seven degrees nine minutes south
longitude one hundred nine degrees thirty five minutes west. All
we knew of this island was that it existed, as
laid down in the books, but of its extent productions
or inhabitants, if any, We were entirely ignorant. At any rate,
(03:45):
it was near by eight hundred and fifty miles to
the coast, and could not be worse in its productions
than the one we were about leaving. The twenty sixth
of December was wholly employed in preparations for our departure.
Our boats were hauled down to the vicinity of the spring,
and our casks and everything else that would contain it
(04:06):
filled with water. There had been considerable talk between three
of our companions about their remaining on this island and
taking their chance both for a living and an escape
from it, And as the time drew near at which
we were to leave, they made up their minds to
stay behind, the rest of us could make no objection
(04:26):
to their plan, as it lessened the load of our boats,
allowed us their share of the provisions, and the probability
of their being able to sustain themselves on the island
was much stronger than that of our reaching the mainland.
Should we, however, ever, arrive safely, it would become our duty,
and we so assured them to give information of their
(04:48):
situation and make every effort to procure their removal from thence,
which we accordingly afterwards did Their names were William Wright
of Barnstable, Massachusetts, Chapel of Plymouth, England, and set weeks
of the former place they had begun before we came away,
to construct a sort of habitation composed of branches of trees,
(05:12):
and we left with them every little article that could
be spared from the boats. It was their intention to
build a considerable dwelling that would protect them from the
reins as soon as time and materials could be provided.
The captain wrote letters to be left on the island,
giving information of the fate of the ship and that
of our own, and stating that we had set out
(05:34):
to reach Easter Island, with further particulars intended to give
notice should our fellow sufferers die there, and the place
be ever visited by any vessel of our misfortunes. These
letters were put in a tin case and closed in
a small wooden box, and nailed to a tree on
the west side of the island, near our landing place.
(05:56):
We had observed some days previously the name of a ship,
the Elizabeth, cut out in the bark of this tree,
which rendered it indubitable that one of that name had
once touched here. There was, however, no date to it,
nor anything else by which any further particulars could be
made out December twenty seventh. I went before we set
(06:21):
sail this morning, and procured for each boat a flat
stone and two armfuls of wood with which to make
a fire in our boats, should it become afterwards necessary
in the further prosecution of our voyage. As we calculated,
we might catch a fish or a bird, and in
that case be provided with the means of cooking it. Otherwise,
(06:43):
from the intense heat of the weather, we knew they
could not be preserved from spoiling. At ten o'clock a m.
The tide having risen far enough to allow our boats
to float over the rocks, we made all sail and
steered around the island for the purpose of making a
little further observation which would not detain us any time,
and might be productive of some unexpected good fortune. Before
(07:07):
we started, we missed our three companions, and found they
had not come down, either to assist us to get off,
nor to take any kind of leave of us. I
walked up the beach towards their rude dwelling and informed
them that we were about to set sail and should
probably never see them more. They seemed to be very
much affected, and one of them shed tears. They wished
(07:30):
us to write to their relations, should providence safely direct
us again to our homes, and said but little else.
They had every confidence in being able to procure a
subsistence there as long as they remained. And finding them
ill at heart about taking any leave of us, I
hastily bid them good bye, hoped they would do well,
(07:52):
and came away. They followed me with their eyes until
I was out of sight, and I never saw more
of them. On the northwest side of the island, we
perceived a fine white beach on which we imagined we
might land, and in a short time ascertain if any
further useful discoveries could be effected, or any addition made
(08:13):
to our stock of provisions. And having set ashore five
or six of the men for this purpose, the rest
of us shoved off the boats and commenced fishing. We
saw a number of sharks, but all efforts to take
them proved ineffectual, and we got but a few small fish,
about the size of a mackerel, which we divided amongst us.
(08:35):
In this business we were occupied for the remainder of
the day until six o'clock in the afternoon, when the men,
having returned to the shore from their search in the mountains,
brought a few birds, and we again set sail and
steered directly for Easter Island. During that night, after we
had got quite clear of the land, we had a fine,
(08:56):
strong breeze from the northwest. We kept our fire going
and cooked our fish and birds, and felt our situation
as comfortable as could be expected. We continued on our course,
consuming our provisions and water as sparingly as possible, without
any material incident, until the thirtieth, when the wind hauled
(09:17):
out east southeast directly ahead, and so continued until the
thirty first, when it again came to the northward and
we resumed our course. On the third of January, we
experienced heavy squalls from the west southwest, accompanied with dreadful
thunder and lightning that threw a gloomy and cheerless aspect
(09:37):
over the ocean and incited a recurrence of some of
those heavy and despondent moments that we had before experienced.
We commenced from Deucey's Island to keep a regular reckoning,
by which on the fourth of January we found we
had got to the southward of Easter Island, and the
wind prevailing east northeast, we should not be able to
(09:59):
get on to the Ea eastward. So as to reach it.
Our birds and fish were all now consumed, and we
had begun again upon our short allowance of bread. It
was necessary, in this state of things, to change our
determination of going to Easter Island and shape our course
in some other direction, where the wind would allow of
(10:19):
our going. We had but little hesitation in concluding, therefore,
to steer for the island of Juan Fernandez, which lay
about east southeast from us, distant two thousand, five hundred miles.
We bent our course accordingly towards it, having for the
two succeeding days very light winds and suffering excessively from
(10:42):
the intense heat of the sun. The seventh brought us
a change of wind to the northward, and at twelve
o'clock we found ourselves in latitude thirty degrees eighteen minutes
south longitude one hundred and seventeen degrees twenty nine minutes west.
We continued to make what progress we could to the
eastward end of Section eight
Popular Podcasts
NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com