1882-1884 Captain’s Log for the First 17 Voyages of the British Warren Line’s Steamship Kansas Which Sailed Between Liverpool and Boston

On offer is the handwritten ship’s log for the first 17 voyages of the Scottish-built, British-owned SS Kansas, owned by the passenger steamship line, George Warren & Company (now the Warren Line), in Liverpool. 

The log book contains the Captain’s handwritten log for the first 17 voyages of the SS Kansas, occurring between May, 1882 and April, 1884. The SS Kansas sailed between Liverpool and Boston, sometimes stopping in New Brunswick. It was built by Charles Connell & Company, Glasgow, Scotland. Its engine was built by John and James Thomson, also of Glasgow. 

Historical records show that the SS Kansas was launched on January 19, 1882 and set sail on its first voyage between Liverpool and Boston on May 21, 1882. The log shows that the maiden voyage sailed with 100 passengers from Liverpool to Boston, from Boston to St. John, New Brunswick, and then back to Liverpool, arriving on July 4 1882. 

The SS Kansas’ inaugural captain was Albert Henry (A.H.) Burwell (1833-1882). Burwell was a Boston native who died of Rheumatic Fever while at sea on September 9, 1882, during the third voyage of the SS Kansas. His death is recorded in a handwritten “In Memoriam” [sic] box at the bottom of the Remarks page. Burwell’s first mate, Henry Borland (Harry) Tasker (1846-1889). Tasker was a native of Liverpool, married to Mary Ellen (Simcock) Tasker (1847-1917), whose obituary was found tipped-in to the ship’s log. [SEE BIO NOTES FOR MORE ON CAPTAINS BURWELL AND TASKER].

For each of the 17 voyages, the captain records their name, the locations between which they are sailing, daily coordinates, course, winds, and remarks regarding the weather and other details, and details on each voyage’s coal, consumption, revolutions, and distance. 

This is a fascinating look into the daily record keeping of 19th century mariners and provides insight into the capabilities of the SS Kansas, and the daily struggles encountered by 19th century commercial sailors. It may also be of interest to genealogists who are piecing together timelines for those who sailed aboard the SS Kansas. 

The book contains approximately 70 pages, with writing front and back on about 85% of the pages. It appears a number of pages were ripped out of the back of the book, though it does not appear voyages were tracked beyond the 17th. The book itself measures approximately 7.5x4.5 inches. The seams are extremely loose and many pages are detached. Strangely, the first page of the records for the SS Kansas’ maiden voyage is out of order and is connected to the first page of the documentation for the 3rd voyage. The pages are all present, and only that one appears to be out of order. The hard covers, spine and binding are in poor condition, though the book is intact. The handwriting is very legible and the pages are all intact, aside from those missing at the back. Overall Fair to Poor. 

BIO NOTES:

Albert Henry Burwell (1833-1882) was either born in Boston, Massachusetts or was born at sea on a whaler (depending on which source you read) to Master Mariner Albert Augustus Burwell and Sarah Ellis Hyde. He was raised in Boston, Massachusetts, where he attended Worcester Academy before becoming a sailor. He visited England and married Elizabeth Rea in 1858. Rhea was the daughter of Captain Gray, dockmaster of the Waterloo docks in Liverpool. Burwell captained the ships Autocrat and Sarah Hignett, and later became the Commodore of the Warren Line steamships which sailed between Boston and Liverpool. He captained the steamships Minnesota, Missouri Iowa and the Kanas, where he died of rheumatic fever on a voyage from Liverpool to Boston. He was a member of the Boston Marine Society. 

Henry Borland (Harry) Tasker (1846-1889) was born in Liverpool, Merseyside, England to parents Henry Taker and Anne Elizabeth Goddard. He married Mary Ellen (Simcock) Tasker (1847-1917) on June 24, 1869 in Lancaster. He was a member of the British merchant marine and later captained ships including the SS Minnesota and SS Kansas, both of the Warren Line. During an 1879 crossing, while he was captain of the SS Minnesota, Tasker saved the passengers and crew aboard the shipwrecked vessel “Royal Arch”. He was awarded a certificate and medal by the Shipwreck and Humane society. Henry and his family moved to America in 1887 and lived in Kansas to work with the Southern Kansas railroad offices. Henry died of stomach cancer only two years later in Topeka.