Category Archives: Independence Seaport Museum

Independence Seaport Museum: Steam Sloop Wyoming logbook and journal (1)

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Click image to view the log in a page-turning viewer. (See note regarding inverted pages.)

Journal kept by William W. Dwier, acting carpenter, aboard the Steam Sloop Wyoming during the United States Civil War. The ship was sent to the Pacific to search for the CSS Alabama. Dwier describes day-to-day life on board the ship in the Pacific, maintenance, and repairs required after hitting rocks or coral reefs. The ship traveled through the Straits of Bernadino to the Phillippines, to China, and to Japan. In China, the ship made port in Macao, Shanghai, Ningpo (where the ship was sent to protect American inhabitants in case of battle), Amoy. A description of the Wyoming’s participation in the battle of Shimonoseki with the Japanese on July 16, 1863. In the journal, Dwier frequently mentions ships that they pass, the scenery, the weather, illness (particularly cholera), supplies brought on board (especially coal), and purchases he made in ports. He only occasionally mentions military events taking place in the North and South of the United States of America.(Note: Beginning at page 164 of the page turner, the pages are inverted. Researchers may want to download the entire manuscript and rotate the affected pages for easier viewing.)

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Independence Seaport Museum: Log of the ship United States

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Click image to view the logbook in a page-turning viewer.
Click image to view the logbook in a page-turning viewer.

Logbook of the merchant ship United States recording a voyage from Havana to Gibraltar, including list of cargo received in port at Havana, Nov. 17, 1829 – Feb. 18, 1830; also log of voyage from Cadiz to Trieste, April 16, 1830 – May 23, 1830.

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Independence Seaport Museum: Steam Sloop Wyoming logbook and journal (2)

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Click image to view the logbook in a page-turning viewer.
Click image to view the logbook in a page-turning viewer.

Log book and journal kept by William W. Dwier, acting carpenter, aboard the Steam Sloop Wyoming during the United States Civil War. The ship was sent to the Pacific to search for the CSS Alabama. The first part of this volume contains a log and documents the date, the days steaming, latitude, longitude, distance run, and remarks for most days from 1861 to 1864. On page 48, Dwier continues his journal (from volume 1) with the first entry describing the battle of Shimonoseki on July 16, 1863. The next entry is for September 17, 1863 and runs until July 23, 1864 when the voyage ended in Philadelphia. As in Dwier’s journal contained in Volume 1, these journal entries describe the weather and sailing conditions, port cities, and passing ships as the ship and crew traveled from Japan to Malaysia to South Africa to Saint Helena to Saint Thomas to Philadelphia.

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Independence Seaport Museum: Benjamin Etting journal of voyages to Canton

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Click image to view the journal in a page-turning viewer (but see note on inverted pages).
Click image to view the journal in a page-turning viewer (but see note on inverted pages).

Journal kept by Philadelphia merchant Benjamin Etting on voyages to Canton, China, 1822-25; 1831, 1835, and 1837. Entries remarking on weather, landmarks seen, length of passage. Volume also includes lengthy memorandum entitled, “Custom & manner of doing business in Canton,” which offers practical advice to American merchants dealing with Chinese pilots, manufacturers, government officials, et al.

(Note: the lengthy memorandum begins at the back of the volume and is inverted in relation to the journal. Researchers may wish to download all images and rotate for easier reading.) 

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