Viewing page 21 of 94
This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
[[preprinted]] WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 1865. [[/preprinted]] Sea very high again. Vessel at her old tricks rolling badly. Wrote letters home to be sent back by the purser. We conclude to wear our hunting shirts across the Isthmus. Weather very damp and warm. Tomorrow we can get at our trunks before they are weighed. They weigh the steerage passengers baggage today, in spite of the rolling We expect to reach Grey town in Nicaragua on Friday. We have had a rather long though pleasant passage. Charley Pease devotes all day looking at Isaac & Rebekah across the cabin. Henry Elliott exerts himself in caricaturing. [[preprinted]] THURSDAY 30 [[/preprinted]] Excessively sultry and damp. Spend most of the morning in the hold attending to baggage, which is finally weighed and disposed of by Mr. Gladding the through baggage master. Saw a large school of sharks. Afternoon, run within half a mile of the breakers on Sand Cay, very unexpectedly to all on board. In the night, serious consequences might have followed Pass the Island of St Andrews on our starboard side and head straight for Grey town, which we expect to reach about ten tonight. [[preprinted]] FRIDAY 31 [[/preprinted]] Early in the morning the blue misty look of the horizon before us, shows the vicinity of land. About nine the tops of the mimosas and umbrilla trees could be directly seen. At eleven we were rocking in the outer bay. The harbor has been closed in the past few months by a sandbar recently formed, which has entirely closed it up except a narrow passage where the water is 18 inches only, deep.. The landmark is an old umbrella tree just above the palms The town appears small and insignificant not a solitary banana boat out. A companys boat with a million and a half in [[specie?]] comes aboard . cant land today. [[end page]] [[start page]] [[preprinted]] SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 1865 [[/preprinted]] It is most awfully provoking to sit here with the green shore in plain sight and not a thousand yards off, and not be able to go on shore, and moreover to have the prospect of being here for a week and not going ashore. [[Dives?]] position was nothing to it. We are going to hire a man to do the swearing: the entire party can't do the subject justice. Boys catching catfish see mems. and Barracooter. Take skin and drawings of both. Barracooter is a very beautiful fish. Sun very hot. Two boats with bananas & coconuts at New York prices, come out to us. [[preprinted]] SUNDAY 2 [[/preprinted]] Rained hard in the night. Day very hot & sultry. Write up in Journal and notes. Strain things to get on shore and get a chance with two minutes notice, to go go with K. & the Captain, and Squizzles. N.B. Squizzles is a e.a. Find the beach high and shelving and have to jump through sand and water to get ashore Get promise from Pierson of a floor to sleep on and start down the beach with K who wants to get the rest ashore. Cant board the Golden Rule and taking a chary dip in the surf, with sharks in plain sight. go up to town and get supper at "Coffe and Ginge bier" saloon [[preprinted]] MONDAY 3 [[/preprinted]] Kennicott starts off for the boys at six or seven. I go up town and buy 100 Bananas for $1.00 silver Get breakfast at Union Hotel so called, for 75 cts sil. Start off collecting and though annoyed by musquitoes and hornets, manage to make a good morning's work. Beetles and lizards very fine. No land shells except the remains of a broken Helix name unknown, two specimens of Ach. octona and one small glandina. All dead. Boys on shore about noon and all luggage also. Elliott unwell. Sleep on floor in engineer office. Musquitoes quite troublesome.
