October 2022 Auction Ends Thursday, October 27th, 5pm Pacific
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 10/27/2022
Logbook chronicling a whaling expedition from October 1824 through April 1826, with daily entries. Book begins on 30 October 1824 with the departure coordinates listed as 41-15 latitude and -70-49 longitude, near New Bedford, Massachusetts where the ship reportedly launched. Entries then record weather conditions, geographic coordinates and notable events, such as the days when whales were killed, or land was seen in the form of small islands. Each day that a whale was caught, a diagram of a whale's tale - cut by a harpoon, is drawn, with the number of tails equaling the number of whales caught that day. The first whale was caught on Saturday 29 January with the notation, ''with som fog and rain, Stearring NBE [North by East] with the winds NWBW [Northwest by West], at 6 AM raised Whale...2 Boats fastened killed one and took her to the ship, and got all clean for Cutting / Lat 43-33 south Long -81-53 West.'' Several more whales were caught in the spring and summer, before 5 whales were caught in one day, on 6 August 1925: ''All these 24 hours light Breezes and pleasant, Stearring to the Northward with a Breeze from the Eastward. At 6 AM saw whale...and got 5 and got a boat...took them to the ship and cut them in''. Other entries note boiling the whales, as well as their size and when a whale runs with the boat. It appears that a total of 71 whales were caught during the expedition. Logbook runs approximately 51 pages, with two additional pages of the sun and moon coordinates in relation to the boat. All pages penned in black fountain pen. Most pages disbound from the softcover book with marbled covers, measuring 8.25'' x 12.5''. Expected wear and chipping to pages, overall in very good condition. Consigned by the descendant of whaling Capt. Abraham Russell from New Bedford.
Early 19th Century Whaling Logbook -- Daily Logbook Covers an Expedition Lasting from October 1824 - April 1826
Click above for larger image.