Ship's log of the Otago
Scope and Content Note
This volume documents the voyages from Port Blakely, Washington Territory, to Noumea, New Caledonia, among other destinations such as Newcastle, Australia, and Honolulu, Hawaii, between April 18th, 1879 and December 11, 1882, on the ship Otago.
The logbook is one leather bound volume, circa 320 pages, with entries in ink and pencil, and contains an account of life aboard the ship, weather reports, information about crew members and officers, ships seen and various notes on the fish, birds, and pests endemic to life at sea. A few entries also describe ports along with the "natives" and their clothing, canoes, and habits. Most entries are routine, however, the first entry recounts the rescue of the sole surviving sailor from the wreck of the schooner Ellen J. McKinnon of San Francisco. The author of the log, Henry A. Harding, also wrote expense lists with accompanying sums and a list of stores organized by crew member name. Much of the second half of the logbook is taken up with pages of Harding practicing his penmanship.
Dates
- Creation: 1879 April 18th-1882 December 11
Creator
- Harding, Henry A., active 1879-1882 (Person)
Language of Materials
Materials entirely in English.
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Use of materials from this collection beyond the exceptions provided for in the Fair Use and Educational Use clauses of the U.S. Copyright Law may violate federal law. Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. Please contact Special Collections, University of Delaware Library, http://library.udel.edu/spec/askspec/
Historical Note
Between April 18th, 1879, and December 11, 1882, the merchant ship Otago voyaged from Port Blakely, Washington Territory, to Noumea, New Caledonia, with additional stops in Newcastle, Australia, and Honolulu, Hawaii. The Port Townsend, Washington, based ship carried a cargo of lumber and copper ore. Henry A. Harding, who served as one of the officers on the ship, wrote the log.
Information derived from the collection.
Extent
1 volume (circa 320 pages) ; 31 cm
Abstract
Journal kept by Henry A. Harding aboard the ship Otago documenting voyages from Port Blakely, Washington Territory, to Noumea, New Caledonia, with stops at Newcastle, Australia, and Honolulu, Hawaii, between April 18th, 1879 and December 11, 1882.
Source
Purchase, 1957.
Materials Available in Alternative Format
A digitized copy of the journal is available at the University of Delaware Digital Institutional Repository.
Shelving Summary
- Item 0033: Shelved in SPEC MSS 0097
Processing
Processed and encoded by Norieta Hagerty, February 2007.
Subject
- Otago (Ship) (Organization)
Genre / Form
Geographic
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- Finding aid for Ship's log of the Otago
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- University of Delaware Library, Special Collections
- Date
- 2007 February 21
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the University of Delaware Library Special Collections Repository