2
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
by
Jean Latham
Published by Houghton
Mifflin
Readability level: 5th grade
Introducing
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
Have you ever been tempted to give up because a task was
difficult or seemed just impossible to do? Instead of getting
frustrated, think about the life of Nathaniel Bowditch, a famous
nineteenth century mathematician and navigator. When he met
an obstacle in his life, he learned to “sail by an ash breeze,” a
shipping term that referred to using the oars for power when
there was no wind to move the ship. For Nathaniel Bowditch
this meant not allowing obstacles to keep him from pursuing his
dreams.
Summary
Nathaniel Bowditch grew up in the shipping town of Salem,
Massachusetts, in the late 1700’s. Even at a young age he had an
extraordinary understanding of mathematics and dreamed of one
day attending Harvard College. Good fortune, however, seemed
to elude the Bowditch family. After the deaths of his mother and
grandmother, his father had trouble providing for the family and
rather than being able to continue his education, Nathaniel was
indentured at the age of twelve as bookkeeper at a ship chandlery
for nine years.
Instead of giving up on his dream of getting an education,
Nathaniel turned every situation into a learning opportunity,
writing down everything he learned in notebooks. He first
inquired and learned all he could about shipping, the items sold in
the chandlery, how sails were made, and how chaulking on a ship
was done. Soon his curiosity extended to surveying, navigation,
algebra, astronomy, Latin, and French.
Eventually his time of indenture was finished, and he was free
to pursue his dreams. After a brief time working as a surveyor,
Nathaniel decided to go to sea, working as a ship’s clerk and
second mate. The ship was traveling to the Isle of Bourbon, also
known as Reunion, off the east coast of Africa. Aboard ship he
put his navigational knowledge to practical use and was soon
teaching these skills to the other seamen. Often when he found an
explanation that helped a man understand a skill, he would write it
down in one of his notebooks so he would remember it. His
mathematical calculations were so accurate that he found mistakes
in the tables of Moore’s Practical Navigator, considered to be the
Book Study A Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
3
most accurate book of navigation available at that time.
Nathaniel’s second voyage took him to Lisbon, Portugal, and
on to Manila Harbor. Again, he taught navigation skills to the
seamen, and to one man in particular, Lem Harvey, who became a
lifelong friend. Nathaniel found that when the men realized they
could learn, they had more pride in themselves and were a more
cooperative crew.
Upon his return, Nathaniel married Elizabeth Boardman, a
longtime friend. He was not married long before he took a voyage
to Cadiz, Spain, and into the Mediterranean, to Alicante. However,
before he returned, word came that his wife had died of
consumption. Nathaniel found that keeping busy helped him deal
with his grief, and he signed on for the position of supercargo with
a ship headed for Batavia (now known as Djakarta, Indonesia) to
buy coffee. When the ship arrived at Batavia, they found no coffee
available to buy and traveled to Manila Harbor in the middle of
monsoon season, an amazing feat of navigation. However, upon
Nathaniel’s return to Salem, he found that Lem Harvey’s ship had
sunk due to an error in Moore’s navigation tables. Lem was
believed drowned, however, he was later found to be alive. Then
word came to him that his brothers, William and Hab, had died
when their ships sunk, also due to errors in the navigation tables.
Nathaniel decided an accurate book on navigation and sailing
needed to be written, and he was determined to write it. The book
would contain three things: (1) correct navigation tables, (2) every
sea term and maneuver would be explained in words that able
seaman could understand, (3) mathematical tables that would allow
any seaman to solve problems in navigation. He worked on his
book day and night. The only interruptions he would tolerate were
visits from Polly, Elizabeth’s cousin, who he eventually married.
Finally, his book, New American Practical Navigator, was
finished. The book was immediately accepted in the United States
and even in England.
Finally, Nathaniel Bowditch felt that in order for his book to be
accepted by common seamen everywhere he must command his
own ship on a voyage. He sailed to Sumatra, Indonesia, loaded a
cargo of pepper, and returned home safely.
Nathaniel’s philosophy of "sailing by an ash breeze" helped him
to accomplish writing an accurate book of navigation to make
sailing safer for all seamen. To honor his achievements, Harvard
College awarded him the degree of Master of Arts, and he was
elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
Book Study A
Vocabulary
The following words deal with some
aspect of navigation. Find each of the
words on the page indicated and use
context clues to decide the meaning of
each word. Then, look up each word in
the dictionary and write a definition. Make sure your definition
deals with navigation.
1. sextant - (pg. 47)
2. ship log or chip log - (pg. 49-50)
3. compass - (pg. 102)
4. chronometer - (pg. 108)
5. spyglass - (pg. 140-141)
Use the definitions of your vocabulary words to help you match
each word with the correct picture.
1.
sextant - an instrument
used by navigators for
measuring the
distance of the sun or a
star from the horizon in
order to fix the position
of the ship
2.
ship log or chip log - an
instrument used for
measuring the
speed of a vessel. It
consists of a triangular
piece of wood to which a
line is attached that has
knots that divide the line
into lengths
3.
compass - an instrument
with a rotating
magnetized needle used
for determining direction
4.
chronometer - a
timepiece used in
determining longitude at
sea
5.
spyglass - a small
telescope used to
observe objects far away
Book Study A Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
4
Discussion Questions
Chapters 1 - 2
1. Why did Nat use the shilling he found to buy an expectation?
Chapters 3 - 4
2. Why was Nat unable to continue going to school?
Chapters 5 - 6
3. What did Nat mean when he said that he was sailing by “an ash breeze”?
Chapters 7 - 8
4. Why did Nat decide to teach himself Latin?
Chapters 9 - 10
5. Why did Nat feel he was collecting his expectation from the Pilgrim when he was invited to
join The Salem Philosophical Library?
Chapters 11 - 12
6. How did Nat apply Elizabeth Boardman’s expression about
“stumbling on people’s dumbness” to teaching the seamen navigation?
1. Nat’s family was poor and in financial trouble. His father told him that if he had a lot of money he would buy an
expectation, so that is what Nat did with his shilling.
2. His father was unable to pay for him to go to school. Also, his older brother, Hab, had gone to sea, and he was
needed in the cooperage to help his father.
3. He decided that he would not get discouraged even though he was indentured for nine years. He was determined to
continue to learn even though he could not continue going to school.
4. Nat wanted to be able to read Isaac Newton’s
Principia
so he could learn more about astronomy. However, since the
book was written in Latin, he had to learn Latin in order to read it. Also, he was offered a tutoring position that
would allow him to go to Harvard if he was released from his indenture; and he wanted to know Latin so he would
be prepared if the chance came.
5. Many of the books in the library were cargo that was taken by the
Pilgrim
, the ship on which he had purchased an
expectation when he was a young boy. He was now able to read those books.
6. Every time he would get impatient when it took the men so long to understand something he was teaching them, he
would remember what she said and be more patient.
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
Book Study A
5
Chapters 13 - 14
7. Why was Nat so upset when he found a mistake in Moore’s Navigator?
Chapters 15 - 16
8. How did Nat handle the troublemaker, Lem Harvey, aboard the Astrea?
Chapters 17 - 18
9. Who did Nat marry and why was it only for a short time?
Chapters 19 - 20
10. What three things did Nat did decide that his book of navigation would contain?
Chapters 21 - 22
11. What honor was awarded to Nat by Harvard College and why was it so important to him?
Chapters 23 - 24
12. Why was it so important to Nat to command a ship on a voyage?
7. First of all he felt that mathematics must be accurate if it was to be worth anything. Second, men’s lives depended
upon those tables being accurate. Mistakes could cause ships to sail off course and into danger.
8. He convinced him that he could learn navigational skills along with the other men if he could learn to control his
temper and not get frustrated when it was hard for him. Soon Lem was so busy learning that he was no longer
causing any problems.
9. Nat married Elizabeth Boardman, a longtime friend. However, their marriage did not last long because Elizabeth
died of consumption while Nat was away on a voyage.
10. 1) correct navigation tables
2) every sea term and maneuver a seaman needs to know in words any seaman can understand
3) mathematical tables that would allow any seaman to solve problem in navigation
11. A Master of Arts degree was awarded to Nat by Harvard College. He had always wanted to attend Harvard College,
so it was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.
12. He felt his navigation book would never be accepted by the common seaman if he had never commanded a
vessel. He felt he must prove that “book sailing” worked.
Book Study A Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
6
Activities
To help you continue your enjoyment of Carry On, Mr.
Bowditch, choose any two of the following activities.
1. Journal Writing - pg. 7
2. Parts of a Ship - pg. 8
3. Mapping Skills - pg. 10
Journal Writing
After mapping on pages 11-12, create a journal entry as if you
were Nat writing in one of his notebooks. Tell about the sights
you would have seen on that journey. Refer to your book for
the information you need.
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
Book Study A
7
Parts of a Ship
Look up the following words in a dictionary to find the part of
the ship it identifies. Write the correct word in the space
provided on the illustration of the ship (page 9).
1. rigging 9. bow
2. mast 10. keel
3. quarterdeck 11. hull
4. capstan 12. prow
5. yard 13. boom
6. halyard 14. bowsprit
7. poopdeck 15. forecastle (also called fo’c’sle)
8. stern
✐
Teacher's Note:
Answers to Parts of the Ship
(p. 9) identified in
parenthesis.
1. rigging - tackle, chains, and
ropes used to support and
control sails, masts and
yards of a sailing vessel
(13)
2. mast - the long upright pole
of wood or metal supporting
sails and the rigging (12)
3. quarterdeck - after part of
the upper deck (usually
reserved for officers) (10)
4. capstan - vertical cylinder
rotated to wind in the anchor
cable. In the past, sailors
hoisted the anchor or raised
the heavy sails by turning
the capstan (11)
5. yard - long pole slung to
mast to support head of sail
(1)
6. halyard - rope used to raise
or lower sail or flag (2)
7. poopdeck - deck at the stern
(above ordinary deck); often
forms the roof (14)
8. stern - rear part of ship (15)
9. bow - front section of ship
(5)
10. keel - strong beam (wood or
metal) running along center
line of a vessel from end to
end (8)
11. hull - framework or body (7)
12. prow - forward part of a
ship's hull; the bow (6)
13. boom - long pole extending
from the mast of a ship to
secure or stretch out the
bottom of a sail (9)
14. bowsprit - long pole
extending from front of ship
to which lines are attached
for securing sails (4)
15. forecastle - section of the
ship's upper deck; forward
of the foremast (3)
8
Book Study A
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
This page may be photcopied for student's use.
Mapping Skills
Nathaniel Bowditch took a series of five voyages listed below.
On the following map, draw the paths that the ship took using
different colored pencils. Use a world atlas to help you locate the
various seaports.
1. Voyage 1 - (red pencil) Left Salem and sailed across the
Atlantic Ocean and around Africa to the Isle of Bourbon also
known as Reunion, a French-owned island off the east coast
of Africa.
2. Voyage 2 - (blue pencil) Left Salem and across the Atlantic
Ocean, sailed to Lisbon, Portugal, then stopped over in
Funchal in the Madeira Islands (off the northwest coast of
Africa), sailed around Africa and through the Indian Ocean to
Manila Harbor in what is now the Philippines.
3. Voyage 3 - (green pencil) Left Salem and sailed across the
Atlantic Ocean to Cadiz, Spain (a seaport in southwest Spain)
and into the Mediterranean Sea to Alicante, Spain (a seaport in
southeast Spain).
4. Voyage 4 - (purple pencil) Left Boston and sailed across the
Atlantic Ocean around Africa, through the Indian Ocean to
Batavia (now known as Djakarta, a seaport of Indonesia on
the northwest coast of Java) then sailed to Manila Harbor
located in what is now the Philippines.
5. Voyage 5 - (yellow pencil) Left Salem and sailed across the
Atlantic Ocean, around Africa, across the Indian Ocean to
Sumatra, a western island of Indonesia.
Book Study A Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
10
Journey 2
Journey 3
Journey 1
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch Book Study A
11
This page may be photocopied for student's use.
Journey 5
Journey 4
Book Study A
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
12
This page may be photocopied for student's use.
Journey 1
Journey 2
Journey 3
Answers
Book Study ACarry On, Mr. Bowditch
13
Journey 4
Journey 5
Book Study A Carry On, Mr. Bowditch
14
Answers
