Jack Sheridan log books

4 Thursday 4 am Set all sail. Calm all day. Crew went to wreck & got [illegible text]. Returned 1 pm. No wind heavy sea at wreck. Got water & some stores from Duom steamer. Left 3 pm for Adelaide. Made fast sails & dropped away [illegible text] Australia Boilor in 2 fathoms water. Light airs & calm. Bar 30-35. 5 Friday 7 am set sail. Light north towards the wreck. Stop 10 am 11.30 put Gui diving pump & sundries for to start work after dinner. Sea smooth. Working at wreck with boat. High swell. 6 Saturday Working at the wreck with boat. Took boat to ketch work & got out 525 [illegible text] shears. Bar30-50. High swell. Light WNW. All hands at the wreck. First took in some shears. 7 Sunday First part took in 362 shears. 9 am started work. Finish noon. Extra day for crew. 10 pm drop second anchor. Bar 30-55. Fresh NNW to WNW. High swell.

8 Monday 7 am shifted around East side of Wardang. Fresh WNW Bar 30-40. Went up & got shears & paid 2-4-0. Paddy 1 pair [illegible text]4/9. 9 Tuesday All hands away for water & stores. Paid cheque 1 sheep £1 5 0. Bar 30-40. Anchored. East side Wardang Island. 10 Wednesday Light WNW & variables. Visited wreck & got sundry Gui & Gauffe. Left wreck & came back to anchor near Cliff Point. Investigator all broken up stern gone on the side. JS hove up anchor towards shelter & let go large anchor. Bar falling 30-30.

11 Thursday Wardang 9 am all hands on shore after wreckage. Captain Belini went up to Broken Hill station. At Wardang North Point. Hands returned. Picked up nothing. Came to anchor inside Cliff Point. Hard gale NNW to west. 12 Friday 9.30 am. Blowing hard gale NW. Went on shore got letter & tucker returned 4 30 pm. dingy Bila- broken & 3 paddles gone. Hauled dinghy up on beach & return to Boarding house & had tea & bids hard squalls & hail stone had to walk about 4 miles. Howser of Investigator wash way at 5 pm. 13 Saturday Came down on the beach to see if dinghy. Came on shore & had to return to boarding house to get tucker. Stop the night. Hard gale SW. 36 x 3 = 108 days meals. 108 days at 2/6 per day. Went on shore to see agent. 3 hands left for Adelaide. 14 Sunday Returned to ketch 11 am & two hands. Light SSW Bar 30-60 & very dull. All hands back on shore to see wreck & [illegible text] dingy off. Js spent on meals for crew 16 shillings. All hands went over to wreck. Anchored Port Victoria 6 pm.

15 Monday At Port Victoria 8 am Hauled alongside jetty & landed. All diving gui & cargo. Johnny allsorts absent away drinking. 5.30 pm Left towards the Group for guano. Light SSE Bar 30-60. Very fine. Wardang Island. Light outside 11 pm. Fred 1 tobacco. 7/2 John allow cash. Paid for [illegible text] 3/9. Got stores Fraubounds five shillings. 16 Tuesday Fine light SE & calm & varaibles. Spilsby Island in sight noon. Very fine. Sea smooth. Paddy Matches 7. 10.30 pm anchored at the island. Light ESE Bar 30-65. 17 Wednesday Getting hole all ready for cargo discharging store. 9.30 all hands on shore geating & bagging guano. Bagged 160 to 170 bags. Picked up Ina two masts returned on board 4.45 pm. Fine light NE sea smooth Bar 30-65.

18 Thursday Shifted NW to west side. Started loading bags at 9.30 am took off 2 boatloads up to dinner. Engine hard to get going. After dinner took in 3 ½ boatloads. About 12 tons. Light NE & variables. Bar 30-55. 19 Thursday All hands all day taking up mast of Ina & cleaning rigging. No boating done. Fine light NE variables. Took mast repair on shore on the west side. Bar 30-55. 20 Saturday All hands on shore cleaning guano. Boating & bagging off 68 bags about 4//2 tons worked up to 5.15 pm. Fine & calm variables. Bar 30-55. 21 Sunday Crew washing clothes on shore. Earney repairing dingy. Js cooking on board. Fine light airs & calm. Bar 30-54. Paddy 1 bar soap ¼.

22 Monday 2 hands screening guano. Earney repairing dingy shifted to south end. Wind NNE. Bar incline to fall. Bar 30-45. At 10 pm 30-35. Fresh north & cloudy. 23 Tuesday Put out dingy. 8.30 crew went on shore to clean guano. Light rain at intervals & thick. Bar at 9 am 38-20. 24 Wednesday Shifted from south side to east side & north side. Hard squalls at intervals. 3 hands on shore after dinner. First part raining. Crew picking canvas & ripping same. Fresh SSW & high swell. Ketch rolling hard at times. Bar 36-22. Dinghy tight. Crew cleaned about 3/ ½ tons. Very heavy & wet.

25 Thursday 8.15 all hands went on shore to clean guano. Hard squalls at times. Wind south. Ketch rolling hard at times. Bar 30-30 at 11 am. Earney cleaned about one ton extra screen. East side. 26 Friday Bar 8 am 30-45. 8.15 am all hands on shore cleaning guano. West side 27 Saturday West side. Bagging & whealing & cleaning same. Fine light ESE & cloudy. Bar 30-60. 28 Sunday Crew working all day loading guano. 290 bags 8 boatloads about 18 tons 16 bags to the ton. Bar 30-60. Fine light ESE & light clouds.

29 Monday All hands on shore cleaning guano. All day done about 12 tons. 3 shiffes. Fine light ESE & variables. Bar 30-62. Sea smooth. 30 Tuesday All hands bagging & whealing & cleaning. Whealed down about 190 bags. To much swell for boating had narrow change of the boat geating Brooke only took off 17 bags part load heavy send in swell. Afternoon hands cleaning guano. Bar 30-62 sea smooth. Light variables at night. Light SE. 31 Wednesday Boating off guano west side took on board before dinner 191 bags about 12 tons after bagging & whealing & boating 2 boatloads 74 bags about 5 tons. Crew swimming hole boat carried away. Fine nearly got on the Banks. Heavily loaded with guano. Fine light ESE & variables. Bar 30-65. Paddy //2 tobacco 3/6. Fred ½ tobacco 3/6. Dozen match 7.

1 August Thursday 1918 All hands on shore west side cleaning guano. Worked up to 5 pm. Done about 12 tons 191 bags. Light east & variables. Earney got one goat. Bar 30-65. 2 Friday All hands bagging & whealing. Bagged & whealed up to 12.15 pm. 191 bags. Js on shore assisting same. 1.50 pm started boating off guano. 5 large boatloads about 12 tons. Bar started to fall 30-50. Fine clear & variables sea smooth. Went & saw Ina main boat still there. Saw two anchors, one with chain. 3 Saturday All hands cleaning guano up to 12.30 pm. 1.30 started bagging guano up to 3.30 pm started boating off. Took off 3 large boatloads about 167 bags about 7 tons. Worked up to 6.20 pm. Bar falling fast 30-40. 71 tons. 4 Sunday Fixed all [illegible text] & bags on shore. 12.30 pm left for shelter. Bar falling. Fast stop neat Port Lincoln 3.30 pm. Bar at 6 pm 29-90. Raining hard.

5 Monday At Port Lincoln near Curtin Point. Js went & got stores, vegetables & eggs. Paid 6/7. Fresh hard gale NW bar 29-90. Raining at intervals. Got some water. 6 Tuesday Js & two hands went to Lincoln. Got bread & one suit of clothing. Paid balance 3-10-0. Fresh NW & squally at intervals. Got some water from Harbour office. Crew variously employed. 7 Wednesday 7.30 am Got under weight towards the Sir Joseph Banks Group. Calm & variables at 2 pm. Crew variously employed. Bar 29-95 at 2 pm. Moderate breeze NW Bar falling. Stop at the Island 5.30 pm. NW to west. Bar 29-90.