Patricio Herrera
all info credit : Marian Gill / web design Roland Herrera :
Glossary Updated 26th July
2005
Links to Contents :
The Story - Timeline - Correspondence - Glossary - Journal -
The story as we know so far…
Patricio Herrera came to Liverpool England on a ship called the West Australian in 1864 (from Valparaiso to Liverpool). The ship was an Iron Schooner built in Hartlepool in 1859, she had two decks and three masts and a female figurehead. She was owned by Williamsons of Liverpool belonged to the port of Liverpool and sailed the London to New Zealand route. The journey Patricio had undertaken was started from New Zealand via Napier and Valparaiso to Liverpool. The West Australian had been in Valparaiso on the 15th December 1864.
The captain of this ship earlier in 1864 was Captain Luke. She had sailed from London on the 22nd March 1864 to Wellington arriving on the 1st July of the same year with Captain Luke and a Surgeon Superintendent named Dr Thirsfield along with a passenger list of about 80.
Patricio’s mother had married a William Bate after the death of Patricio’s natural father. It is certain that William Bate and his mother were married in 1861 as an entry in his journal states that on 1st April 1861 the head of his household was William Bate, he was the only child and had been born in Coquimbo Chile on 11th July 1849 and that his mother Filipa lived at the same address which was: The Chemist, Main Street, Coquimbo. (Presumably this had to be provided for the 1871 census.)
Timeline :
I Patricio Herrera left my native land December 1864 spent Christmas at sea few days out of the port of Tome Chile. Bound for Liverpool England in ship West Australia.
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Christmas of 1865 I was at Montevideo South America in the American ship Young Eagle |
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Christmas of 1866 I was in Dunkirk France in the ship Young Eagle |
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Christmas of 1867 I was in Boston North America in the Bark-I forget the name She was a Scottish vessel |
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Christmas of 1868 I was in Risca just arrived from Spain ship Forest King |
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Christmas of 1869 in Londonderry |
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Christmas of 1870 in Risca |
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Christmas of 1871 in Altofts Yorkshire W Riding |
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Christmas of 1872 in Altofts ; Christmas of 1873 in Altofts ; Christmas of 1874 in Altofts ; Christmas of 1875 in Altofts |
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Christmas of 1876in Old Shalston Yorkshire W R |
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Christmas of 1877 in Altofts ; Christmas of 1878 in Altofts ; Christmas of 1879 in Altofts ; Christmas of 1880 in Altofts ; Christmas of 1881 in Altofts ; Christmas of 1882 in Altofts ; Christmas of 1883 in Altofts ; Christmas of 1884 in Altofts |
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Christmas of 1885 in Newtown Crosskeys |
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Christmas of 1886 in Wattsville# |
Patricio
Herrera born in Conception July 11
1849 -
Louisa Herrera born in Monmouth
January 8 1851
: Married
at Newport Monmouthshire 17th August (according to
certificate / journal states 23rd)
First born Caroline L Herrera born in
Newport Mon December 2 1869 at No 17 Dolphin Street time Half past 4 Thursday
afternoon.
John W Herrera born in Altofts Yorkshire July 10 1872 at No 2 Charles
Street time Half past 3 evening
Herbert H Herrera born in Altofts Yorkshire August 25 1874 at No 2
Charles Street time 3.30am
F Ellen Herrera born in Altofts Yorkshire May 2 1877 at No 2 Charles
Street time 5.50pm Sunday
Florence G Herrera born in Altofts Yorkshire October 10 1880 at No 2
Temple Place time 4.08am Sunday
Philippa Jane Herrera born in Wattsville Crosskeys Mon June 5 1886 at No
4 Wattsville 1am Saturday
Correspondence :
Risca September 3 1870, Dear Father
I now take the pleasure of writing these few lines hoping they will find you in good health, as I am happy to say it leaves me at present.
Dear father I dare say you think me very unkind not to have written before but I must own to you that circumstances have not permitted. I received your most kind letter from which I find you and the family was quite well although I was very sorry to read the painful news of your mother’s death. I did not have a letter from your mother after I left Newport although I received great many from her during the time I was in Newport during which time I had the pleasure of receiving your sisters likeness which I carefully have kept for her sack. I must say that I was very glad to find from your letter that you had joined the Navy. I am very glad to hear it as I hope you are doing much better.
Dear father I must tell you that the day that I had your letter I was very busy as it was the day after I got married which happened on the 11 of August * during that time I have been sailing in coasting vessels as mate but will as my wife has made up our mind to stop until I go home and see if I can better myself there. So soon as our little girl do walk I should get a ship to go. The little girl will be 12 months old the 2 day of December. She is called after her mother and after Cousin Carolina. She is called Caroline Louisa. I have no more to tell you at present but hope that we shall soon meet again.
I
remain yours faithfully, Patricio & Louisa Herrera.
*This was actually 23 August.
Risca Pier Newport Mon
April 20 1871
Dear Sir with much pleasure I write these few lines to you with the ever hopes that they might find you in good health as I am happy to say this leaves me at present and also my wife and daughter. Dear Sir I must tell you for why I have not wrote to you before. The day in which I received your letter was the day after I was wedded that was 6 months to the day after I had wrote you, then I put it off day after day not known what to say about being married until at last I have resolve to do it.
NOT SURE TO WHOM THIS IS ADDRESSED OR WHEN. IT WAS WRITTEN VERY QUICKLY AND DIFFICULT TO DECIPHER, PIECES WERE ALSO MISSING FROM THE EDGES.
Dear sir I have much to apologise for but first allow me to say and to hope this will find you all in good health as I am happy to say this leaves me at present, thank you for it. now let me apologise for keeping silent all the time and knowing well where to write to. I surely received your letters and was glad to hear that you are going in the navy and that you had your salary I am also thankful for your good wishes in my health my pen can not describe my fury I now find for the past. Now I feel compelled to write to but I really do not know whether my letter will be welcome or not. I am well aware that I ?frown? my ingratitude and do not deserve acknowledge a thing from you but I pray that you hand? to me the ****. I promise faithfully to keep up a correspondence with your daughter. PH Cannot decipher last bit.
This is a copy of a letter dated July 27th 1865 in which Patricio’s Step-Grandmother, Mary Bate, refers to a captain Luke.
South Town Dartmouth
July 27th 1865
My dear Patricio
I should have written to you before but I have been very poorly and obliged to go under my doctor’s care and am not much better now but would not delay writing as I felt that you would be very disappointed did you not hear from me. My daughter would have written you but she has been in London for the last three weeks, she is quite well and sends her love. I am sorry you should not have left Capt. Luke as he was a great favourite of mine but has you say it cannot be helped. Now be sure you write and let me know what you intend doing. I am anxiously looking out for letters from your Uncle. Should any come for you I will be sure to keep them until you return. I cannot write more now I feel very poorly, be sure you write soon and with kind love.
Believe me dear Patricio
Yours affectionately, Mary Bate.
My dear Patricio
I had this letter returned to me to day. I had made a mistake in the number. I am sorry for it, as I know you must have been very disappointed. I wrote again yesterday but I hope I have not made the same mistake. I should be glad to hear when you sail. My daughter Mary writes with much love.
Believe me dear Patricio
Yours most affectionately, Mary Bate.
Glossary
Glossary of terms used in the journal:
Rattling: to attach ratlines to the shrouds in the rigging of a ship.
Ratline: the small ropes fastened horizontally between the shrouds in the rigging to make a ladder for the crew to go aloft.
Shroud: a supporting rope that extends from the top of a mast. Attached from side to side (port and starboard).
Stays: supporting ropes that extend forwards and backwards (fore and aft).
Leeward: the side of the ship that is away from or sheltered from the wind.
To set the sails: to position the sails so that they catch the wind.
Strop: a strap of leather or rope used for lifting cargoes.
Gasket: a light rope used for securing a furled sail to its yard.
Furl: to tie a sail in a bundle to a spar.
Buntline: a rope attached to the middle part of a sail.
Weared: to turn a ship by putting the stern toward the wind
Yard: the spar at right angles to a mast to which the head of a sail is attached.
Tack: the action of turning a ship so that her bow crosses the exact direction from which the wind is blowing.
Reef: to lower or lift part of the sail part way, roll it, and then secure it by reef points.
Reef points: short lengths of line passing through eyelets in a sail in 1 or 2 rows used for tying the reefed portion to the yard.
Clew(s): the lowest corners of a square sail; lines attached to the corners and used to haul the clews upward to the yard for furling.
Sinnet: rope tied decoratively (plaited) to make cords for lanyards or whistle cords.
Patricio
Herrera
Journal Book
On the
passage from Coquimbo
To Liverpool November 20 1864
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Sunday 1 January 1865 - Morning watch. Washed, after breakfast I turned into my bed as I had been out 8 hours last night. We had a good plum pudding and salt beef for dinner. Weather fine with light wind. |
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Monday Jan 2 - Morning watch I washed the decks. After breakfast we got fresh water up out of the fore hold and filled the casks on deck. Carpenter employed in making chafing gears for the rigging. |
| Tuesday3 - Morning watch washed decks. Sighted a ship on the bow, supposed it to be going up the Straights of Magellan. After breakfast the second mate got fighting with one of the men forade. In the afternoon we spoke to the ship and found she was bound for Montevideo from Valparaiso with a cargo of wheat 6 days out. |
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Wednesday 4 - Tacked ship ˝ past 5 am morning watch washed decks. Hands employed in setting up foretopmast rigging at ˝ past 1pm weared ships. In the afternoon we caught a small shark, which measured 4 feet long. The same day we picked up a cask thinking it might be some kind of spirits, but to our great surprise when we got it on board we found it was tallow covered in barnacles and supposed to of been lit from some ships deck. Weather fine with light winds Tradesman yet. |
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Wednesday altetude 73,45 (by this does he mean latitude however it should be longitude. 73,45 would be just to the west of southern Chile) |
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Thursday 5 - Morning watch washed decks. After breakfast hands employed in securing new main reef tackle and making new buntlines. After dinner we secure new fore reef tackle. 8pm tacked ship 12pm tacked ship again. Fresh breeze all night with rain. |
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Friday 6 - Morning watch washed decks. Hands employed in rattling down foretopmast rigging. I went to the wheel from 10 till md after that I went to dinner. Sighted a ship to leeward about 2oclock pm. Sail maker repairing a main topsail. All plain sail set. |
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Saturday 7 - Morning watch washed decks. Took in starboard quarter boat and put it on top of the longboat. Sighted two ships to leeward at 5pm. Hands employed making two yarns fosces dinner I greased down the foremast. All plain sail set with foretopmast and lower studdingsail and main topgallant studdingsail. Fresh breeze all day. |
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Sunday 8 - 4am took in the fore and mizzen royal. Hauled down the main topgallant studdingsail and foretopmast and lower studdingsail and main topgallant staysail. At ˝ past 10 set them again. Came on deck at 8 bells at 2am(pm?) a squall struck the ship. Took in all the studdingsails again double reefed the fore main and mizzen topsails. Carried away foretopgallant sheets. Sighted a ship to leeward outward bound. Strong breeze all night. |
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Monday 9 - 4am sighted a ship to leeward under 3close reef topsails and reef foresail and foretopmast staysail and spanker. |
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6am washed deck I and one of the seamen stowed the flying jib afresh. After breakfast hands employed stroping blocks. |
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10am set the main topgallant sail. After dinner set the fore and mizzen topgallant sails. Strong breeze all night and morning. |
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Tuesday 10 - Morning watch washed decks. After breakfast hands employed making fixes for gaskets. In the afternoon sent down fore and mizzen royal yards and unbend the sail. Strong breeze all night. |
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Morning watch washed decks. After breakfast hands employed making mats. In the afternoon set the fore and main topgallant sails. 1pm set the mizzen topgallant sail and spanker. Light winds all night at 12pm set the main royal and flying jib. |
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Thursday 12 - Morning watch washed decks. Tacked ship. After breakfast hands employed unbending of and bending a new foresail. Dead calm all the afternoon. |
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Friday 13 - Morning watch washed decks. Hands variously employed. Sail maker making the seams of a new topsail. Fresh breeze all day. 5.30pm climbed up the main royal and fixed the flying jib. |
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Saturday 14 - Morning watch washed decks. Hands employed serving flying jib sheets hands making sinnet. |
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Sunday15 - Morning watch washed decks. Fresh breeze all day. At half past 4pm furled the main royal and flying jib. 6pm cluwed up mizzen topgallant sail. |
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Monday16 - Strong breeze all day. |
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Tuesday17 - Strong breeze all day. |
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Wednesday18 - Strong breeze all day with heavy rain. |
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There is no more recorded on this voyage, the other side of the page is set out ready to record the passage from Talcahuano to Liverpool, however nothing has been recorded. |
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Patricio states that he originally left Tome, this is 58 miles north of Santiago, and Valparaiso is 70 miles south of Santiago therefore he had travelled from Tome to Valparaiso in December of 1864 (approx 130miles) then south to Talcahuano in January 1865. Talcahuano is 282 miles south of Santiago and in the Bio-Bio region of Chile. I would imagine that this would have been a staging post to take on supplies before rounding Cape Horn. |
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Perhaps no more is recorded as the journey going around the Horn would have been difficult and time would have been spent in sailing not writing, later when there was time to write he had got out of the habit -- don’t forget at this time Patricio was still only 15 ˝ years old!! |