Jun 05, 2008 - Sale 2148

Sale 2148 - Lot 366

Price Realized: $ 7,200
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 2,000 - $ 3,000
(WHALING.) Manuscript journal kept aboard the whaling bark Louisa. Illustrated with more than 100 whale stamps. [203] pages. Folio (345 x 208 mm), 1/2 morocco over marbled boards, normal wear; advertisement for John Kehew's New Bedford navigation store on front pastedown. Vp, 28 October 1869 to 15 April 1872
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Additional Details

A fine journal with extensive description of the hunt. For example: "I struck a large bull that took me out sight of the ship, sighted, and out again and in again. When the irons drew I only got to him once for thirty miles, then my gun wouldent go. After draging him for some three or four hours I got up to the short-warp first-iron and got severel lances at him, two good ones, and my irons drew. He took me near or quite 40 miles, never stoped at all, but I had him in good order and would have finished him before long I think. The afterboats coulden find me and none knew where I was gorn… The one who ever watches over uss protected uss" (27 August 1870). The author of the journal is uncertain, but the name "A.J. Mosher" appears once in the margin.

The Louisa, a New Bedford vessel under Capt. George Slocum, spent most of its time in the Indian Ocean during its five-year voyage from 1869 to 1874, and harvested 1,138 barrels of whale oil--Starbuck, pages 630-1.