During the winter season, few vessels, and those only of light burden,
venture into Table Bay, exposed as it is to the full fury of the
north-west gales. But the Nemesis had little cause for fear; her light
draught of water enabling her to anchor in a well-sheltered cove, near
the stone jetty which has recently been constructed.
On the second day after her arrival, the governor of the colony paid a
visit on board, and, as he appeared to take the greatest interest in
all that related to her construction and equipment, the steam was got
up, and the whole party were carried round the bay, apparently much to
their satisfaction and enjoyment. The foremost gun was fired in every
position, and with different charges of powder, to shew its power and
range; and the interest awakened as to the future destination of the
vessel was much increased by what they then witnessed.
Everything contributed to make the day remembered; and as the Nemesis,
returning from her trip, approached the landing-place, thousands came
to greet her. To the astonishment of all, she ran in close to the side
of the _old_ jetty, where no vessel had ever been seen before. Nothing
could exceed the wonder of the people at seeing so long and large a
vessel floating alongside their old wooden pier, usually frequented
only by boats. It created quite an excitement in quiet Cape Town, and
the steady, sober-thinking Dutchmen could hardly bring themselves
to believe that iron would float at all, and still less with such
astonishing buoyancy.
Scarcely had the governor and his suite landed, when hundreds, one
might almost say thousands, of curious people crowded on board. The
report that an iron steamer was lying close to the town had spread so
fast, and had excited so much curiosity, that even the sick made it
an excuse for an airing; and such a motley crowd of people of every
caste and colour as gathered round the vessel is rarely to be met
with elsewhere. The negro, the Hottentot, the Caffir, and the Malay,
with all the intermediate shades of colour, hastened down with idle
curiosity; while the respectable Europeans and colonists, young and
old, were admitted on board, and seemed delighted to gaze on something
new.
As it was desirable that as much coal as possible should be taken on
board before the vessel was compelled to haul off, owing to the falling
of the tide, no time was lost in commencing the troublesome process.
Even this did not at all deter the visiters, who continued to succeed
each other in crowds, in spite of the inconvenience they suffered.
Several repairs were now to be made with all expedition. The drop,
or false rudder, was first to be restored, and required to be much
strengthened. This was a very essential matter; and a suggestion now
occurred worth noticing, namely, that in the event of other vessels of
the same description being sent to sea, they should be provided with
some means of being able completely to choke the rudder temporarily, or
prevent its action altogether, while at sea, in case of its being found
requisite to repair the drop-rudder. The want of some means of keeping
the rudder stationary while repairing it at sea was frequently felt,
and something might easily be provided to effect this object. The whole
delay at the Cape amounted to nine clear days.
On the 11th of July, all being completed, she once more stood out
of Table Bay, with the cheers and hearty good wishes of all for her
success, although they wondered what her mysterious destination could
be.
It is evident that a steamer bound to Singapore, or to any place still
further eastward, would have a choice of three routes; either she might
make her passage from the Cape towards the Straits of Sunda, between
the islands of Java and Sumatra, trusting principally to her sails,
the winds being generally strong in those latitudes, and thereby saving
her fuel; or she might run from the Cape up to the Mauritius, to take
in coal, which has been done by many steamers, and thence proceed
by the Straits of Malacca; or, lastly, she might run through the
Mozambique Channel, between the continent of Africa and the island of
Madagascar, and, touching at Ceylon for coals, proceed likewise down
the Straits of Malacca to her destination.
On the present occasion, the Nemesis had distinct orders to choose
the latter route, the season of the year being considered the most
favourable for it, and it being thought desirable that a visit
should be paid to the island of Johanna, the most frequented of the
group called the Comoro Islands, situated at the northern end of the
Mozambique Channel. This island will be more particularly alluded to in
its proper place. Thence she was to proceed direct to Ceylon for coals.
But even this was only known to her commander; and all that either
officers or men could learn about her destination, when they left the
Cape, was, that they were at once to proceed through the Mozambique
Channel, but with what object they knew not.
The Nemesis now approaches to one of the most eventful periods of
her history. Six days had scarcely passed since her departure from
the Cape, when a new and quite unforeseen danger awaited her, and
threatened the most appalling consequences, without any port being at
hand for refuge. It has very rarely happened that a ship has been so
near destruction, and yet escaped at last. The first few days of her
passage alternated between gales and calms, and the high sea which
she encountered only gave her a further opportunity of proving the
good qualities which she possessed as a sea-boat. Cape Francis, on the
southern side of the coast of Africa, within the colony, near Algoa
Bay, was in sight from the mast-head on the 14th. The barometer began
to fall on the 15th, and at length, on the following day, had almost
sunk to twenty-eight inches. Vivid flashes of lightning now ran along
the sky to the westward; the wind, which had been strong and steady
from the N.N.W., freshened to a heavy gale; every appearance threatened
an increase rather than a diminution of the storm; and the sea became
so high and heavy, that it threatened every moment to overwhelm the
_long_, _low_ Nemesis, for the sail that could be put upon her scarcely
sufficed to keep her before the sea.
The float-boards had been taken off the wheels before the gale
commenced, and she had continued under canvas ever since. Algoa Bay
had been passed long before the weather had become so threatening; to
return to it was now impossible; the gale went on increasing, the sea
rose fearfully, and the ship's course was slightly altered, so as to
carry her further away from the land. Her danger even at this time
was great, as she lay so low upon the sea, which heaved its convulsive
waves high above her.
In the night, or rather about three o'clock in the morning of the
17th, a tremendous sea at length struck her upon the larboard quarter.
Her whole frame quivered with the blow; and so violent was the shock,
that the first impression of all on board was, that the ship had been
actually riven asunder. The violence of the blow made her broach to the
sea and wind; but, happily, she was got before it again as speedily as
possible.
As daylight dawned, the injuries which the vessel had received were
soon discovered. The starboard paddle-wheel had been seriously damaged;
in fact, a considerable portion of it had been nearly carried away, and
only hung by a very small attachment, by which it was then dragging
through the water.
Scarcely had the necessary means been adopted to save this portion
of the wheel, when another and more serious injury was found to have
happened to the body of the ship itself. An immense perpendicular crack
was discovered, on both sides of the vessel, just before the after
paddle or sponson beam, extending almost entirely through the second
iron plate from the top, and also through a small portion of the upper
one. These had been broken asunder with such violence, that, at the
worst point of the injury, the plate had bulged outwards in such a
manner, that one portion of the broken surface projected to the extent
of about two inches, leaving a most formidable opening in the ship's
side. In reality, the vessel had begun to separate amidships, from one
side to the other. There was every probability, too, that the crack,
which at this time was nearly two feet and a half in length, would
rapidly extend itself by the working of the ship, unless the weather
moderated very speedily. There was every cause for alarm, and little
prospect of being able, even temporarily, to repair so serious an
injury in the then state of the weather.
It was evident that the broken paddle-wheel could not long hold
together, and scarcely any one thought it possible to save the broken
portion of it from being lost. But a little ingenuity, stimulated
by the necessity of the moment, often suggests the most effectual
contrivances, which are, after all, the most simple. The great object
was to secure it temporarily in some way or other; so that, as soon as
the rim became completely broken through, the mass might hang suspended
by some other means from the ship's side. The vessel was rolling
heavily, so that there was little chance of being able to pass a rope
round it; but the ingenious thought quickly suggested itself, that
one of the large boat-anchors would make a capital fish-hook for the
purpose. With this, one of the arms was at last caught hold of, and
supported, until the rim was completely torn through; and then, by
means of a tackle, the large broken portion of the wheel was, with some
difficulty, hauled on board.
So far there had been good fortune in the midst of trouble, for, had
this portion of the wheel been entirely lost, there is good reason to
fear, as will presently be seen, that with only one wheel, which might
also have easily become injured, the unfortunate Nemesis would very
probably have been unable to outlive the still worse weather which she
afterwards encountered, and would have scarcely reached a port, even in
a sinking state.
And here we may make two observations. First, that the practice of
taking off the float-boards under sail, which, in some steamers, is
made a regular exercise for the men, at all times materially weakens
the paddle-wheel, particularly in a heavy sea, and may endanger it
altogether. Secondly, that an additional paddle-ring, running round the
centre of the paddle-arms, and tying them together, contributes very
much to the strength of the wheel; and further, that the paddle-centre
should never be made of cast iron. It is the most important part of
the whole wheel, and should have the utmost strength, which wrought
iron alone can give it. It should here be mentioned, that even on this
occasion eight only, out of the sixteen float-boards, had been removed,
otherwise very probably still more serious damage would have happened.
In order to provide against the recurrence of any similar accident,
orders were subsequently given, to prepare several small bars of iron,
which were to be screwed on in the place of every _second_ float-board
removed; so that, if eight float-boards were taken off, four small bars
of iron would be put on in their places. Thus the wheel would not lose
its proper support and connexion. But, from the experience which had
now been gained, it was rarely afterwards thought expedient to take the
float-boards off at all, and certainly only in smooth water, and with
every appearance of settled weather. The portion of the paddle-wheel
which had been torn away on this occasion comprised no less than
two-fifths of the entire circumference of the wheel. This large mass of
iron could not have weighed less than fifteen to sixteen cwt.
On the following day, the 18th, the weather moderated considerably, and
the vessel proceeded, with the help of one wheel only, at the rate of
about four knots an hour. In the meantime, every possible effort was
used to get the broken wheel repaired; and, in the short space of three
days after the accident, the broken portion was got over the vessel's
side with extraordinary labour, and was ultimately secured by bolts in
its original place.
On the 20th, she passed within forty miles of Port Natal, (become so
famous as the place the eminent Dutch farmers, from the Cape Colony,
have attempted to make independent.) But there was little chance of
being able to make the necessary repairs in such a place.
The dangerous condition of the vessel, after the iron plates on both
sides had begun to open, could be concealed from none on board; but, as
long as the weather was moderate, there appeared little doubt of her
being able to reach Delagoa Bay without very great risk of foundering.
On the following day, however, the 21st, the wind again began to
freshen from the north-east, an unusual quarter at that time of the
year. Again the mighty sea arose, and damped the reviving hopes of all,
and the heavy cross swell could be looked on only with deep alarm.
Gradually, the opening in the ship's sides, which hitherto had been
sufficiently limited to cause her to take in but little water, began
to extend itself in an alarming manner. Indeed, it was impossible to
guess where it would stop, or how any efficient means could be adopted
to check it. Both sides were so bad that it was difficult to say which
was worst. The vessel was evidently _working_ amidships, as it is
called; or, in other words, it had not only opened up and down, but was
moving in and out from side to side. Moreover, the weather threatened
to become rather worse than better; and, to add to the difficulty, the
furnace of the larboard boiler was now found to be likewise injured,
and, in fact, could scarcely be used at all. Thus it became more and
more uncertain whether the engines could be kept working, so as to pump
the water out of the hold; to say nothing of urging the vessel along.
Temporary expedients were at once to be resorted to; repairs were
wanted at various parts at the same time, and every hand on board was
now to be occupied day and night in contriving means to keep the vessel
afloat. The heavy sea which, since the change of wind, had met the full
current, and rolled heavily behind the vessel, threatened to break over
her every instant. To provide as well as possible against this danger,
four breadths of stout plank were secured, as strongly as possible,
over the stern and along the quarters, in order to keep the sea out, or
at all events to break its force. So heavy was the sea, that at this
time the main rudder was sometimes completely out of water, and at the
same moment the jib-boom was _under_ it.
In the midst of this, with the hope of relieving the strain, by
diminishing the top weight at the extremities, the aftermost or large
stern gun was with great labour dismounted from its pivot-carriage,
and safely deposited in one of the after coal-bunkers; and the bower
anchors, which had already been brought inboard, were now dragged
further amidships. This eased the ship a little. But gradually as
the day advanced, the wind increased, and hourly the sea became more
dangerous.
An attempt was, however, made on the 22nd to effect a temporary repair
to the ship's sides, which were straining very much. For this purpose,
two or three rivets were cut out on each side of the crack in the
plates, and a portion of a new iron plate was with difficulty fixed on
the outside, upon the worst part, and bolted through into a piece of
stout oak plank, placed across it on the inside. The openings had by
this time extended downwards _more than three feet and a half_ on both
sides of the vessel.
They were, at this time, at no great distance from Cape Vidal; but a
tremendous current was setting to the south-west, at the rate of more
than fifty miles a day, and helped to throw up a very heavy, dangerous
sea. At length the morning dawned once more, and, as the day advanced,
the north-east gale had moderated; and gradually it declined, until,
in the afternoon, the wind changed round towards the south-east. The
repairs to the damaged wheel were by this time completed, and although
the injury to the ship's sides was hourly increasing, the hopes of all
on board redoubled as they saw the double power of both wheels once
more at work. But Delagoa Bay, for which they struggled still so hard,
was not less than two hundred miles distant. As night closed in again,
the angry wind began to howl, and burst upon the fated bark in heavy
gusts and squalls. And all around was dark and solemn, as the fate
which seemed again to threaten misery and destruction.
The only sail she now carried was torn away in shreds, and the steam
itself had little power to stand the fury of the winds and waves. At
length it lulled: again she moved, and yet again the mighty storm
increased, and with alternate hopes and fears the morning's dawn
was looked for. She heaved and strained most fearfully, the leaks
increased, the _openings spread_, and yet she floated. 'Twas hoped
that, as the day advanced, the storm would yield; but hour after hour,
as it passed, had brought no sign of change or promise of amendment.
Their danger was at this time imminent; but it became so evident to all
that the only chance of safety lay in using unremitting exertions, and
labouring day and night with hearty good-will, that their very efforts
produced confidence, which, in its turn, redoubled all their strength.
Nevertheless, it seemed as if new dangers were constantly in store.
The leaks continued to increase, her sides strained and opened
fearfully, and the apertures had by this time extended upwards
completely to the deck, and downwards far below the water-line. As the
vessel heaved and rolled from side to side, the broken edges of the
iron plates sometimes opened to the extent of an inch, while their
lateral motion, as the vessel worked, in the part that had bulged, was
frequently not less than _five inches_. As the storm increased, it was
found that in the short space of two and a half hours, and in spite of
every exertion to strengthen the part, the openings on both sides had
further increased in length no less than eighteen inches.
The motion of the vessel, in such a pitching cross sea, was very quick;
and every time the sides opened, the rush of wind and water through
them was terrific. Luckily, the engines were still able to work, and
continued to pump the water out very fast, although the openings were
actually close to the engine-room itself. But the dangerous state of
the vessel was appalling, not only from the fear of her separating
amidships, but from the chance of the bilge-pumps becoming choked, or
the fires being put out by the rush of water.
The struggle was evidently to be one for life or death. She groaned and
worked tremendously, and reports were brought in quick succession from
different parts of the vessel, that she was fast breaking up in pieces.
In this dilemma, it was still necessary to inspire the drooping spirits
of the men with some new exertion. The captain tried to smile, and,
by a cool, collected manner, sought to awaken hope which in secret
he himself could scarcely feel. "You may smile, sir," said one of
the sturdiest of the men, a hardy boiler-maker by trade, "but you
don't know the nature of iron; how should you!" (as if in pity of his
ignorance,) and then added, as if for comfort, "Ah, sir, when once
it works and cracks, as our sides are doing now, it's sure to go on;
nothing can stop it."
However, it was evident that talking about it would not mend the
matter, and all that could be said was, "The greater our danger, the
more must our exertions be increased to counteract it." And increased
they were. Every officer and man set-to again in earnest, to try to
keep the ship together. One party was employed to nail down thick
planks and spars upon the deck, fore and aft, over the broken part
of the ship; others were busy bolting the ends of them into the
sponson-beams, between the paddle-boxes; while another party, engineers
and firemen, were busy strengthening the ship's sides below.
To understand this latter part of the condition of affairs, it must
be explained that, what in a wooden ship would be called the ribs,
are, in an iron one, called the "angle-irons." They are, in fact,
strong angular bars, extending up and down the ship's sides like ribs,
having a flat surface, to which the plates of iron are bolted. These
angle-irons, or ribs, are seventeen inches distant from each other,
and at about the centre, between two of them, the crack had taken
place in the plates of iron. The accident had occurred precisely in
the weakest part of the vessel, amidships; and it would seem probable
that, as there was a heavy cross sea in the Mozambique Channel when
the misfortune happened, the head of the vessel was held firm in
the hollow of one sea at the moment the top of another sea struck
her heavily on the quarter. It made her frame quiver; and her length
and shallowness rendered her the more liable to suffer injury from a
similar blow.[6]
As regards the temporary repairs, it was evident that two contrivances
were necessary for holding the broken plate together in its proper
position. In the first place, small blocks of wood were fixed across
between the angle-irons from one to the other, in such a manner that
they crossed each other like the letter X, and gave support against
the working of the ship, and the tendency of the plates to overlap
each other. Next, strong bolts or bars of iron were passed _through_
the angle-irons from one to the other, and tightened by means of a nut
and screw at their extremities. By these means, the angle-irons, being
now strongly connected together, were made to hold the edges of the
broken plates in contact between them, which, as long as the bolts held
good, would be quite sufficient as a temporary repair. But all these
contrivances were adopted with extreme difficulty, and during a gale of
wind, when all attempts of the kind appeared desperate. Fortunately,
towards morning of the next day, the 26th, the gale slightly moderated;
and these repairs being now completed as well as circumstances would
permit, rendered her in all respects stronger, so that she strained
much less than before.
By this time the land was not far distant, and the hopes of those
who had most despaired revived again. By degrees the haze began to
clear; and now what new sensations crowded in the anxious mind! what
thrills of joyous gratitude, as the straining eye first caught the
doubtful land! The heavy sea had gradually diminished as the Nemesis
approached the coast, and she at length ran into smooth water, near a
bold cape. Never was the sound of the running out of a cable after an
almost hopeless voyage heard with greater joy than on this occasion.
She was now safe at last, and rescued from an almost desperate fate.
Congratulations were mutual; and it may well be said that those who
toil and share their fears and hopes together become more firmly bound
in sympathy and friendship.
FOOTNOTE:
[6] The mode in which the permanent repairs were afterwards effected
will be explained in the fifth chapter, together with the method by
which the recurrence of a similar accident has been provided against in
vessels more recently constructed.