Discoveries and Inventions of the Nineteenth CenturyRoutledge, Robert
History
Discoveries and Inventions of the Nineteenth Century
Routledge, Robert
Inventions -- History -- 19th century
One of the survivors, Mr. James May, a gunner, related that, shortly
after midnight he was roused from his sleep by a noise, and feeling the
ship uneasy, he dressed, took a light, and went into the after turret,
to see if the guns were all right. He found everything secure in the
turret, but that moment he felt the ship heel steadily over, and a heavy
sea having struck her on the weather side, the water flowed into the
turret, and he got out through the hole in the top of the turret by
which the guns were pointed, only to find himself in the water. He swam
to the steam-pinnace, which he saw floating bottom upwards, and there he
was joined by Captain Burgoyne and a few others. He saw the ship turn
bottom up, and sink stern first, the whole time from her turning over to
sinking not being more than a few minutes. Seeing the launch drifting
within a few yards, he called out, “Jump, men! it is your last chance.”
He jumped, and with three others reached a launch, in which were fifteen
persons, all belonging to the watch on deck, who had found means of
getting into this boat. One of these had got a footing on the hull of
the ship as she was turning over, and he actually walked over the bottom
of the vessel, but was washed off by a wave and rescued by those who in
the meantime had got into the launch. It appears that Captain Burgoyne
either remained on the pinnace or failed to reach the launch. Those who
were in that boat, finding the captain had not reached them, made an
effort to turn their boat back to pick him up, but the boat was nearly
swamped by the heavy seas, and they were obliged to let her drift. One
man was at this time washed out of the boat and lost, after having but
the moment before exclaimed, “Now, lads, I think we are all right.”
After twelve hours’ hard rowing, without food or water, the survivors,
numbering sixteen men and petty officers and three boys, reached Cape
Finisterre, where they received help and attention. On their arrival in
England, a court-martial was, according to the rules of the service,
formally held on the survivors, but in reality it was occupied in
investigating the cause of the catastrophe. The reader may probably be
able to understand what the cause was by giving his attention to some
general considerations, which apply to all ships whatever, and by a
careful examination of the diagrams, Figs. 74 and 75, which are copied
from diagrams that were placed in the hands of the members of the
court-martial. The letters b and g and the arrows are, however, added,
to serve in illustration of a part of the explanation. The vessel is
represented as heeled over in smooth water, and the gradations on the
semicircle in Fig. 74 will enable the reader to understand how the heel
is measured by angles. If the ship were upright, the centre line would
coincide with the upright line, marked o on the semicircle, and drawn
from its centre. Suppose a level line drawn through the centre of the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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