Diary kept on board fishing smack William A. Wilbur

1857

This diary was kept on board the fishing smack "William A. WIlbur" from July 11-30, 1857 by its captain, WIlliam Fitch. Entries describe a cruise in the vicinity of Nantucket, relating incidents on board; fish taken; whales sighted; being lost in fog; methods of preserving fish alive, or packed in ice; hospitality of grandson of Alexander Hamilton when boat ran ashore on Long Island; only coffee and tea being drunk on board and no profane language being used; and eventual berth at Fulton Market. The diary was written in "The American Diary," 1852