Narrative of a Voyage to India; of a Shipwreck on board the Lady Castlereagh; and a Description of New South WalesCramp, W. B.
History
Narrative of a Voyage to India; of a Shipwreck on board the Lady Castlereagh; and a Description of New South Wales
Cramp, W. B.
India -- Description and travel; Lady Castlereagh (Ship); New South Wales -- Description and travel; Voyages and travels
On the following morning we were busily employed in discharging our
cargo and sending it on board its destined ships, (Honourable
Company's ships Stratham and Rose.) After our clearance, the divers
were expected from off shore, to examine the damage the ship's bottom
had received; but, owing to the inclemency of the weather, it was
impossible for them to get off from shore.
A seaman on board, by birth a West Indian, engaged to dive under the
ship's bottom, and to acquaint us with the state of it, which was
gladly accepted. In his youth he had been a fisherman on the coast of
the island of Jamaica: the weather being rough, it was thought unsafe
for him to venture; but on the following morning, it being quite calm,
he prepared himself for his expedition: after he had jumped overboard,
he walked, or rather trod water, round the ship; he informed us the
copper was much battered above water, and in many places whole sheets
of it were broken off; and after he had made us perfectly acquainted
with the damages we had received above, he dived under her counter,
and abreast of the after, main, and fore hatchways;--when he came on
board, he informed us, that about twelve feet of our false-keel was
knocked off, and about six feet of our copper abreast of the
main-hatchway, besides a quantity of copper in different places, all
of which we found to be true after we were docked.
We received considerable damage on board; the bolts were started from
her side about three inches, and the main-beams sprung. Three days
after he had dived, the captain came on board with two native divers,
and several officers of the different vessels lying in the roads, to
survey the ship. When they went under they brought up the same
account as our man had first given. After about an hour's
consultation, our ship was ordered to Bombay to be docked, it being
the most convenient one for a ship of our burden. In a few days after
we proceeded on our passage, and arrived in safety, keeping the pumps
in continual motion during our passage.
The Island of Bombay is situated on the west coast of the ocean, and
one of the three Presidencies belonging to the Honourable East India
Company, and is in Lat. 18 deg. 55' N. and Lon. 72 deg. 54' E. of Greenwich.
As soon as we had discharged all our cargo, and the ship was docked,
the ship's company and officers were sent to Butcher's Island.
Butcher's Island is a small island situated about four miles and a
half to the westward of Bombay, and is in circumference about one mile
and a half, and has been a very formidable garrison. In the centre is
a small fort and two barracks, the latter we took possession of for
the ship's company. Soon after our landing on the island, a party of
us went over to the Island of Elephanta.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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