The Harvard African Expedition Book 1: July 15, 1926
Creator
Loring WhitmanDate
7/15/26Transcription
Thur July 15th
We spent most of today unpacking our many boxes. Clothes must be brought out and assorted. Chemicals must be opened to be rearranged or used. Food boxes must be got ready. The laboratory supplies must be opened and the ammunition must be divided. All in all it was a scene of much confusion – hammering and banging. And people running up & down stairs covered with stray bits of excelsior.
During this boys came in one by one to be interviewed as prospective steward boys or gun & camera boys. It was quite amusing to talk to them in very bad pigeony English which we affected. We not only murdered the language but we also mispronounced the words in our endeavor to convey our meaning. Tusk became Toosk – unintelligible to them no doubt – when we tried to find out about elephants. In the meantime Hal’s & my boys had asked Mrs Willis for bigger & better pay & had got the sack so that we were stranded. In consequence I took on a boy who was recommended as camera-boy to look after me during our stay in Monrovia. His name is Gaybar Fogay – and he looks quite intelligent tho as a bush boy well we’ll see. He is a good steward however. Hal took on his gun boy as steward – George Shaw.
In the evening I did my first developing in Africa – with my own chemicals & outfit. I did thirty negatives and called it a day.
Water 79
Developed 10 min
Dried by Mon next day.
Anuidol ½ oz
Sulfite sodium 3 1/3 oz
Potas. Brom. 1/3 oz
Suflate Soday 1 oz
Hardened in Potass. Chrome alum.
They came out fairly well. Let us pray that they stay that way.