Holmes.s. Hole
Friday Jany 11th /61
Dear Mother & Sister & the rest
of the folks.)
we arrived here to
day after a passage of
8 days from Georgetown
bar, leaving there last
Thursday. we had very fair
winds & weather till last
wednesday night when abreast
of Newyork. we had a pretty
severe gale of wind & rain,
but it did not seem so
hard to us as it was in our
favor. but last night we had
a gale of wind & snow that beat
any thing I ever saw. it was the
longest night I ever passed. it
was freezing cold & every drop
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of water that dashed over us
was ice when it struck the
deck. I wish you could see
our vessel now. She is one
complete mass of ice fore & aft,
we spent the remainder of today
after we anchored in beating
the ice off of the sails & rigging
before we could get our sails
in, I wonder if You were thinking
of your boy last night. you did
not know that he was up
the whole night in the cold &
sleet with the exception of
three hours this morning from
4. Oclock till 7.O.clock, we
got in here at 10. O.clock this
morning, we shall have to
stay here till we get a fair
wind to go over Nantucket [1]
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Shoals. we may be here a week.
I do not think we shall leave
hear before Monday next. if we
have the right kind of wind it
will not take but a day to go
to Boston, it is only 90 miles
from here. I do not care if we
have to lay here a month, my
pay will be going on, but there
is not much danger of that,
we may have a fair wind to
morrow. I guess you will see
me at home some cold night next
week. perhaps Tuesday or Wednes
-day night. I do not know as you
will get this letter before then.
I am going to bed now. goodnight
Lyman Blackington