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Week 09 - to sea at last

[ 17th of April 1836 to 23rd of April 1836 ]
[ View related 'school content': Week 09 Shipwrecks ]

Clear of the Channel at last, the Duke of York was finally making progress, although conditions were still uncomfortable for the passengers.  Captain Morgan reported that the seas were high and that ‘great quantities’ of water continued to swamp the decks.  This was bad news for those below, who would have been wet, cold and miserable. The John Pirie meanwhile passed more of the wreckage from the great March storm – a sobering reminder of the awesome power of nature.Model of the ship Duke of York

Journals from passengers at sea:

Monday 18 April 1836

[, on board the wrote.]

All this 24 hours strong winds with a heigh sea
the wind ENE with a heigh sea steering SW
shiped great quantities of water on deck – allowanced
About 1.5 litres three quats of water a man per day to all hands
…

[ Read the full journal extract ]

Tuesday 19 April 1836

[, on board the wrote.]

This 24 hours strong winds from the NEd all sail
set two topmast two lower two The topgallant mast (pronounced and sometimes written t’gallant) is the mast immediately above the topmast, or an extension of the topmast. top Gallt  Studding sails were set outside the square sails in fine weather and with a fair wind. Their head was fastened to a short yard hoisted to the end of the upper yard and their foot extended by a boom slid out from the lower yard. They took their name, such as main topmast studding sail, from the adjacent sail. studing sails
set steering SW by W fillid a fourty gall cask of water
to last the passengers and crew twenty four hours
with passengers  Lattd Obsd 39.20 N Long 15.21 West
…

[ Read the full journal extract ]

Wednesday 20 April 1836

[, on board the wrote.]

This 24 hours moderate breeses and cloudy weather
wind from the NEd saw a strange sail PM took
in all the Studding sails were set outside the square sails in fine weather and with a fair wind. Their head was fastened to a short yard hoisted to the end of the upper yard and their foot extended by a boom slid out from the lower yard. They took their name, such as main topmast studding sail, from the adjacent sail studingsails and run under To progress comfortably under sail suited to the conditions easy sail
Lattd 36.53 N Long 15.34 West
In watching this morning for a Meridian altitude is a method of astronomical navigation used to calculate ones latitude on earth, in this case the latitude of a ship at sea. Using a nautical almanac to determine an estimated time of the meridian altitude of a planet or star, a ship’s captain would then use a sextant to track the object’s altitude for a few minutes before and during its pass through the meridian (in the case of the sun this was usually at noon). meridian altd , she
kept clouded well I thought God (from the Hebrew) Jehovah could cause those
clouds to disperce but still I do nont look for it nor
expect it but the clouds cleared away just time
anough for me to git a good altd…

[ Read the full journal extract ]

Thursday 21 April 1836

[, on board the wrote.]

The Wind contd all Night from N,E, but at Day-light
it lower’d into a gentle Air, which kept shifting about
from North to West, all Day  _______  At 6, P,M, we
came in sight of part of a Wreck, consisting of a
lower Mast, and Yards are horizontal poles that are suspended from the masts to support and spread the square sails. They are basically set square to the ship’s centre line but the angle can be adjusted to suit the direction of the wind. Yard , a top Mast and Yard,  ___  with
a few Spar’s,  ___  round Top,  ___  and the remnant of
Sails, Rigging, &c, all of which had no doubt,
been carried away from some unfortunate Vessel, in
the awful Gales of the 27th, 28th,, Ult is short for Ultimo which means ‘of last month’. Ult , We took only
One Spar, as our Decks, are already too much ‘Lumbered’ is an informal term mainly used in Britain to refer to someone being burdened with a thing, or things, unwanted. In shipping terminology, ‘much lumbered’ or ‘lumbered with’ were sometimes used to describe the state of decks that had become cluttered with cargo and other objects during storms. lumberd ,
for stowing any more,  __  but they will be a good prize, to
a Ship, that can make room for them  __________

[ Read the full journal extract ]

Saturday 23 April 1836

[, on board the wrote.]

The weather has contd uncommon fine since Thursday,
and Wind veering about from West, to North, sometimes
being a smart Breeze, and at other times nearly a Without wind. Calm ,
At Noon we To speak a ship is to communicate with it by voice or signals spoke a Schooner, call’d the New-Jane,
of Plymouth, bound to Liverpool, the Capt of which
promised to To record meeting another ship upon arrival in port. In one case, the South Australian Company Directors learnt at their meeting of 17 May that the John Pirie had been encountered on 23 April in latitude 42E north, longitude 12E west. report us, on his arrival there  _____

[ Read the full journal extract ]

Next week: As the ships settle into their journey the passengers begin to accustom themselves to ship-board life.

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