Some time ago I searched 19th C. databases containing numerous S.F. and California newspapers and found nothing on "chanty," "chantie," "chanties," "sailors + chants," "shanties," "sea shanty." "Sailor + chant" yields too many hits to investigate fully, but I haven't found any that are relevant.

U.S. newspapers in general barely mention shanties at all until the 1880s and '90s, and even then there's little of interest.

"Sailor(s) song(s)" finds very little, and "sea songs" nothing of interest (mostly parlor sea songs are meant).