Rare Whaling Journal with Excellent Account of a Ship Wreck and More

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/31/2008

Journal of a voyage from Honolulu to New Bedford on board bark Sarah Sheaf by Henry Gifford 1854-5, 46p. folio, records both notes from the the ship above mentioned while in the North Pacific, South Atlantic, and North Atlantic, as well as containing a copy of the journal kept by Henry Gifford as Master of the ship 'City' before she was lost. Most of the information recorded is nautical as well as some mention of small happenings on board. The journal does contain several pages of "Whales Taken" by various ships, recording date and position, and a few pages recording "Gauges of oil casks" and where they were housed. Interesting entries under the portion copied from the ship "City' journal record the sinking of their vessel after the loss of an anchor it "struck very heavily, heard timbers break, tried pumps & found we were making water fast...lowered boats, all hands in them...sea making a clean breach over the ship. Stay by ship until 3 oclock then cut lines to avoid pieces of the wreck. 20 minutes later ship fell on her beam ends. Soon lost sight of other two boats...Landed about 3 oclock built a fire dried our clothes, bought some fish of Tartars...all hands in native hut. At 5 oclock surprised by the appearance of Ed Gifford one of Mr. Lewis (mate) boats crew who reported that he had just landed on a raft made of spars of barque 'Revello' which they had boarded the day before and that two men were still alive on the raft. The others seven in number were dead. Took the men saved to the native hut but was refused admittance. Made a tent of two blankets but by giving the natives a pair of pants got permission to build a fire (raining hard at the time) Passed a dreary night round the fire and ended the 24hrs….Friday Sept. 9th. Wind & rain abates. Driven from the huts by the natives and forced to dig up the bodies of 3 of our shipmates, who had come ashore on the raft (the sand had washed over them) take them into our boat carry them a bout a mile off shore and throw them overboard. Then landed near the other boat. Clothes nearly all stolen by natives and they threatening. Cooked our remaining fish and launched the boats just in time to escape the infernal natives who assembled in force on the beach just as we were out of their reach. Shaped our course for 'Petrowsky' a Russian village on the main land dist about 55 miles (Boats sails made of two blankets)…Sept. 10th pulled for Petrowsky where we landed at 10 oclock. Received the kindest treatment and every attention from the Russians (God bless them) hauled up our boats and took up our abode with them waiting for a chance to get home…Sept. 24th…received a visit from the Sachalier Gov. a Finn who talks good English and who lent me two English books…Nov. 7th Offered a passage to Honolulu in ship Caroline accepted & went on board…" Followed by a Chart of "Cook's Inlet" and Port of Conception Chile". VG.

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