DTStudy: The Bigler's Crew (Bigler's Cruise?)

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DTStudy: The Bigler's Crew (Bigler's Cruise?)

02 Mar 04 - 03:17 PM (#1127909)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE BIGLER'S CREW
From: Joe Offer

This is an edited DTStudy thread, and all messages posted here are subject to editing and deletion.
This thread is intended to serve as a forum for corrections and annotations for the Digital Tradition song named in the title of this thread.

Search for other DTStudy threads

I started this DTStudy thread mostly because I'm not happy with the MIDI the Digital Tradition has for this song, but also because I came across a number of versions that we should compare with the DT version. The end of the DT MIDI has maybe 32 bars of rests, and then a couple of extraneous notes - otherwise, it's correct.
Some sources refer to this song as "The Bigler's Cruise," which seems to make more sense. Since this song is from my home state of Wisconsin, I am quite sure that the original title of the song doesn't have to make sense. My guess is that "Bigler's Cruise" is an incorrect correction.
The DT version is from Folk Songs Out of Wisconsin. It's a good transcription, with just a few typographical errors. Here's the DT version, with my corrections:

THE BIGLER'S CREW

Come all my boys and listen, a song I'll sing to you,
It's all about the Bigler and of her jolly crew.
In Milwaukee last October I chanced to get a sight (site?)
In the schooner called the Bigler belonging to Detroit.

chorus:
Watch her, catch her, jump up on her juber ju,
Give her the sheet and let her slide,
The boys will push her through;
You ought to seen us howling,
The winds were blowing free,
On our passage down to Buffalo
From Milwaukee.

It was on a Sunday morning about the hour of ten,
The Robert Emmet towed us out into Lake Michigan;
We set sail where she left us in the middle of the fleet,
And the wind being from the southard, oh, we had to give her sheet.

Then the wind chopped round to the sou-sou'west and blew both fresh and strong,
But softly through Lake Michigan the Bigler she rolled on,
And far beyond her foaming bow the dashing waves did fling,
With every inch of canvas set, her course was wing and wing.

But the wind it came ahead before we reached the Manitous.
Three dollars and a half a day just suited the Bigler's crew.
From there unto the Beavers we steered her full and by,
And we kept her to the wind, my boys, as close as she could lie.

Through Skillagalee and Wabble Shanks, the entrance to the Straits
We might have passed the big fleet there if they'd hove to and wait;
But we drove them on before us, the nicest you ever saw,
Out into Lake Huron from the Straits of Mackinaw.

We made Presque Isle Light, and then we boomed away,
The wind it being fair, for the Isle of Thunder Bay.
But when the wind it shifted, we hauled her on her starboard tack
With a good lookout ahead for the light of the Point Au Barques.

We made the light and kept in sight of Michigan North Shore
A-booming for the river as we'd oftimes done before;
When right abreast Port Huron Light our small anchor we let go
And the Sweepstakes came alongside and took the Bigler in tow.

The Sweepstakes took eight in tow and all of us fore and aft,
She towed us down to Lake St. Clare (sic) and stuck us on the flats.
She parted the Hunter's tow-line in trying to give relief
And stem and stern went the Bigler into the boat called Maple Leaf.

The Sweepstakes then she towed us outside the River Light,
Lake Erie for to roam and the blustering winds to fight.
The wind being from the southard we paddled our own canoe,
With her nose pointed for the Dummy she's hell-bent for Buttalo.

We made the Oh and passed Long Point, the wind was blowing free.
We howled along the Canada shore, Port Colborne on our lee
What is it that looms up ahead, so well known as we draw near?
For like a blazing star shone the light on Buffalo Pier.

And now we are safely landed in Buffalo Creek at last,
And under Riggs' elevator the Bigler she's made fast.
And in some lager beer saloon we'll let the bottle pass,
For we are jolly shipmates and we'll drink a social glass.

from Folk Songs Out of Wisconsin, Peters
DT #611
Laws D8
@sailor @lake @midwest
filename[ BIGLRCRW
TUNE FILE: BIGLRCRW
CLICK TO PLAY
RG

The version above was sung by M.c. Dean, Virginia, Minnesota, for Franz Rickaby.
This version also appears in Rickaby's Ballads and Songs of the Shanty-Boy (1926)

Click to play Rickaby MIDI

Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song:

Bigler's Crew, The [Laws D8]

DESCRIPTION: The Bigler sets out for Buffalo from Milwaukee. A number of minor incidents are described, and the Bigler's lack of speed sarcastically remarked upon: "[We] MIGHT have passed the whole fleet there -- IF they'd hove to and wait"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1922 (Dean-FlyingCloud)
KEYWORDS: ship travel humorous
FOUND IN: US(MA,MW,NE) Canada(Mar,Ont)
REFERENCES (19 citations):
Laws D8, "The Bigler's Crew"
Rickaby-BalladsAndSongsOfTheShantyBoy 47, "The Bigler's Crew" (1 text, 1 tune)
Rickaby/Dykstra/Leary-PineryBoys-SongsSongcatchingInLumberjackEra 47, "The Bigler's Crew" (1 text, 1 tune)
Dean-FlyingCloud, pp. 19-20, "The Bigler's Crew" (1 text)
Peters-FolkSongsOutOfWisconsin, pp. 101-103, "The Bigler's Crew" (1 text, 1 tune)
Walton/Grimm-Windjammers-SongsOfTheGreatLakesSailors, pp. 129-135, "The Timber Drogher Bigler" (1 text plus excerpts from several other versions, 1 tune); p. 135, "The Stone Scow" (1 text, which Walton considered a separate adaption of this song but which has the same chorus and is exactly the same sort of plot as "The Bigler," so there seems litle reason to split them)
Lewis-FavoriteMichiganFolkSongs, pp. 25-29, "The Schooner Bigler" (1 text, 1 tune, arranged as a choral piece)
Eckstorm/Smyth-MinstrelsyOfMaine, p. 243, "Buffalo" (1 fragment)
Warner-TraditionalAmericanFolkSongsFromAnneAndFrankWarnerColl 19, "Jump Her, Juberju" (this version rather heavily folk processed); 20, "The Bigler" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Creighton-MaritimeFolkSongs, p. 141, "The Cruise of the Bigler" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke-TraditionalSingersAndSongsFromOntario 56, "The Cruise of the Bigler" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax/Lomax-FolkSongUSA 46, "The Bigler" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax/Lomax-OurSingingCountry, pp. 220-222, "The Bigler" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sandburg-TheAmericanSongbag, pp. 174-175, "Bigerlow" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Colcord-SongsOfAmericanSailormen, pp. 200-202, "The Cruise of the Bigler" (1 text, 1 tune)
Shay-AmericanSeaSongsAndChanteys, pp. 105-108, "The Bigler" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-TreasuryOfAmericanFolklore, pp. 843-845, "The Bigler's Crew" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 611, BIGLRCRW*
ADDITIONAL: David C. Peterson, "Wisconsin Folksongs," chapter in _Badger History: Wisconsin Folklore_, State Historical Society of Wisconsin (Volume XXV, Number 2, November 1973), pp. 61-62, "The Bigler" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #645
RECORDINGS:
Stanley Baby, "The Trip of the 'Bigler'" (on GreatLakes1)
Harry Barney, "The Timber Drogher Bigler" (1938; on WaltonSailors)
Asa M. Trueblood, "The TImber Drogher Bigler" (1938; on WaltonSailors)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Crummy Cow" (tune)
cf. "The Dogger Bank" (tune, chorus, meter)
cf. "The Great Northern Line" (tune, chorus, meter)
cf. "The Knickerbocker Line" (tune & meter)
cf. "The Light on Cape May" (tune, chorus, meter)
cf. "The Tramway Line" (tune, chorus, meter)
cf. "Ten Thousand Miles From Home" [Lomax AFSB A, pp. 28-29] (chorus & meter)
cf. "The Second Front Song" (tune, one chorus phrase & meter (see Notes))
cf. ("The Erie is raging and the gin is getting low") [Lomax AFSB pp. 461-462] (chorus)
SAME TUNE:
The Crummy Cow (File: HHH501)
The Light on Cape May (File: Doe130)
NOTES [524 words]: According to Julius F. Wolff, Jr., Lake Superior Shipwrecks, Lake Superior Port Cities Inc., Duluth, 1990, p. 42, a ship named J. Bigler was lost near Marquette, Michigan in 1884, but he was unable to find many other details. Walton said that the John Bigler was built in Detroit in 1866 and was wrecked in 1884, confirming Wolff's account. I know of no proof that this was "the" Bigler, but it seems likely. - RBW
Fowke-TraditionalSingersAndSongsFromOntario: "Aemilius Jarvis, from whom Mr. Snider learned this song, had heard it when sailing on the Lakes in 1875, and believed it dated from about 1871." - BS
According to one of Walton's informants, the song's description of the Bigler's sailing qualities is fairly accurate. The ship was built to carry waneys (partly cut logs), and like most such ships (known as timber droghers), she was narrow, with high sides, to fit through the Welland Canal between Lakes Erie and Ontario. Most such ships were rather slow. The Bigler carried more sail than most, but also had an extremely square bow, making her hard to steer and meaning that the extra sail did little to improve her speed.
Walton considers this the most popular of all the Great Lakes songs, and prints "The Stone Scow" as a parody on this basic pattern. Looking at the versions, I suspect this has in fact happened many times -- sailors would take "The Bigler" and supply details of their own voyages. I am not aware of any of these variants which have "taken off," and for the moment am classifying "The Stone Scow" and other similar variants here. - RBW
Solomon Foster has found links with information about several of these ships (slightly edited):
The Bigler: http://greatlakeships.org/2902970/data?n=1
Robert Emmett: http://greatlakeships.org/2900231/data?n=1
The Bigler was built in 1866, while the Emmett was renamed Colonel Graham in 1869, so that suggests the events of the song occurred between those years.
There were two tugs Sweepstakes in that time period, both living near Lake St Clair, so I don't see any obvious way to conclude which one it was:
http://greatlakeships.org/2895959/data?n=2
http://greatlakeships.org/2895880/data?n=4
Though only the second is explicitly listed as a St. Clair River tug.
There are three possibilities for the Maple Leaf and loads of them for the "Hunter".
One possibly interesting point: given that "The Stone Scow" (at least [Walton's version]) doesn't mention any ship names at all, it's conceivable it was actually still about the Bigler! According to greatlakesships.org, the Bigler's last cargo was stone. - (RBW, quoting Solomon Foster)
"The Second Front Song" is another parody, dating from World War II. It was recorded by Ewan MacColl on "British Army Songs," Washington Records WLP 711 LP (1965). The chorus keeps enough of the "Bigler's Crew" chorus to show the parody's source: "It's hitch 'em. It's hitch 'em. / It's the second front for you. / In spite of our old Atlantic war we're the boys to see it through. / It won't take long to finish it / When we have got their range / And then we can all go home and live like humans for a change." - BS
Last updated in version 6.2
File: LD08

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02 Mar 04 - 03:20 PM (#1127912)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE BIGLER
From: Joe Offer

I found the following at this page, and decided it should be stolen in toto so it doesn't get lost.

The Bigler

The Bigler was supposed to have been one of the slowest ships on the Lakes - and this ballad commemorates one of her trips. Five variants are reproduced below. It is of the broadsheet style, and certainly not a shanty sung "at sea" - even taking into account that it's referring to fresh water sailors. Dozens of these were produced during the 19th century, and have little or no value as either poems or songs. Their only redeeming feature is as a cross check to historical research. It is normally sung in 2/4 time, B flat (occasionally C) and rather repetitious. Athough we have noted known copyright claims below, we believe that this ballad is properly traditional.

The term 'jubaju' (juberju, etc) used in this ballad is most probably (other explanations are welcomed) of African American origin, a juba being a frenetic dance, normally carried out to the point of exhaustion (listen to "American Folk Songs for Children", Rounder Records, 8001/8002/8003, LP (1977), cut 29; also "American Folk Songs for Children in Home, School and Nursery School", Ruth Crawford Seeger, Illustrated by Barbara Cooney, Doubleday NY, 1948). So the phrase quoted would refer to an exhilarating ride, movement taken to the limit, a wild run - something along those lines.

The vessel was possibly named for William Bigler, governor of Pennsylvania, was born in Shermansburg, Pennsylvania, in 1814, died in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, 9 August 1880.

The first version here is by Captain Asel Trueblood of Saint Ignace, Michigan - Archive of American Folksong, Library of Congress.

1. On the Sunday morning, just at the hour of ten,
When the tug Mico Robert towed the schooner Bigler, through Lake Michigan.
Oh, there we made our canvas in the middle of the fleet,
And the wind hauled to the south'ard, boys, so we had to give her sheet.

CHORUS: Watch her, catch her, jump up in her ju-baju,
Give her sheet and let her go, the lads will pull her through.
And don't you hear her howling when the wind was blowing free
On our down trip to Buffalo from Milwaukee.

2. The wind comes down from the south, southeast; it blows both stiff and strong,
You'd ought to've seen that little schooner Bigler as she pulled out Lake Michigan.
Oh, far beyond her foaming bows, the fiery lights aflame,
With every stitch of canvas and her course was wing and wing.

3. Passing by the Proctors the wind was blowing free,
Sailing by the Beavers with the Skillaglee on our lea;
Oh, we hauled her in full and bye as close as she would lie,
And we weathered Waugoshance to enter the Straits of Mackinaw.

4. At Huron we made Presque Isle Light and then we tore away,
The wind it being fair, for the Isle of Thunder Bay.
Then the wind it shifted and the night it came on dark,
The captain kept a sharp lookout for the light at Point aux Barques.

5. We passed the light and kept in sight of Michigan north shore,
A-boomin' for the river as we'd often done before.
When just abreast of Port Huron Light, both anchors we let go,
And the Sweepstake came 'longside and took the Bigler in tow.

6. She took the seven of us in tow, all of us fore and aft,
She towed us down to Lake St. Clare and stuck us on the flat.
Then eased the Hunter's tow line to give us all relief,
The Bigler fell astern and went into a boat called the Maple Leaf.

7. And then the Sweepstake towed us out beyond the river light,
Lake Erie for to roam and the blustering winds to fight.
The wind being from the south'ard, it blew a pretty gale,
And we took it as it came for we could not carry sail.

This next variant [1] was collected and arranged by Norman Luboff (born Chicago, 1917), who had a varied career, writing 80 or more scores for movies in the 1940's. He retired to London, then France. Pete Seeger and Woodie Guthrie picked his brains during the 1950's for whatever "shanties" he might have had. Note that the name becomes "Bigaler" and Milwaukee is sung Mi-ilwaukee, split "I"

1. Come all you boys and listen, a song I'll sing to you,
It's all about the Bigaler, and of her jolly crew.
In Milwaukee last October, I chanced to get a site
In the schooner called the Bigaler belonging to Detrite.

Refrain: Watch her, catch her, jump up in her juberju,
Give her sheet and let her go, we're the lads that can pull her through.
Oh don't you hear the howling of the winds a-blowing free
On our down trip to Buffalo from Milwaukee.

2. 'Twas on one Sunday morning just at the hour of ten
When the Nickle Roberts towed us into Lake Michigen
Oh there we made our canvass in the middle of the fleet,
Oh the win hauled to the southard and we had to give her sheet.

3. The wind came from the sou'sou'east, it blowed both stiff and strong,
You had orter seen the Bigaler as she plowed Lake Michigon.
Oh far beyond her foaming bows the fiery waves to fling,
With every stitch of canvas and her course was wing and wing.

4. We made Skilagilee and Wabbleshanks, the entrance to the straits,
And might have passed the whole fleet there if they'd hove to and wait,
But we drove them all before us the nicest you ever saw
Clear out into Lake Huron through the Straits of Mackinaw

5. We made the light and kept in sight of Michigan's east shore
A-booming for the river as we'd often done before.
And when abreast Port Huron Light, our anchor we let go;
The tug Kate Moffet came and took the Bigaler in tow.

6. Through Lake St. Clair they towed us till we got to the River Light,
Lake Erie for to wander, her blust'ring winds to fight.
Then the wind blew from the sou'west and our hearts began to glow
With the thought of all the good things waiting there in Buffalo.

The third variant, "The cruise of the Bigler", is reported to have been originally written out in 1875 by Aemilius Jarvis, long time Commodore of the R.C.Y.C., while he was a young man and a crew member of the Edward Blake, a timber drougher sailed by the Great Grandfather of the present Lt. Governor, Hal Jackman.

1. Now, my boys, if you will listen, I'll sing you a little song
So sit down a while here, I'll not detain you long.
At Milwaukee in October I chanced to get a "site"
On the timber drougher Bigler, belonging to Detroit.

Chorus: Oh! Watch her! Catch her! Jump up on her ju-ba-ju!
Oh, give her sheet and let her boil, the boys'll put her through.
You ought to see her boiling, boys, the wind being fresh and free,
On our passage down to Buffalo from Milwaukee-ee-ee.

2. It was on a Sunday morning, about the hour of ten,
The Robert Emmett towed us into Lake Michigan.
We set sail where she left us in, the middle of the fleet,
The wind was from the southward, and we had to give her sheet.

3. But by the night the wind came down and blew both stiff and strong,
And swiftly through Lake Michigan the Bigler ploughed along.
And far before her bows, boys, the foaming waves did fling.
With every stich of canvas set and her courses wing on wing.

4. But the wind it came ahead before we reached the Manitous,
And two-and-a-half a day, Sirs, just suited the Bigler's crew.
From these until the Beavers we steered her full-and-bye,
We kept her to the wind my boys as close as she could lie.

5. At Skillogalee and Wadgochance, the entrance to the straight,
We might have passed the whole fleet if they'd hove to and wait,
But we drove them all before us, the prettiest ever you saw
Right out into Lake Huron through the straits of Mackinaw

6. In Huron Lake we passed Presqu'ile and then we hove away
The wind being fair, we soon flew by the isle of Thunder Bay
But the wind made us close haul her upon her starboard tack
And with a good lookout, we made for the light of Port aux Barques.

7. We made the light and kept inside by Michigan's east shore,
Abooming for the river as we'd oft done before;
Abreast Port Huron Light, my boys, both anchors we let go.
And the Sweepstakes came along and took the Bigler in tow.

8. The Sweepstakes took us eight in tow all of us Fore and Aft,.
She towed us down Lake St.Clair and struck us on the flats.
The I eased her tow line to give us some relief,
And Bigler went astern and smashed right into Maple Leaf.

9. And then the Sweepstakes left us, outside the river light,
To roam the broad Lake Erie and the blustering winds to fight.
The wind being fresh and free my boys we paddled our own canoe,
And pointed her nose for the Dummy on the way to Buffalo.

10. We made the Eau, flew by Long Point, the wind being fresh and free,
And down the Canada shore we humped, Port Colbourne on our lee.
What's that looms up ahead, my boys we knew as we drew near,
For like a blazing star shone out the light on Buffalo pier.

11. Ah! now my boys we are safe in Buffalo creek at last
And under Reed's big storehouse the Bigler she's made fast;
And in Tom Guest's saloon, boys, we'll let the bottle pass,
For we are jolly shipmates, and we'll take a social glass.

12. We soon received our stamps, my boys, from our skipper, Cal McKee,
And with our dunnage jumped ashore to go off on a spree.
For Garson's then we started and got there when we chose,
And the boys they rigged us out again in a splendid suit of clothes.

13. Oh! now my song is ended and I hope it pleases you,
Let's drink to the old Bigler her officers and crew,
I hope she'll sail till Kingdom Come in command of Cal McKee,
Between the port of Buffalo and Milwaukee-ee-ee.

The fourth variant [2] is as sung by Jerry Silverman - some verses are very similar to the first version above:

1. Come all my boys and listen, a song I'll sing to you,
It's all about the Bigler, and of her jolly crew.
In Milwaukee last October, we chanced to get a sight
In the schooner called the Bigaler belonging to Detrite.

Refrain: Watch her, catch her, jump up in her juberju,
Give her the sheet and let her go, we're the lads can pull her through.
Oh don't you hear us howling? O, the wind is blowing free,
On our down trip to Buffalo from Milwaukee.

2. It was on one Sunday morning, just at the hour of ten,
When the Nickle Roberts towed the Bigler into Lake Michigan.
O there we made our canvas in the middle of the fleet,
O the wind hauled to the south'ard, boys, and we had to give her sheet. Chorus

3. The wind come down from the sou' sou'-west, it blowed both stiff and strong,
You had orter seen the Bigler, as she plowed Lake Michigan,
O far beyant her foaming bows the fiery waves to fling,
With every stitch of canvas and her course was sing and wing. Chorus

4. We made Beaver Head Light and Wabbleshanks, the entrance to the straits,
And might have passed the whole fleet there, if they'd hove to and wait,
But we drove them all before us the nicest you ever saw,
Clear out into Lake Huron through the Straits of Mackinaw. Chorus

5. First, Forty Mile Point and Presque Isle Light, and then we boomed away,
The wind being fresh and fair, for the Isle of Thunder Bay;
The wind it shifted to a close haul, all on the starboard tack,
With a good lookout ahead we made for Point Aubarques. Chorus

6. We made the Light and kept in sight of Michigan's cast shore
A-booming for the river as we'd often done before,
And when abreast Port Huron Light, our small anchor we let go,
The tug Kate Moffet came along and took the Bigler in tow. Chorus

7. The Moffet took six schooners in tow, and all of us fore and aft,
She took us down to Lake Saint Claire and stuck us on the flat,
She parted the Hunter's towline in trying to give relief,
And stem to stem went the Bigler, smash into the Mapleleaf. Chorus

8. Then she towed us through and left us outside the river light,
Lake Erie for to wander and the blustering winds to fight,
The wind was from the sou'west, and we paddled our own canoe,
Her jib boom pointed the Dummy, she's hellbent for Buffalo. Chorus

This fifth version - origins unsure - is fairly similar except for the last verse.

On the Sunday morning, just at the hour of ten,
When the tug Mico Robert towed the schooner Bigler, through Lake Michigan.
O, there we made our canvas in the middle of the fleet,
And the wind hauled to the south'ard, boys, so we had to give her sheet.

Watch her, catch her, jump in her ju-baju,
Give her sheet and let her go, the lads will pull her through.
And don't you hear her howling when the wind was blowing free
On our down trip to Buffalo from Milwaukee.

2. The wind comes down from the south southeast; it blows both stiff and strong,
You'd ought to've seen that little schooner Bigler as she pulled out Lake Michigan.
O, far beyond her foaming bows, the fiery lights aflame,
With every stitch of canvas and her course was wing and wing.

3. Passing by the Proctors the wind was blowing free,
Sailing by the Beavers with the Skillaglee on our lea,
O, we hauled her in full and bye as close as she would lie,
And we weathered Waugoshance to enter the Straits of Mackinaw.

4. At Huron we made Presque Isle Light and then we tore away,
The wind it being fair, for the Isle of Thunder Bay.
Then the wind it shifted and the night it came on dark,
The captain kept a sharp lookout for the light at Point aux Barques.

5. We passed the light and kept in sight of Michigan north shore,
A-boomin' for the river as we'd often done before,
When just abreast of Port Huron Light, both anchors we let go,
And the Sweepstake came 'longside and took the Bigler in tow

6. She took the seven of us in tow, all of us fore and aft,
She towed us down to Lake St. Clare and stuck us on the flat.
Then eased the Hunter's tow line to give us all relief,
The Bigler fell astern and went into a boat called the Maple Leaf.
7. And then the Sweepstake towed us out beyond the river light,
Lake Erie for to roam and the blustering winds to fight,
The wind being from the south'ard, it blew a pretty gale,
And we took it as it came for we could not carry sail.

8. We made the Eau and passed Long Point, the wind now blowing free,
We bowled along the Canada shore, Port Colborne on our lee,
What is that that looms ahead? We knew as we drew near,
That blazing like a star, shone the light on Buffalo Pier.

9. And now we're safely moored in the Buffalo Creek at last,
And under Brigg's elevator the Bigler is made fast.
And in some lager beer saloon we'll let the bottle pass,
For we're all happy shipmates and we like a social glass.

[1] This version might have been copyright 1965, Walton Music Corporation, New York City - but we can find no trace. [back]

[2] This variant has had copyrght claimed by Mel Bay Publications, 1992 [back]

02 Mar 04 - 04:48 PM (#1127959)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: The Bigler's Crew (Bigler's Cruise?)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

"The Timber Drogher Bigler" is recorded on a cd included in "Windjammers, Songs of the Great Lakes Sailors," track 8, sung by Asa M. Trueblood, with Ivan Walton interview, Sept. 7, 1938. Track time 3:19.

The schooner John Bigler was built by James M. Jones, 344 gross tons, at Detroit in 1866 for J. Currier, "primarily to carry waneys from the Upper Lakes to the head of the St. Lawrence River. From there, logs were rafted downriver to Quebec and salt water.The Bigler foundered in 1884 off Marquette, Michigan.

Lyrics, story and sheet music in "Windjammers,...." pp. 129-134.

waney: logs on which the butt ends were squared to more easily fit aboard lumber vessels- Glossary, in "Windjammers..."
ju-ber-ju: a play on the words jib boom but seems to come from the French 'gibre,' the extension of the stem or knee piece of a vessel to which the bowsprit is attached. On some vessels, bow rails ran all the way to the gibre, giving sailors a foothold. The line of the verse also is rendered "Look out for her old jib-boom." The jibboom is a spar extending forward beyond the bowsprit of a ship from which a head sail or jib is set.

"A William Head of Pictou, Ontario, sailed aboard the Bigler for several seasons and said that at 126 feet long by 26 feet by 10 feet, the Bigler ...fit snugly through the old Welland locks and had the lines of a shoebox. He added that the Bigler had an extra long jibboom and caried more than the usual amount of canvas for a two-master, but its blunt bow made it slow ...and a man-killer to steer." The Bigler generally carried coal up the lakes and and squared timbers down.... when Head sailed on her. As the song in some versions states, the drougher also entered the late-season grain trade.

The song is full of jargon. Joe, 'sight' in the first verse- your first version- should be 'site,' meaning a position on the crew. 'Give her the sheet' means to allow the sheets- the lines that control the booms- to run out, permitting the sails to swing out nearly to right angles with the keel to take full advantage of a following wind. 'Courses' are the large, heavy sails immediately above the deck. The courses are said to be 'wing 'n wing' when the foresail is extended at near right angles to the keel over one side of the vessel and the mainsail is extended out over the opposite side. 'Full and by'- vessel tacking into the wind and the vessel's direction is as close to that of the wind as possible with its sails still full and pulling. The 'dummy' was a decommissioned light. 'Eau' of some versions is Rondeau, Ontario.
Pointe aux Barques is the correct spelling, but often rendered Point Aback. Mackinaw of course is spelled Mackinac.

See "Windjammers..." for more. The main version has 13 verses plus chorus.

Re: "sight": Remember, Q, that the text is from Folk Songs Out of Wisconsin, which also has the following:

-Joe Offer-

02 Mar 04 - 05:48 PM (#1127988)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: The Bigler's Crew (Bigler's Cruise?)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Other corrections to DT version:
Chorus, line 3- seen 'er howling (nut us).
Verse 6, line 1- False Presque Isle light (not Presque Isle).
Verse 7, line 1- Michigan's east shore (not north- that would have been impossible).
Verse 8- Flats (should be caps; this is the St. Clair Flats.
Verse 10 - We made the Eau (not Oh. The town of Rondeau is meant.)
Verse 11 - Riggs Elevator should be Rood and Smith's Elevator. Obviously hauling grain this trip.

Verse 3 of Trueblood version- lee, not lea.
Verse 4 - Pointe, not Point.

Canadians get confused by reference to Thunder Bay. The one in Michigan is meant, not the Canadian city on Lake Superior.

05 Mar 04 - 02:55 AM (#1129592)
Subject: ADD Version: The Timber Drougher Bigler
From: Joe Offer

I grew up on the Great Lakes, so this song brings back lots of memories. My Uncle Louie used to work as an engineer on the "lakers," the steam-powered ore boats. He'd get on at one port, fix the engines and boilers, and get off at another port and take the train or bus home to Detroit. I used to love watching the ships on Lake Michigan - we could sometimes see them out our front window. It was a special treat to spend time on the Detroit River, where there was a constant parade of the big boats.
I made a lighthouse tour of the Great Lakes in 1998, circling Erie, St. Clair, and Huron, and touching the other three Lakes. It was a thrill to finally cross the Straits of Mackinac. I remember when that bridge opened in the 1950's, but I didn't see it until 1998. I also got to see the big ore boats go through the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie, something I'd wanted to see since I was a little kid.
This song brings all those wonderful sights to life. On my 1998 tour, I visited almost all of the places and lighthouses mentioned in the song.
Here's the version from Windjammers: Songs of the Great Sailors (Ivan Walton & Joe Grimm). It's the most complete version of the song that I've found.

-Joe Offer-

The Timber Drougher Bigler

Come all you jolly sailors and listen to my song,
It's but a few short verses and will not detain you long.
In Milwaukee in October I chanced to get a site
In the timber drogher Bigler a'hailing from Detroit.

CHORUS
Watch her! Catch her! Jump up on her juberju,
Give 'er the sheet and let 'er howl, we're the boys to put 'er through,
You should've seen 'er howling, the wind a'blowin' free,
On our passage down to Buffalo from Milwaukee.

It was on a Sunday morning, about the hour of ten,
The Robert Emmet towed us out into Lake Michigan.
We set sail where she left us, in the middle of the fleet,
The wind was from the south'rd, an' we had to give er sheet.

The wind chopped 'round to sou'-sou'-west, an' blew both fresh and strong,
And plowing through Lake Michigan the Bigler she rolled on.
And far before her foaming bow the silver spray did fling,
With every inch of canvas set, her course was "wing and wing."

The wind it hauled ahead, my boys, as we reached the Manitous;
Two dollars and a half a day just suited the Bigler's crew.
From here unto the Beavers, we steered her full 'n' by;
An' we laid 'er to the wind as close as she would lie.

We made Skillagalee and Wobble Shanks, the entrance to the Straits,
And might have passed the fleet, had they hove to and wait,
But we drove 'em all before us the prettiest you ever saw
Clear out into Lake Huron through the Straits of Mackinac.

We made the light at False Presque Isle, and then we boomed away;
Courses and tops'ls straining for the isle of Thunder Bay.
The wind it hauled 'round, we laid on 'er starb'rd tack,
With a good lookout ahead, m' boys, for the light of Point Aback.

We made the light and kept in sight of Michigan's east shore,
A'booming for the river as we'd often done before.
But where's the schooner fleet we raced all through the night?
Can that be sails ahead, just glimmering in sight?

We plowed on down Lake Huron, the wind was steady and fast,
Port Sanilac's off to starb'rd, the river's ahead at last.
And when off Gratiot Light our anchor we let go,
Till the Sweepstakes hove in sight, and took the Bigler in tow.

The Sweepstakes towed eight schooners, an' all of us fore 'n' aft,
She towed us down the St. Clair and stuck us on the Flats.
She parted the Hunter's towline in trying to give relief,
An' the Bigler smashed head-on into the yawl of the Maple Leaf

She towed us down and left us outside the river light,
Lake Erie for to wander and the blusterin' winds to fight.
The wind being fresh and fair, we paddled our own canoe,
Her nose points o'er the dummy, we're hell-bent for Buffalo.

We made the "Eau," flew by Long Point, the wind was a'blowin' free;
We howled along the Canada shore, Port Colborne on our lee.
What light is that ahead that grows as we draw near?
It's like a blazing star, it's the light on Buffalo pier.

An' now, my bully lads, we're in Buffalo port at last,
Under Rood and Smith's Elevator, the Bigler she's made fast.
An' in Tommy Doyle's saloon we'll let the bottle pass,
For we are jolly shipmates, and we'll drink a social glass.

An' now my song is ended, I hope it pleases you:
Let's drink a health to the Bigler, her officers and crew.
I hope she sails for many a fall in command of Cal McKee,
Between the ports of Buffalo and Mil-wau-kee.

As sung by Carl Joys of Milwaukee, 1932
Authorship most frequently is credited to “Billy Clark of Buffalo.” However, John W. Green insisted that his uncle and fellow Beaver Islander, Peter O’Donnell, composed it and many other songs as well.

The tune is very similar to the one in Rickaby.

Click to play

22 Sep 19 - 07:37 PM (#4009971)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: The Bigler's Crew (Bigler's Cruise?)
From: Lighter

W.H. Williams, “Lost in the Woods: A Story of the Canadian Lumber Forest,” in The Canadian Monthly and National Review, IX (June, 1876), p. 509:

" ‘Now, give us a song, Dick Green,’ says Old Bill to the son of an Irish settler, who has walked two miles through the mud and rain to spend Sunday evening in the shanty.

“Dick had been waiting for the last half- hour for an invitation to sing, and for fear some one would commence to tell a story, and the proposal be forgotten, he cleared his throat at once, and in a hoarse voice, with a strong nasal twang, began to recount the adventures and peculiarities of ‘Bryan O'Linn.’

“‘By the piper that played before Moses on the big bridge at Belfast, you were born for the stage, Mr. Green," said Old Bill, when the song was finished. ‘If ould Welch, in Detroit, had ye, he'd be making his fortin out o' ye.’

“‘Give us another song,’ said Pat Sullivan, who had been a sailor on the lakes before he turned lumberman.

“Mr. Green declined to sing any more till some one else favoured the company; and accordingly Mr. Sullivan gave a stirring picture of nautical life, with the inspiriting refrain—

“ ‘You ought to see us howlin' when the wind was blowin' free,
On the passage down to Buffalo from Milwau-kee-e-e-e.’"

23 Sep 19 - 02:03 AM (#4009985)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: The Bigler's Crew (Bigler's Cruise?)
From: leeneia

" Dozens of these were produced during the 19th century, and have little or no value as either poems or songs."

What a jerky thing to say. I love the wit of this verse:

Through Skillagalee and Wabble Shanks, the entrance to the Straits
We might have passed the big fleet there if they'd hove to and wait;
But we drove them on before us, the nicest you ever saw,
Out into Lake Huron from the Straits of Mackinaw.

23 Sep 19 - 01:21 PM (#4010054)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: The Bigler's Crew (Bigler's Cruise?)
From: Steve Gardham

The 1860s would be about right for this song to have been inspired by the New York Music Hall song 'The Knickerbocker Line' which also inspired an English song with a similar tune and chorus 'The Grimsby Fisherman's Song' featured on a broadside, oral tradition later called it 'The Dogger Bank'. I'm sure this is all flagged up on another thread somewhere.

22 Jun 22 - 01:11 AM (#4145029)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: The Bigler's Crew (Bigler's Cruise?)
From: Joe Offer

I've been meaning to learn this song for years. I think it's time now. Here are a couple of recordings to help me learn:

Lee Murdoch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YWJRbXIm74

Carl Behrend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_3NRwA-QW4

I think I like the Lee Murdoch interpretation better.

-Joe-

22 Jun 22 - 08:28 AM (#4145060)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: The Bigler's Crew (Bigler's Cruise?)
From: pattyClink

"Windjammers" has a CD with it, and for the Bigler, they used a Lomax recording of Asa M. Trueblood in 1938, Asa worked on her. Says, "I walked her deck". I have not tried to see if that recording is now accessible online thru LoC. Might be worth it, he is no pro but puts a bit more oomph into the song than the clean modern recordings.

22 Jun 22 - 08:46 AM (#4145061)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: The Bigler's Crew (Bigler's Cruise?)
From: pattyClink

There is another recording buried in a track 12 'medley' by a fellow from Algonac, he gives his name as Harvey Barney but it's typed Harry in the notes. Recorded by Walton 1938. It's pretty soulful.

22 Jun 22 - 05:10 PM (#4145098)
Subject: RE: DTStudy: The Bigler's Crew (Bigler's Cruise?)
From: Joe Offer

Thanks for pointing that out, Patty. I had missed that one on the CD. Here's a link to the Trueblood recording, with lots of great information about the song and the Bigler: https://www.culturalequity.org/resources/lesson-plans/bigler-take-musical-tour-great-lakes-schoonerman.