Mayflower Part III

      The Mayflower departed with three pregnant women one of whom was in labor and gave birth shortly after departure.

   The first six weeks of the trip were with good winds and fair seas, even so there was quite a problem with seasickness, these were the days of limited medical remedies.

   The insults and harassment from the vulgar bos'n to the passengers and crew was a constant dark cloud that hung over the group. He would often ridicule the sea sickness of the passengers, threatening to throw them overboard and take their possessions for himself.  

    Poetic justice being what it is, the bos'n was the first to experience a severe and painful sickness, which he died from. He was indeed the first person to be thrown overboard to the delight of the pilgrims.

  Half way through the trip the Mayflower started experiencing a string of severe storms and constant strong winds on her nose.

    The ship started experiencing many leaks and started taking on water not just through the hull but also deck seams which made it extremely difficult to stay dry.

    It was significantly wet and dripping water on to the sleeping areas on the tween deck.  The winds were so strong on many occasions the sails had to be dropped and the ship was at the mercy of the winds and currents which frequently ran against each other.

    During one of the storms one of the beams cracked and had to be reinforced and secured with a large screw through the beam.  This event was extremely stressful and many of the crew were concerned that the ship wouldn't be able to survive the voyage.

   During one of the storms a pilgrim went on deck John Howland. He was secured by a rope, he was washed overboard but was spotted by the deck watch and was able to be retrieved but with great difficulty.

   John Howland descendants include Franklin D Roosevelt, President Bush, Humphrey Bogart and Mormon faith founder Joseph Smith.

   The pilgrims were praying for a landfall soon and their prayers were answered.  Three day's before arriving in the New World a young boy by name of William Button who was brought on the voyage by ship's Surgeon Dr Samuel Fulton, died.

   William Button was the first and only passenger to die on the Mayflower while at sea.  After 2750 miles and three months after leaving Leidham Holland and sixty six days on the high seas land was spotted.

     November 9^th 1620 they spotted Cape Cod which was 250 miles north of their destination. In Colonial America, Long Island and what is now New York City. was part of Virginia.

     The destination of the Mayflower was by the mouth of the Hudson, some accounts say Long Island, however the mouth of the Hudson River is west of Long Island on the other side of Manhattan Island.

 

  As the Mayflower turned south to head for Long Island it soon encountered a shoal leading to a reef, at this time in history the worlds oceans were two hundred and fifty feet lower than it is today!

   It wasn't so long ago that a Grand Banks fishing trawler pulled up human skeletal remains that were carbon dated to 12,000 BC.

   After encountering the reef the Mayflower turned around and traveled fifty miles up the eastern coast of Cape Cod and searched for a sheltered cove to anchor in.

   They followed the coast of Cape Cod as it turned west and into Cape Cod Bay, there they found a secure anchorage in what is now Provence Town Harbor, and on November 11, 1620 they set their anchor in the harbor.

   When leaving England they had received permission in the form of a patent from the King of England to start a settlement at the mouth of the Hudson River.

 However it wasn't applicable any other place in the New World therefore they were now trespassing.

    After considerable discussion a decision was made to establish a government and impose self rule and issued themselves a patent for a settlement. This became known to history as the Mayflower Compact.

   They had entered Providence Harbor early in the morning of November 11^th before the sun had risen. As the sun rose they were able to see the great diversity of vegetation on shore. There were pine trees, oak and most of all the juniper tree.

    If you have ever entered a dairy barn it would help you understand the odor that one encountered from the interior of the Mayflower. After three months of travel with someplace between eighty-three and one hundred and thirty people on board, the passengers were for the most part below decks for their safety.

   The juniper tree emitted a perfume when burnt which acted as an air freshener deodorizer. They had been completely out of wood and it was cold now, the hardwood from the oak trees was an excellent source of heat, because November on the Coast of New England was at best frigid!!

    By midmorning a landing party of 16 armed men departed for an exploration of the immediate area and also to collect juniper wood.

    The landing party made their way to a high point and were able to survey the area, they were able to see across the peninsula and see the Atlantic, on the opposite side of the island.

   They returned to the ship with the juniper wood and spent the next day aboard ship celebrating the Sabbath and giving thanks to the lord for their successful journey.