November/December 2002
Jack Corbett, Mariner by A.S. Hatch
The son of a Vermont doctor, 20-year-old A.S. Hatch was sent to sea to be "cured" of asthma and a frail constitution or "killed" by it if the life proved too strenuous. The year was 1840, which means that Richard Henry Dana's bestseller Two Years Before the Mast had been published just nine years before. Hatch's father no doubt read Dana's tale, noted that the Harvard-educated blue blood had been effectively matured and strengthened by his time at sea, and sent his son off for similar treatment.
The young Hatch spent only a few months aboard a trans-Atlantic packet sailing between New York and Liverpool, but he met an old salt who took him under his wing, showed him the ropes, and encouraged him to embrace the rigorous life of a fo'c's'le hand. The old mariner's name was Jack Corbett, a fellow whose Irish brogue and his penchant for liquor and swearing did not diminish in him a sense of honor and a loyalty to his protégé. Corbett cared for Hatch like a doting nurse, but after their voyages aboard the packet were over, Hatch returned to life ashore, becoming a prosperous businessman, while Corbett continued a life at sea before the mast. They didn't see each other for 30 years, after which time Hatch had gone on to become one of New York's most wealthy citizens and president of the New York Stock Exchange. Corbett, meanwhile, had had a hard life at sea. The two met up again, and Hatch hired Corbett to care for his numerous yachts, tend to the safety of his 11 children, and be a general handyman for his vast estate in upstate New York. Corbett still drank and swore, activities which Hatch's children attempted to prevent, but the union between the two most unlikely friends led to many happy times.
Jack Corbett: Mariner is a fascinating story, different from Dana's tale in almost every way, except for the background circumstances. Where Dana was treated harshly by a heartless crew, Hatch thrived under the supervision of his awkward mentor and a patient and kind crew. Dana hated his years at sea. Hatch loved the experience. Both were strengthened and became successful at business and outspoken activists in caring for those less fortunate than themselves.
Denny Hatch, great-grandson of AS Hatch, made possible the publication of this volume, which has been in the family since it was written toward the end of the 19th century.
Boat Books Ltd
22 Westhaven Drive, Auckland, New Zealand
Phone: (+64-9) 358-5691; Fax: (+64-9) 358-5817
JACK CORBETT MARINER.
By A. S. Hatch. Afterword by Denny Hatch. Hbk, 130mm x 210mm, 269 pages, monochrome photographs and prints.
This is a compelling true story of the relationship between one of America's foremost financiers and the old Irish seaman who changed his life.
In 1849, Alfredrick Hatch, a delicate and slightly asthmatic youth, was dispatched to sea by his physician father to "either cure him or kill him." He signed on as an apprentice seaman on a Liverpool packet, in the company of the "roughest, dirtiest, swearingest, drinkingest men alive." Hatch probably would not have survived had he not been befriended by an illiterate, bewhiskered Jack-tar named Jack Corbett, who became his guardian and mentor. The rich story of their sailing together is the centerpiece of this previously unpublished narrative.
Rich in its description of life in the mid 19th Century, and life aboard a square-rigged sailing vessel of the time, Hatch's memoir would make Patrick O'Brian smile, and it will bring tears to eyes of some of the more sentimental among us.
This book is highly recommended by Tim.
NZ$59.95 + delivery.
"I thoroughly enjoyed Jack Corbett Mariner. It was touching and inspiring. A.S. Hatch was a great man and his career seemed to only reflect his heart. Thank you for a lively and historical book. Truth certainly is better than fiction!!!"
-- Cathy Barna
Just finished the book. WONDERFUL!. I couldn't put it down. I thoroughly enjoyed the work.
-- Brian Smith
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