Log: Buenos Aires December 1878 - March 1879

Just before Christmas of 1878, we put the Mary E Russell into port at Buenos Aires.

 NY Herald 2/16/1879

 My daughters had turned fifteen years old in September before we left  Cardiff for Liverpool. As usual, at Buenos Aires we rented rooms because we expected to be there until March, not an unusual time for unloading the cargo we brought from Liverpool, doing ship’s maintenance, and loading ballast to return home via the West Indies to bring sugar to Boston. There was always money to be made bringing sugar to Boston. It was a staple of liquor making, and that was a very popular industry there.

 My wife Priscilla had a time of it keeping tabs on the girls. Buenos Aires offered all sorts of diversions for teenaged girls. My young lasses were always full of energy and curiosity after a few months at sea. 

On March 3, 1879 we tried to leave Buenos Aires, but a German steamer ran into us and we were towed back into port – where we rented our rooms again and awaited maritime court judgement and ship repairs.

Shields (England) Daily Gazette 03/07/1879

It was past Easter before things were settled.

New York Herald 6/2/1879

The following photo of me was taken after the collision. I was displeased to have the lifeboat stove in. You can see my wife Priscilla peeking out of the door of our quarters behind me.

Captain William Sewall Nickels, Buenos Aires, 1879

WSN