Opening Hours
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Manuscripts
Track of the Sea Witch from New York to San Francisco
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Manuscripts
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Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Image not available
Manuscripts
The track is a log of the daily latitude and longitude of the ship during the voyage
mssHM 62920
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Manuscripts
These items include logs of daily longitude and latitude of the ship during several voyages, a list of outfits for the ship, and a list of cargo returned to the Brooklyn Navy Yard by the ship
mssHM 62921-62929
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Manuscripts
Sea journal kept by Latham A. Brown aboard the schooner Odd Fellow during the ship's 1849 voyage to San Francisco. Some notable entries include an encounter with the the bark Flora, which reported "joyful news from the gold diggings, which revived our company very much" (March 22), and going ashore in "Patigonia [sic] called the Peninsula of St. Joseph...this day being the most pleasant of any day since I left home we ar[e] surrounded by Penguins and varios [sic] other Birds" (April 12). Also included is a journal entitled "Latham A. Brown's Book, 1847," which is a seaman's exercise book assembled by Brown and which includes rules of traverse sailing, mercator sailing, how to find longitude and latitude, predicting tides, star declination, and finding latitudes by the moon, each with tables, problems, examples, and sketches of ships. Other items include an American Ship Masters' Association certificate naming Brown an approved shipmaster (1865) and several abstract logs for the schooner Restless from travels in the South Pacific, including Honolulu, Tahiti, and Sydney, from the mid-1850s.
mssHM 74816-74819
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Manuscripts
The journal covers Felt's voyages on board the ship Rival from Boston to San Francisco, San Francisco to Callao, Peru, and then from Callao to Hampton Roads. Felt gives great detail regarding the events on board the ship, fights among the crew, daily chores and duties, ships and locations passed, the weather and sea conditions, and the longitude and latitude of the ship. The last few pages of the journal are "reminiscences" Felt wrote after the voyage regarding his feelings about being a sailor and his memories of San Francisco (including a visit to a Chinese Temple), and Callao and the Chincha Islands, Peru. Scattered throughout the journal are sketches of ships drawn by Felt; also included is a photo of Felt.
mssHM 63174
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Manuscripts
The volume is Byron's handwritten daily account of the H.M.S. Blonde's voyage from England to Hawaii and from Hawaii back to Valparaíso, Chile (June 10, 1824 to November 19, 1825). Byron records longitude and latitude, distance traveled, weather conditions, bearings, and barometer/thermometer readings. Along with those details, Byron records the daily activities and repairs on the ship, the punishments of sailors for various grievances, trading of supplies with other ships, and ports visited including Rio de Janeiro, Cape Horn, and Valparáiso. Byron also notes activities after the ship's arrival in Hawaii including the bodies of the Hawaiian royals taken ashore, his visits from King Kamehameha III and Queen Kaahumanu, the completion of the first monument for Captain James Cook, and the discovery of Malden Island.
mssHM 64596
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Manuscripts
The papers include a diary Field wrote while on a voyage from San Pedro, California, to England in 1886, as well as correspondence, from the 1930s and 1940s, both by and to Ben Field. In the diary of his voyage around Cape Horn, Field details his experience on the ship Micronesia including the longitude and latitude of the ship, weather conditions, and other ships sighted. The correspondence is chiefly about poetry and writers in California. Several poets and authors are represented in the correspondence including Cyril Clemens, Jay Roderic De Spain, Frank Forrest Latta, Elinor Lennen, Morse Irl, and Lucia Trent; there is one letter by singer and actress Connie Boswell. Also mentioned in the letters are the League of Western Writers, Rob Wagner, the founder of the magazine Script, and poetry contests. The collection also contains two poems by Field
mssHM 66589-66621