Logbook of the Hunter (Bark) out of New Bedford, MA, mastered by Charles L. Holt and kept by John McInnis and Charles L. Holt, on a whaling voyage between 1871 and 1875., 1871-1875

Item — Volume: Wh H945 1871L

Identifier: logbook_vol_807

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection includes nearly 800 logbooks, documenting over 1,000 voyages and ranges from the 18th to the 20th century.

Dates

1871-1875

Conditions Governing Access

Materials are open to research.

Biographical / Historical

According to Starbuck, the voyage returned 2,700 barrels of sperm oil, making it quite successful. During a chase one of the whaleboats vanished with its crew, and on June 15, 1873 the logbook records that the master abandoned the search. One member of the lost crew was Chief Mate George M. Remington of Centreville, RI (see Boston Post of 4 February 1874). The logbook also records the discovery of a stowaway, John Butler, and the mental breakdown of the blacksmith, who attacked the crew with a knife. Multiple crew members attempted to desert the vessel while in port in the Azores. A crew list is laid in. together with a July 4, 1923 letter from F.S. Fuller to Cora L. Holt, a descendent of one of the original crew members, discussing the logbook's then owner, Benjamin Baker of New Bedford.