Harding, Henry A., fl. 1879-1882.
Ship's log of the Otago1879 April
18th-1882 December 11
MSS 097, Item 033
1 v. (ca. 320 p.) ; 31
cm.
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.
Materials entirely in English.
University of Delaware Library, Special
Collections
Source
Purchase, 1957.
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://www.lib.udel.edu/cgi-bin/askspec.cgi
Citation
MSS 097, Item 033, Henry A. Harding, Ship's log of the Otago, Special Collections, University
of Delaware Library, Newark, Delaware.
Shelving Summary
- Item 033: Shelved in SPEC MSS 097
Materials Available in Alternative FormatA digitized copy of the journal is available at the University of Delaware Digital Institutional Repository.
Processing
Processed and encoded by Norieta Hagerty, February 2007.
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.
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.
Selected Search Terms
Corporate Names
Otago (Ship)
Topical Terms
Logbooks--19th century--Specimens.
Lumber trade--United States--19th century--Sources.Seafaring life--19th century--Sources.Shipping--Washington--19th century--Sources.
Shipping--Australia--19th century--Sources.
Shipping--Hawaii--19th century--Sources.
Shipping--New Caledonia--19th century--Sources.
Geographic Terms
Pacific Ocean--Description and travel--19th
century--Sources.
Form/Genre Terms
Ships' logs.
Crew lists.
Occupation
Merchant mariners.
Related Materials in this Repository
This item forms part of MSS 097 Diaries, Journals, and Ships' Logs Collection.
Detailed Contents List
010
Ship's log of the Otago1879 April 18-1882 December 11
PDF (322.6 MB)