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W.H. AVERY : 1878 - 1879 ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT JOURNAL AND HANDWRITTEN ACCOUNT OF THE TRAGIC AND COMPELLING VOYAGES OF THE BRIG "HARRIET G" AS IT PLIED ITS TRADE TO AND FROM NEW YORK AND VENEZUELA COMPLETE WITH DETAILED NAUTICAL CALCULATIONS AND IN-DEPTH CARGO LISTS

12mo - over 6¾" - 7¾" tall. On offer is an original, exceptional manuscript ship's book, one part ledger and some parts account of the ill-fated and tragic brig "Harriet G." The Harriet G is an unfortunate ship: by misfortune it runs aground and this in turn lays the ground work for various tragic events to save her. In addition she suffers major damage in 1879 in a Hurricane and then a yellow fever outbreak off the coast of South America here is an excerpt from that trip: "At 5 pm anchored off the castle of San Carlos. Got under way next morning and that night anchored of Maracailo and found all the vessels in harbor with yellow fever on board. All lost more or less and some of their captains and mates. We took it aboard us on the 8th day after our arrival. One man coming down at 10 am the next morning I took it and by the middle of the week everyone fore and aft had it excepting the Captain and steward, and two of the men died. Furthermore a tug boat sent to pull the brig off the bar and was lost in high gales along with 7 men. After this happened a ship named appropriately enough the "Rescue" was sent from New York to release the "Harriet G" from her fate, but a problem occurs and the main mast of the "Harriet G" is broken off in the process. The book also contains the interesting and detailed list of the cargo receipts and deliveries made by the brig in its lifetime. The book is kept by W.H. Avery "Master of the Brig" from 1878 to 1879. The book contains numerous cargo lists carried by the "Harriet G" to and from South America from New York. It is also interspersed with accounts by Avery of the ship and its travels, as well as the fair amount of tragedy that seems to befall the brig over the course of two years. Over the course of two years, the "Harriet G" makes trip from New York to Puerto Cabello, Maracaibo, Curacao, and Coro, all located in Venezuela. It also travels briefly to ?Basseterre in St. Kitts. The first section is entitled "Cargo To, Rec'pt and Delivery and Private Memorandum Book of the Brig 'Harriet G' Kept W. H. Avery." This section is roughly 50 pages in length and contains detailed notes on all cargo items that entered and left the "Harriet G" in its duties to and from the port of Puerto Cabello in Venezuela. It also includes a number of pages of detailed mathematics calculating the position of the ship at sea, it's longitude and latitude, time at sea, "mean time in Greenwich, Eng.," "mean time aboard ship," and other nautical calculations. According to Avery, the "Harriet G...left New York, on her first voyage to Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, on January 124, 1878. Arrived in New York on March 26, 1878. Five months and two days for the round trip." Each page has notes at the top that correspond to the figures below. One page is titled "Friday after 11 a.m. Puerto Cabello Deliveries" and contains the figures for what items were delivered where: ?"P x C Barrels Flour - 35" ?"VC x Co 1/2 Barrels Sugar - 11" ?"J.A. 1/2 Barrels Sugar - 16" ?"G x I Bags Rise - 7." Other items delivered in Puerto Cabello include codfish, candles, lard, cordage, corn, crackers, oil and green pears, goat skins, leather, cases of nails, kegs of oil, and reams of paper. The most popular items delivered are flour, sugar, coffee, and rice The letters next to each item seem to correspond to whom the item was delivered to. After the pages of deliveries to Puerto Cabello, there are many pages of "Recp'ts for New York." These pages involve a good deal of math on the part of W.H. Avery, combining and calculating in total of each item was dropped off at port. The next section Avery titles, "Old accounts ended by 'Harriet G' running ashore on Paraguana on May 8, 1878. New accounts opened at Curacoa on her arrival there July 6, 1878." "On the night of May 8th,1878 on or about 20 minutes past 9 o'clock the 'Harriet G' struck the black of Paraguana ?on the eastern coast of Cora and 3.5 miles north of the little harbor of Ardecora...The Captain decide to precede to Maracaibo and precede if possible to tow boat there which he did but on passage here the boat encountered a gale of wind in the Saco De Maracaibo - filled and sunk by which disaster 7 people lost their lives. The next attempt was made by the steamer the "Pico " and Maracado but failed and the ship was about to be abandoned when a telegram from New York was received announcing the departure of the steamer " Rescue" for our salvation on Monday June 24th. She arrived and is now waiting for a smooth sea to begin her work." As the "Rescue" attempts to tug the "Harriet G" to harbor, a problem occurs and the main mast of the "Harriet G" is broken of in the process. A letter written by Avery to "Msers F Gogousas & Sons" located near the end of the book does an describes this affair in more detail. The letter begins, "It is my painful duty to inform you that the 'Harriet G' lays on the beach. How she came there I can best explain when I see you but is enough to say now error of compass, of judgment or both." A few days later, W.H. Avery writes that he has applied for a discharge from the "Harriet G., then laying in Curacao." "Reason trouble with the mate while he was intoxicated." Avery seems to stay though as the next pages are filled with a cargo list for the voyage of the "Harriet G" to St. Kitts and Maracaibo. Throughout the logbook, tragedy seems to follow the "Harriet G". In later voyages, Avery notes that the ship suffers heavy damage in a hurricane in 1879, as well as an outbreak of yellow fever in South America. In Maracaibo on August 14, 1879, Avery writes, "Got under way next morning and that night anchored of Maracaibo and found all the vessels in harbor with yellow fever on board. All lost more or less and some of their captains and mates. We took it aboard us on the 8th ?day after our arrival. One man coming down at 10 am the next morning I took it and by the middle of the week everyone fore and aft had it excepting the Captain and steward, and two of the men died." For this trip, Avery is paid $1700 by Messrs Wade and Abbot and A.J. Cock, Esq. Much of the last third of the book is taken up detailed breakdowns of cash receipts given and taken by Avery on the voyages on the Brig. There are also pages concerned with "Materials used in repairing Brig Harriet G while in Curacao" and "Labor employed on board the Brig Harriet G during her stay in the port of Curacao." Copies of letters written over the course of the voyage are also written down, most notably the copy of the letter sent to the owners of the "Harriet G" after it had run ashore.. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good

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