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To America
On
21 August 1852, at nearly 24 years of age, Hinrich Hellmers signed up
for his eighth, and what turned out to be his last, ocean voyage. The
ship Olbers
would make a passage from Bremerhaven, crossing the Atlantic Ocean, to
New Orleans. His position on the ship was ordinary seaman, and he was
to be paid 12 schillings a month at the end of the voyage.
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The ship Olbers
was built by F. W. Wencke of Bremerhaven for the Bremen firm of D. H.
Wätjen Co., and was launched on 4 March 1851. Her length was about
141 feet, with a beam [width] of about 33 feet. She was engaged
primarily in the transport of emigrants to North America, and in 1861
was sold to Swedish interests.
| Painting of the Olbers in the Focke-Museum in Bremen |
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The Olbers
departed Bremerhaven about 12 September 1852 for
the passage
to New Orleans. The Captain was Carl Heinrich Fechler. About six weeks later
the ship arrived at the mouth of the Mississippi River, 100 miles
downriver from the port. The New Orleans Bee newspaper of
Tuesday, 26 October reported that the Olbers, along with two
other ships, was towed up the river by a steam towboat named The
Defiance.
Prior to its departure, as was required by law, a list of the passengers had been
prepared for the U. S. Custom Service. There were
325 in all: 25 in the cabin, 5 in
the second cabin on deck, and 295 in steerage, 13 of whom were children
under the age of one. (Hinrich Hellmers was not on the list because he
was a crewman.)
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The "Marine News" in the New Orleans Bee
of 26 October 1852 showed the arrival of the ship Olbers. The
section "Arrived Yesterday" noted:
Brem Ship Olbers, Fechler, 44 days from
Bremen, in bal-
last, to Meyer, Mummy & co. — 4th dist.
The item indicated that the Olbers, under the command of
Captain
Fechler, after 44 days at sea, had arrived in New Orleans from Bremen
on 25 October and had docked in the
4th District, that part of the riverfront between Felicity and Toledano
Streets. The ship was consigned to Meyer, Mummy & Company.
Farther down in the Marine News it was reported that the Olbers
was carrying 325 passengers.
| The entire page from the Bee can be found here. |
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Apparently
it was not uncommon for young German merchant seamen to leave their
ships and stay in America to seek a new way of life. In 1844, Hinrich's
older brother, Jürgen, also a seaman, had left
his ship in Philadelphia and remained there. Perhaps his decision
influenced Hinrich. For whatever reason, Hinrich deserted his position
as an ordinary seaman on the Olbers and stayed in New Orleans.
Seamen were usually only paid at the end of the voyage, when the ship
returned to its home port. Any seaman who abandoned his ship forfeited
the wages he had already earned. Hinrich, knowing he was going to leave
the
ship, apparently went to the Captain's cabin the evening before he
left the ship and, seeking money, threatened him, perhaps asking for the pay he thought he
was due. |
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The Bremen seaman's record for Hinrich Hellmers
includes this final notation [written in German]:
Deserted
The evening before
he had entered
the cabin
in order to
extort money
from the Captain
by threat. |
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| It is
not indicated whether he received any money, but in any case,
Hinrich did not return to Germany. His career as a mariner on the high
seas was over. His new life in New Orleans was now beginning. |
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Go to next section: Life in New Orleans
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Return
to Hellmers Family History Opening Page
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