Cannibals were picky eaters? - Beyond Tiki

T tikilongbeach Tiki Socialite Long Beach, CA via Dallas, TX Joined: Aug 05, 2011 Posts: 1686	T tikilongbeach Posted posted on Tue, Jan 6, 2015 2:36 PM Ron Howard has directed a movie about the ill fated Essex whaling ship that inspired Melville to write Moby Dick. "In the Heart of the Sea" stars Chris Hemsworth and it will be released on March 13, 2015. This Smithsonian article about the Essex is pretty graphic. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-true-life-horror-that-inspired-moby-dick-17576/ "The men were unwilling to leave the doomed Essex as it slowly foundered, and Pollard tried to come up with a plan. In all, there were three boats and 20 men. They calculated that the closest land was the Marquesas Islands and the Society Islands, and Pollard wanted to set off for them—but in one of the most ironic decisions in nautical history, Chase and the crew convinced him that those islands were peopled with cannibals and that the crew’s best chance for survival would be to sail south. The distance to land would be far greater, but they might catch the trade winds or be spotted by another whaling ship. Only Pollard seemed to understand the implications of steering clear of the islands. (According to Nathaniel Philbrick, in his book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, although rumors of cannibalism persisted, traders had been visiting the islands without incident.)"

Ron Howard has directed a movie about the ill fated Essex whaling ship that inspired Melville to write Moby Dick. "In the Heart of the Sea" stars Chris Hemsworth and it will be released on March 13, 2015.

This Smithsonian article about the Essex is pretty graphic.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-true-life-horror-that-inspired-moby-dick-17576/

"The men were unwilling to leave the doomed Essex as it slowly foundered, and Pollard tried to come up with a plan. In all, there were three boats and 20 men. They calculated that the closest land was the Marquesas Islands and the Society Islands, and Pollard wanted to set off for them—but in one of the most ironic decisions in nautical history, Chase and the crew convinced him that those islands were peopled with cannibals and that the crew’s best chance for survival would be to sail south. The distance to land would be far greater, but they might catch the trade winds or be spotted by another whaling ship. Only Pollard seemed to understand the implications of steering clear of the islands. (According to Nathaniel Philbrick, in his book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, although rumors of cannibalism persisted, traders had been visiting the islands without incident.)"

Post #734460 by tikilongbeach on Tue, Jan 6, 2015 2:36 PM