20th October.
At 7.0 a.m. steered north 160 degrees east till 10.0, over a level grassy
plain wooded with small eucalypti and melaleuca, etc., the soil varying
from a brown loam to a strong clay; altering the course to 190 degrees,
we passed some low stony ridges, and at 11.30 halted in a dry gully to
rest the horses during the heat of the day; at 3.0 p.m. again started and
steered to the south-west for half an hour, when we camped at a sandy
creek in which there was a shallow waterhole. At 4.0 I left the camp with
Mr. H. Gregory and proceeded west-south-west to the river, which we
reached at 5.45, and then followed it up for half an hour, when we
observed a tent and boat on the opposite side of the river. Having
hobbled the horses, we crossed over to the camp, which was established at
a small spring, and found Mr. Elsey and two of the men in charge. Mr.
Elsey informed me that the schooner had grounded on the bank below
Mosquito Flat, and had received considerable damage. Fourteen of the
sheep had been brought up to the camp, and the boat was expected up that
evening with another lot of sheep. I now ascertained that a bottle had
been buried near the marked trees at Kangaroo Point, and a pencil-mark
made on one of the trees indicating its position, but this mark had
escaped our observation. In the evening Messrs. Baines and Flood and one
of the men arrived at the camp in the long-boat, bringing twelve sheep,
having lost several on the passage up the river in consequence of
detention on the shoals near the Dome. The whole stock of provisions at
the camp consisting of ten pounds flour, ten pounds pork, six pounds
sugar, and twelve pounds beef, I was unable to send the required supplies
to the party in charge of the horses, and the sheep were too poor to be
fit for food. The Tom Tough reached Entrance Island on the 25th
September, and the next day anchored off Rugged Ridge; on the 27th was
proceeding up the river, and grounded on a ledge of rocks on the south
side of the river, about six miles below Mosquito Flats; and from that
date was never sufficiently afloat to be under control, but gradually
drifted up to about two and a half miles below Curiosity Peak. From the
time of getting on the rocks she had leaked considerably, and a large
quantity of stores had been destroyed or damaged, there being at one time
four feet of water in the hold; but by nailing battens and tarred
blankets over the open seams the leaks had been greatly reduced. The
stock of water on board the schooner having been exhausted during her
detention, Mr. Wilson had sent the boat up to Palm Island to bring down a
supply; but having greatly miscalculated the time requisite for this
expedition up the river, the distance being sixty miles, the sheep had
been kept several days without a sufficient supply of water, and a great
number had died.
21st October.
Proceeding down the river with Messrs. Baines and Flood in the long-boat,
the tide being unfavourable, we only reached Kangaroo Point.
22nd October.
Started at 2.0 a.m., and reached the schooner at 11.0 a.m., having been
delayed by the flood tide. The vessel had not moved during the last four
tides, and the leaks had in some degree stopped. She was so deeply bedded
in the sand that, though the bank was dry at three-quarter ebb, I could
not examine her bottom. The deck beams, however, were strained and
broken, and it was evident that the vessel had been much damaged by
resting on her centre, when the current had worked deep holes at the head
and stern. Only fifty-five sheep remained on board, and those in a
miserable condition. At 5.0 p.m. despatched Mr. Flood in the gig with one
month's provisions for the party at the camp; 8.0 p.m. the tide rose to
five feet on the bank, but the vessel only just floated in the hollow in
which she lay.
23rd October.
At 8.0 a.m. the tide rose to six feet on the bank, and the schooner was
moved her own length towards the channel in shore; at 10.0 a.m. the tide
ebbed, and she settled on an even keel. Mr. Baines having informed me
that Overseer Humphries had refused to assist in pumping the schooner on
the 9th, he had, therefore, put him off duty till Mr. Wilson returned, on
the 14th, when he was put on duty again. I therefore fined him one week's
pay. The night tide did not rise so high as in the morning. Landed to
search for fresh water, and found a small spring on the bank of the river
at the upper end of the stony beach, three and a half miles below
Curiosity Peak; this spring is below high-water mark, but at half tide
boats can approach close to it, there being deep water close to the bank.
24th October.
Landed at 2 a.m. to procure water, having opened a well at the spring;
filled two casks and returned to the vessel at 7. At 9.30 the schooner
floated, and we moved her to about a mile above Curiosity Peak, where she
again grounded on a bank; while afloat the pumps had to be kept
constantly at work. With the night tide we floated over the bank; but the
breeze failing, she was swept against the shore two and a half miles
above Curiosity Peak, and before the kedge could be laid out the tide
fell.
25th October.
The morning tide did not rise sufficiently to allow us to cross the
banks; but the schooner was warped into a better position in the channel,
about one mile higher up the river. Landed the sheep and drove such as
could walk to the waterhole at our camping place, one mile north of the
Dome, and left a party in charge, consisting of Dr. Mueller, Mr. Wilson,
Overseer Humphries, and W. Selby. Fifty sheep were landed, but only
forty-four reached the waterhole, and of these one died during the night.
The night tide rose eight feet, and we moved the schooner to the right
bank of the river off Broken Hill and anchored in the channel. Before the
full moon the tides have been higher during the day, but as the time of
full moon approaches the higher tide is at night.
26th October.
At 10.0 a.m. weighed and ran up the river with the flood to the
commencement of the reach below Kangaroo Point, when the schooner
grounded on a bank. Proceeded with Mr. Baines in the gig to the sheep
camp with the intention of moving the sheep across the river and then
driving them to the upper camp, but found them so weak that this
arrangement was not practicable. Returned to the vessel.
27th October.
At 3 a.m. the vessel floated, and she was moved about a mile above
Kangaroo Point, when we anchored in three and a half fathoms. At noon
weighed, and with a light breeze from the west and north till a
thunder-squall from the south-east compelled us to come to anchor one
mile below Sandy Island; a change of wind enabled us to move on to Sandy
Island.
28th October.
At 2 a.m. weighed, and towed the schooner to the upper end of the spit
off Sandy Island, when she grounded, but was warped off at 4; the wind
and tide were now adverse, and we therefore anchored in two fathoms.
There is two fathoms in the channel past Sandy Island, but a reef of
rocks extend from the left bank of the river, which renders it necessary
to keep close to the edge of the shoal off the island.