San Joaquin County
Biographies
ANTONIA DE COSTA
A. DE ACOSTA, a landlord of
Stockton, is a native of Portugal, born at Vivellos, about two days journey
from Lisbon, January 21, 1830, his parents being Manuel and Maria Louisa
(Ignacio) De Costa. He spent his early boyhood days at his native place, and
there received his education. His mother died when he was quite young, and when
in his fourteenth year he went to sea. He sailed on a three years’ whaling
cruise around the world, from Fijal, on the barque “Pembrook,” of New London,
belonging to a Mr. Lawrence, and commanded by Captain Porter, of the Hudson
river. Three days after he shipped, they raised a school of whales, and two
sperm whales were captured, which yielded sixty and seventy-five barrels of
oil, respectively. They had them tied alongside the ship and young De Costa,
who remembered the Bible passage which told of Jonah being swallowed by the
whale, kept looking and wondering how such a thing could be. A few days later
he asked a fellow-countryman how it was possible for the whale to swallow Jonah.
The man replied, “It is only written.” Young De Costa was sea-sick for nearly
three months, and one of the crew told the captain he was afraid to look over
the rail, lest he should be swallowed by the whale. The captain said, “Antonio,
look out! The whale will swallow you.” Off Cape Verde Islands they spoke a
vessel, and displayed their directions on a blackboard, but received no reply.
The ship was clipper-built and a fine vessel, but only a man at the wheel was
visable. The captain thought she was a pirate, but if she was, she did not
molest them. They stopped at one of the Cape Verde group, and remained a week.
Mr. De Costa went ashore in the captian’s boat, and saw the black natives and
found they could speak some of his own language. He had seen but one negro
before except on the ships. The captain was a great man for fishing, spent
three days in that occupation, and then, when they had got enough fish, they
made for St. Paul’s Island, inhabited by the French at that time, and a great
fishing place. Some of the men went ashore, and seeing a patch of cabbage, made
for it. The Frenchmen got after them with guns, and drove them back aboard the
ship, announcing that they would not allow them ashore any more. They then
engaged in fishing, and when they had caught five or six barrels, a whale was
sighted, and they made for it, dropping their fishing. The whale was captured,
and turned out 100 barrels of oil. They continued their cruise, and one day the
captain ordered the ship before the wind; the men did not know what he was up
to, but they were making directly for Australia. They touched at Sidney, their
first port for the cruise. Then they made for Hobart Town. Their voyage
thereafter took them to New Zealand, Sandwich Islands, up to the Artic regions,
and thence they cruised back to New Zealand. Then most of the crew ran away.
They proceeded to Van Dieman’s Land, then Hobart Town, and more of the crew
deserted. Then eighteen convicts were shipped, on tickets of leave, making a
full crew again. They had been four days out when they sighted a school of
whales. Four men were at the lookout, and the cry of “whale” went up. The
captain ordered them below, and Mr. De Costa aloft. When they got on deck, they
refused to go on the boats, and mutinied under a leader. The second mate took
hold of the wheel, and put straight back to New Zealand, with eighteen of the
crew in irons, on an allowance of bread and water. About a week later they
reached port, the main council was got on board, and the eighteen were lashed
to the rigging and given two dozen lashes apiece. They then signed articles
clear from the ship, and were put ashore. The vessel could get no crew however,
and finally went to Auckland harbor, where, also, they found it impossible to
get a crew for whaling. Finally the captain put up everything for sale except
the ship, and took freight and passengers for California, Mr. De Costa being
promoted from cabin boy to steward. The trip to California occupied seven
months. They stopped at the Fiji Islands, Samoan Island, at Tahiti (where they
remained a couple of weeks and got fruit), and at Honolulu. There Mr. De Costa
bought a barrel of oranges. When he got to San Francisco he had two dozen left,
which he sold for twelve dollars. Two days after landing at San Francisco the
crew ran away, and all that remained were the captain, Mr. De Costa and the
cook. That was in October, 1849. When Mr. De Costa got ashore from the boat, he
was waist deep in mud, having had to wade, and the others were having fun at
his expense. The vessel discharged her freight, but no crew could be obtained
to go out on her; so the captain wrote to the owners. It required six months to
get an answer, and when it came, he sold the vessel to a Chinese company for
junk. Mr. De Costa had waited, with the captain and the negro cook, for the
answer. He was introduced to Louis McLean, who was bllding (sic) the boat
“Erastus Corning” on Rincon Point, and joined his force. He worked on the
vessel until she was launched, and went on her on the trial trip. While moving
along the wharf, the little boat Sagamore, alongside, blew up, killing twenty
or twenty-five, and scaring everybody on the “Erastus Corning.” On this vessel
Mr. De Costa commenced running to Stockton in the spring of 1850, under Captain
McLean, and he was steward on her over a year. Then Captain McLean built the
boat “Sophia,” and being very much attached to Mr. De Costa, begged the latter
to go with him to the new boat. He went, and they were six months in building
her. Mr. De Costa was sent by Captain McLean one day with a note to Joseph
Hammond, asking him to join the “Sophia”. They lay the other side of Rincon
Point, and as Mr. De Costa was on his way, while passing the Oriental Hotel, he
saw two men (Steward and another Australian) hanging by the neck on Battery
street. It made him feel as if he wanted to go home, and it was the first thing
he told Hammond when he found him. When the “Sophia” the fastest little boat on
the river, was completed, Mr. De Costa became her steward, and ran on her to Stockton
for quite a while. Finally she joined the Steam Navigation Company and Mr. De
Costa steam boated for that company until 1861, running meanwhile to Stockton,
to Alivso, Napa, Sacramento and almost making a couple trips to Portland,
Oregon, on the “Brother Jonathan” and to Mexico one trip on the “Surprise,”
with De Wolf, who afterward lost the “Brother Jonathan.” In 1861 Mr. De Costa
was married, in San Francisco, to Miss Maria Lilly, a native of London, born
near the Thames, and they went to the Sandwich Islands on their wedding trip.
For a year or two he kept a hotel at Honolulu, and did well, but having
California on the brain he could not rest in peace till he came back. He
finally located in Stockton, but lived several places. He had a ranch, but has
sold it, and now has a number of pieces of improved residence property, and
surrounded with beautiful trees and flowers.
Mr. De Costa lost his faithful wife by death, November 7,
1888. He has had a remarkably varied experience, all over the world, and has
been in California since the pioneer days; yet is a wonderfully preserved man,
and time has dealt very gently with him.
Transcribed by: Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
An Illustrated History of San Joaquin County,
California, Pages 506-508. Lewis Pub.
Co. Chicago, Illinois 1890.
© 2009 Jeanne Sturgis Taylor.
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