USS HARTFORD incident

Just another underway period.

Tuesday 8

Left Laguire Venezuela at about four o'clock and made six knots all night. Had to stand two sea watches, 8 -12, 4 - 8.

Wednesday 9

Had the four to 8 watch this morning and we were all sent to the doctor and examined this afternoon.

Thursday 10

Worked tonight about two hours from ten to twelve trying to anchor. Arrived at Port of Spain, Trinidad about 9.30 p.m. Was half tired to death.

Friday 11

Got up at 7.00, was detailed as side cleaner and worked all the fore noon and most of the after noon. Got woman tatooed on my right arm.

Saturday 12

Got up 5.00 and scrubbed sides. Had some tatooing done on my right arm a bird, and a heart and dagger.

Sunday 13
Got up and got inspected & went to church. Had liberty today and went all over port of Spain Trinidad and got back at five o'clock. Had inspection today.

Monday 14

Got up at five and did my work. Sat around with Davis (?) In the head almost all the afternoon.

Tuesday 15

Got up and did my work then Arthur and I went up in the head and I shook dice for a cent a shake and then he and I and two others played poker

Wednesday 16

Got up at 6.00 and did my work, worked almost all the forenoon. And shook dice all the afternoon.

Thursday 17

Left Trinidad today at one o'clock for three day sail drill then Ho for Barbadoes and liberty.

Huh? Looks a little strange?

Well, it is amazing the neat stuff you can find out there. In 1901, two Sailors deserted from the USS HARTFORD following a liberty period in Barbados. One of the guys kept a diary that takes you all the way from the period before to when he makes it back to the USA.

The page I found it at is here, but you can read almost an entire transcription on the Ebay page here. There is some funny stuff there, well worth the read.

The journal begins in the first week of January, 1901, aboard the Buffalo. They are transferred to the Hartford and we start sensing what is coming. On January 20 Evans sells his sea boots and other gear he won't be needing. Comes landfall in Barbadoes, Evans and Connelly are paid off and they go on liberty. They buy civilian clothes and sleep on the beach. Their only further contact with the ship was when they were nearly scooped up by four policemen and a party of officers from the Hartford. They are hidden by blacks who have taken them in, but they start starving because their new friends are too poor to sustain them. We start off with Connelly and Evans, than more men are dropped into the narrative with no indication of how they arrived. We have slightly edited a few salty phrases, not so much for the reader, but to pass eBay's decency muster. There is much, much more to the journal than we present here.