2004-09
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 8/31/2004
Loaded with entries depicting the excitement, the frustrations and the dangers of the whaleman's daily life. Boldly inscribed on the first page in the neat hand of the captain (in larger than usual size) "THE LOG BOOK OF THE SHIP SABINA ON A WHALING VOYAGE. SAILED ON THE 25'TH DAY OF JUNE, 1844 FROM SAG HARBOR…CAPTAIN DAVID VAIL, MASTER." (Sag Harbor on Long Island, N.Y. one of the famous and most important American whaling ports). 10 x 14; approx. 250 pages, almost all of which are used for daily entries. First entry June 25, 1844 on leaving Sag Harbor to their return May 24, 1847. Entries are in three different penned hands of captain / or mates; all neat and easily read. Entries well detailed for the SABINA which saw lots of whaling action in the Pacific covering vast regions from Arctic waters of Alaska to the "Sandwich Islands" (Hawaii) to New Zealand and repeat the circuit again. Loaded with activity: many whale chases (numerous revealing the frustrations of pursuing those giants in vain). Other entries recount of whales harpooned and yet lost; and accounts of the deadly occasions where the whales turned defiant and "stove-in" (demolished and tore apart) the small whaleboats with their pursuers. Each page of the log boldly inscribed across its top with vessel's name, its home port and its current position such as "…Cruising off the coast of Kamskatska [Alaska] for whales"…or "Towards the Sandwich Islands" or "…Cruising on the New Zealand whaling ground…" or on the homeward voyage "…Bound toward Cape Horn." The terrible boredom that every whaling voyage endured is readily seen in numerous entries concluding with "…saw no whales" or "saw nothing"…or "made no sail nor have seen any whales…" making obvious the hardships of those long voyages… balanced by the great many entries such as "…saw whales and chased them but was not fortunate enough to strike…[and another]…chased one whale at 5 p.m., saw another; [the harpoon] struck and killed him and took him to the ship, got him alongside…commenced cutting…commenced boiling [i.e. rendering the oil]" and those death defying, and often death dealing, hardships like "…saw one whale at 2 p.m., lowered [the boats] and struck him; got one boat stove to pieces by the whale and one man's leg broke and another badly hurt [on June 7, 1846 on the Alaskan whaling grounds]." And loads more entries like that. A remarkable entry at the start of the voyage, July 29, 1844 a half page in length describes crewmen refusing to work, knife-fighting aboard ship; one antagonist ordered tied into the rigging overnight while another sailor attempted to get to him to work him over…making fascinating reading ! 15 pages at the conclusion of the log with cash and accounting entries for cash disbursements made to various crew members, supplies and labor contracted for on the voyage. Four pages with a brown stain in corners not obscuring any material; otherwise just the normal light aging; fine condition, especially for a ship's log. Marbled board covers with leather spine showing wear, mostly around the edges with small sections out on top and bottom of leather spine. It would be hard to fine a more representative example of an American whaler's log for an entire voyage.
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