1906 ORIGINAL HANDWRITTEN LETTER CONCERNING THE CHARTERING AND PILOTING OF A SHIP AND THE MANY DETAILS TO TO BE DISCUSSED AND IRONED OUT IN THE PROCESS

Katz Fine Manuscripts Verified independent store

→

On offer is a letter from a Mr. A.R. Shouse to a Mr. Lawrence Mossby, concerning the hiring of of Mr. Shouse to charter and pilot a ship to haul cargo for Mr. Mossby. The letter is written from Fort Sanders (spelled ‘Saunders’), in Tennessee, and was written in 1906. The ship appears to be hauling cargo to Port-aux-Basque in Newfoundland. Mr. Shouse answers a number of questions posed by Mr. Mossby in his last letter, giving 9 answers to his questions. It seems Mr. Shouse is a ship captain, being recruited by Mr. Mossby to pilot a ship that he has chartered. “Your letter of March 6th which I told you of my last (?) I now endeavour to answer in detail...I have answered the recent and will be wary of most on the 15th of June. Answer 2. The price is (?) $200. Could not do better. Answer 3. According to the account I have heard she is comfortable, roomy and clean.” The letter proceeds in this form, seeming to disagree with the price Mr. Mossby wants to pay for his ship, “Vessel is about 35 tons about 15 tons larger than (?) and as a vessel of 35 tons cannot be had at a price unless for a longer time. I chartered her for one + 1/2 months.” He goes on to say, “Answer 5. I will settle the price when you come I will not be too hard on you.” He also says he will arrange the men to work on the crew. “As you have altered your plan coming to Port au Basque I will not take any men from here. We can get them where we (?) to and returning here will pick up our men here thus saving expense. I will have them June 3rd for Port au Basque as I (?) little time to look after the vessel as I have not seen her having accepted her on recommendation. The men I take from here will get $2.00 a day. The Captain provisions his crew as you desired.” He then writes, discouraging Mr. Mossby from bringing his canoe on board, as “my boat will do and if we need one..we can have one. I am arranging to save expense but as far as the canoe is concerned it is certainly a matter of your own choice.” The letter is one double-sided page long, handwritten in black ink. The writing is legible, but the script can be a bit difficult at times to decipher. The letter shows signs of wear, and there is some small discoloration around the folded crease marks. The crease marks also make the words around them slightly more difficult to decipher. Show more