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This webpage reproduces a pamphlet titled Aboard the Seth Parker published by the Frigidaire Sales Corporation Dayton, Ohio, 1934 The text is in the public domain. This page has been carefully proofread and I believe it to be free of errors. If you find a mistake though, please let me know! next: Fo'c's'le Yarns

 (p1)  Aboard the Seth Parker

(Part 1: The Ship)

Some twenty years ago, on a tiny farm nestled in the rugged hills of Vermont, there lived a boy of ten. His name was Phillips Lord and, although his father's farm was many miles from the coast, there was inbred in this lad all the lusty lore of the sea — so dear to the hearts of New Englanders.⁠a

Now it so happened that two of Phillips' most cherished friends were grizzled old salts who had spent many blustery years before the mast on sailing ships. Their hands were gnarled by hundreds of hard tasks; their faces were weathered by the breath of many winds; but their alert minds and clear eyes could recall and see the strange sights of countless distant ports.

They loved to regale young Lord with stories of their high adventures — and young Lord loved to listen.

"Some day," he told himself, "I shall sail the Seven Seas, just like good old Dan and Jud. Not in any shiny boat with engines and whistles — but in a really-truly sailing ship with lots of masts and sails. And I'll go to all the strange places they've told about, and have adventure."

The next twenty years saw young Lord grow from an inconspicuous farm lad into a national figure beloved of millions . . . saw him grow from "just plain Phillips Lord" into justly famous "Seth Parker." For, Phillips Lord and "Seth Parker" are one!⁠b

Material reward naturally accompanied Phillips Lord's story-book rise to fame. But he remembered his boyhood promise to himself. He bought a ship — a sailing ship — a rugged 4‑masted schooner. Excitedly he fitted her for a two-year cruise that would encircle the entire globe. Guns, he loaded aboard her, for all kinds of game; tackle for all kinds of fish; equipment for every conceivable emergency and adventure.

Then he selected a crew of 20 old salts and announced to the world that Seth Parker had disbanded his Sunday evening radio meetings⁠c — and had become Phillips Lord again. But he renamed his ship the "Seth Parker"!  (p2) Knowing that on his trip around the world he would be away from port for weeks at a time, and that he must carry a large supply of perishable food, Mr. Lord determined to have the finest possible refrigeration equipment to keep his food supply safe under all conditions. Accordingly he arranged with Frigidaire for refrigerating the galley box and a large storage box; also, two household Frigidaires of the same type used in modern homes were installed to accommodate the day-to‑day provisions. He arranged to have the drinking water cooled by Frigidaire and for Frigidaire air conditioners to cool his cabin.

Frigidaire officials became interested in this strange cruise. Perhaps it touched their imagination and their hearts. For it was shortly announced that Frigidaire had undertaken to sponsor weekly radio broadcasts from the Seth Parker.

Accordingly, as Mr. Lord worked his way down the Atlantic Coast on the first leg of his round-the‑world trip, he put into port each week. From the very cabin of the Seth Parker, weekly broadcasts were made to the homes of millions of American families. Instantly, America took these broadcasts to its heart. So great, indeed, became the demand for pictures of the Seth Parker and for reprints of the stories told over the radio that — this book is the result.

On the following pages you will find many of the yarns that Phillips Lord and his salty crew have related to you. You will find actual photos of many of the interesting corners and equipment aboard the Seth Parker.

If this little book brings you any nearer Phil Lord and his dream-ship; if it serves to enhance in any small way your radio participation in the strangest voyage of modern times . . . it will have served well its purpose!

This romantic, story-book ship has excited the imagination of literally thousands of men, women and children. On the following pages are reproduced actual photographs as well as drawings of some interesting things to be found aboard.

 (p4)  The Master's Cabin

Opposite are views of the cabin and occupied by the man whose boyhood dream came true . . . Captain Phillips Lord.⁠d

(p5)  • A corner of Captain Lord's cabin. Note the Frigidaire air conditioning unit at the foot of the bed. • Another corner of Captain Lord's cabin, showing the huge beams and an old ship's-lantern.

Doubtless, Mr. Lord will spend many happy days and nights in this comfortable cabin. Here, he will pore over his many secret maps that boast the locations of buried treasure. Here, he will plan the wonder­ful adventures that he and the Seth Parker's crew will experience on their story-book trip around the world.

This low-ceilinged cabin, with its massive beams and winking portholes, is square and measures 15 by 15 feet.

The rough walls, studded with huge bolts and hung with book-shelves, pictures, sail fish and maps, are painted white. Two brass-bound portholes afford ventilation as well as a view of the sea.

A handsome Persian rug partially covers the pitched floor of wide, hand-hewn planks whose handsome homeliness is due to hundreds of scrubbings.

Note the stolid, comfortable box-bed, with its homespun coverlets. These were the gifts of loving friends who raised the sheep that supplied the wool.

Other furniture in this sea-going bedroom includes an upholstered davenport, a desk, a sturdy table, a sea-chest, several easy chairs, and a Frigidaire air conditioning cabinet that will keep this cabin cool and comfortable even in the tropic waters of torrid zones. For, despite the Seth Parker's old-world charm, she is fitted with every modern comfort and convenience.

The construction and furnishings of this comfortable cabin suggest details for a red-blooded boy's room, or bachelor's quarters. A library, or even a business office, could well borrow inspiration from Mr. Lord's cabin.

 (p6)  Main Cabin and
Broadcasting Room

"Frigidaire presents the cruise of the Seth Parker."

On Tuesday nights, this announcement thrills millions of radio listeners as they sit back in their chairs and eagerly await another half-hour of the world's most unusual radio entertainment — broadcast direct from an old sailing ship.

It is from the room pictured on the opposite page that these popular broadcasts originate.

What a setting for a modern radio broadcast to every nook and cranny of our huge country!

This delight­ful old-world cabin, with its "belly-stove," its massive, hand-adzed beams, and its natural-wood walls, is irregular in shape and measures about 20 by 30 feet.

The ceiling, between the beams, is painted white; the pitched, scrubbed floor is littered with hulked scatter rugs.

The assortment of furniture includes a studio piano; built-in, leather-covered seats; carved benches, chairs, and a large draw-top table. Also, a chart rack, a flag rack and, of course, a radio.

Soon, the Seth Parker will be in warm waters. The decks will be scorched by tropic suns and the low-ceilinged rooms will become stifling hot. But here, in this main cabin, eternal Springtime will be brought by the snap of a switch — for this cabin is equipped with Frigidaire air conditioning equipment!

What delight­ful suggestions of architectural detail this cabin makes for a recreation room, a den, a cafe, a business office — or a hunting or fishing lodge!

(p7)  • This corner of the main cabin is the scene of popular broadcasts of "The Cruise of the Seth Parker." • Another corner of the main cabin, with its "tin-pan" piano and marine map. • Tackle for all kinds of fish is an important item of the Seth Parker's equipment.

 (p8)  The Galley

To "land-lubbers," the pictures above and opposite spell "kitchen." But to the crew of the Seth Parker, it's the "galley."

In this tiny space, only 7 by 15 feet, are prepared the hearty, tasty meals enjoyed by the 20 officers and crew of the Seth Parker.

The cooking utensils, hung on the walls and ceiling, are of aluminum and of burnished copper. Dishes are tucked away in "dish pockets," cups are hung on the ceiling. A place for everything and everything in its place — for space is always at premium aboard ship.

There is a cheeriness about this tiny room, that one feels instantly upon entering. The air is warm, and suffused with the delighting odor of baking. For fresh, home-made bread is an important part of the Seth Parker's fare and, it  (p9) seems, the ship's cook is constantly kept busy satisfying the demands made by the crew's appetites.

Always, the galley is spotlessly clean — scrubbed white. The ceiling is painted sky-blue, between the beams, and — when the sea-air is blowing through the portholes — there is no pleasanter place aboard ship . . . especially when there is a hearty meal in prospect.

Across the companionway of the Seth Parker's galley, a huge Frigidaire-equipped storage refrigerator protects the food supply. For the folks aboard the Seth Parker do not have to live on "bully-beef" and "hard-tack" as did the old-time sailors . . . they have fresh food; kept fresh by Frigidaire! They have no fear of "scurvy," a dread disease that comes from a lack of fresh vegetables and fruit. For the Hydrators of the Seth Parker's Frigidaires hold great supplies of fruit and vegetables that are kept always plump and fresh — just as in household Frigidaires!

A bachelor's kitchenette or bar could easily achieve distinction, efficiency and charm, by borrowing architectural details from the Seth Parker's galley.

• The large storage box where meats, fish and fresh vegetables are kept safely fresh in the hottest climates by the constant cold of Frigidaire refrigerating equipment of the same type used in meat markets and restaurants. • Everything that a ship's-cook could want, and everything "stowed" in its proper place!

 (p10)  The Mess Room

Three times a day, in the room pictured below, hungry seamen satisfy healthy appetites that have been whetted by work and weather. It is here, also, that most sea yarns are spun.

The mess room measures approximately 13 by 18 feet and a stout mast, 30 inches in diameter, thrusts its way straight through the room, from ceiling to floor!

The long, oak table is equipped with a "rough weather rack" to keep each man's plate out of his neighbor's lap should the ship decide to climb a comber. A Frigidaire water-cooler supplies properly cooled water.

The plain, wooden benches and the built-in seats have withstood the weight of many a lusty sailor during the Seth Parker's long years in service.

 (p11)  Typical Sailor's Bunk Room

• Note the heavily beamed ceiling of this sailor's bunk room. • Another corner of the sailor's bunk room.

Last, but by no means least, come the crew's sleeping quarters. Above are pictures of a sailor's typical bunk room aboard the Seth Parker.

The room shown is very irregular in shape and accommodates four sailors.

On the wide-planked walls are hung not only the clothing but nearly all the personal possessions of the husky men who occupy this room. For furniture is scarce here, due to lack of space. Each sailor, however, has his sea-chest wherein are stored all his odd trinkets and small properties from home and from the ports of the world.

The double-decker, built-in bunks are extremely narrow, so that the sailors may brace their knees and backs against the sides, in rough weather, and thus avoid being pitched to the floor by the rolling of the ship.

Homely, sturdy, virile, this room offers suggestion of architectural detail for guest quarters in a hunting lodge, or for a boys' dormitory.

---

Thayer's Notes:

a Such scant information as can be found online, unsourced and of uncertain reliability, states in multiple parroted copies that Phillips Lord was born in Hartford, VT (150 km straight-line distance from the coast) but left that place as an infant. When he was ten, he was purportedly living in Meriden, CT: much closer to the sea at only about 30 km from the shore of Long Island Sound.

b I haven't yet discovered the source of the photo of Lord with his wire-rimmed glasses and fake beard. The exact purpose it served is a bit of a puzzle, as well as how it was published, if at all, before appearing in this brochure — since Lord's act was exclusively performed over the radio, in the days before television.

c Old salts and Sunday evenings notwithstanding, there were also persistent hints of shapely young women and cases of champagne; see John Woram's page and elsewhere online.

d Who exactly the captain was is not completely certain: but it wasn't Lord, originator, guiding light, and director of the publicity stunt though he may have been, and master of the ship: he was not a professional sailor, and was not qualified to captain the ship across the world's largest oceans.

The actual captain of the Seth Parker (see "Table Notes" 1, 4, and 5 on John Woram's page) was almost certainly a remarkable man named Constantin Flink. Born Constantin Alexander Moritz in Haapsalu, Estonia on June 5, 1887, he was the son of a commercial freighter captain who drowned in a storm on the Baltic in 1891; his mother subsequently married a German engineer living in St. Petersburg, and her son was raised there, attending German-language schools. He eventually moved to the United States and became an American citizen; in 1940, he is said to have been the last American captain to sail a sailboat, a 6‑masted ship, around Cape Horn. Among his other exploits he is confirmed to have been captured by a German U‑boat captain in October 1942 — and to have persuaded him to release him, his crew, and enough lifeboats to enable them to reach land after eighteen days' sailing thru the South Atlantic. Captain Flink remained active as a mariner thru his early eighties; he died in Costa Mesa, California, in December 1976.

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