Thrilling Stories of the Ocean | Page 5

vessel called the Lark came
on the low side of the ship to unship a cargo of rum; the casks were put
on board on that side, and this additional weight, together with that of
the men employed in unloading, caused the ship to heel still more on
one side; every wave of the sea now washed in at her port-holes, and
thus she had soon so great a weight of water in her hold, that slowly
and almost imperceptibly she sank still further down on her side. Twice,
the carpenter, seeing the danger, went on board to ask the officer on
duty to order the ship to be righted; and if he had not been a proud and
angry man, who would not acknowledge himself to be in the wrong, all
might yet have been well.
The plumbers had almost finished their work, when a sudden breeze
blew on the raised side of the ship, forced her still further down, and
the water began to pour into her lower port-holes. Instantly the danger
became apparent; the men were ordered to right the ship: they ran to
move the guns for this purpose, but it was too late.
In a minute or two more, she fell quite over on her side, with her masts
nearly flat on the water, and the Royal George sank to the bottom,
before one signal of distress could be given! By this dreadful accident,
about nine hundred persons lost their lives; about two hundred and

thirty were saved, some by running up the rigging, and being with
others picked up by the boats which put off immediately from other
vessels to their assistance. There were many visitors, women and little
children on board at the time of the accident.

BLOWING UP OF THE ROYAL GEORGE.
At the time when the dreadful event which I have just related to you
occurred, the Lark sloop, which brought the cargo of rum, was lying
alongside of the Royal George; in going down, the main-yard of the
Royal George caught the boom of the Lark, and they sank together, but
this made the position of the Royal George much more upright in the
water than it would otherwise have been. There she lay at the bottom of
the sea, just as you have seen small vessels when left by the tide on a
bank. Cowper, when he heard the sad tale, thus wrote
"Her timbers yet are sound, And she may float again, Full charged with
England's thunder, And plough the distant main.
"But Kempenfelt is gone, His victories are o'er, And he, and his eight
hundred Shall plough the wave no more."
Admiral Kempenfelt was writing in his cabin when the ship sank; his
first captain tried to inform him of their situation, but the heeling of the
ship so jammed the cabin doors that he could not open them: thus the
admiral perished with the rest. It seems Cowper thought the Royal
George might be recovered; other people were of the same opinion.
[Illustration: BLOWING UP OF THE ROYAL GEORGE.]
In September of the year in which the vessel sank, a gentleman, named
Tracey, living in the neighborhood, by means of diving-machines,
ascertained the position and state of the ship, and made proposals to
government to adopt means of raising her and getting her again afloat.
After a great many vexatious delays and interruptions on the part of
those who were to have supplied him with assistance, he succeeded in
getting up the Lark sloop. His efforts to raise the Royal George were so
far successful, that at every time of high tide she was lifted from her
bed; and on the 9th of October she was hove at least thirty or forty feet
to westward; but the days were getting short, the boisterous winds of
winter were setting in, the lighters to which Tracey's apparatus was
attached were too old and rotten to bear the strain, and he was forced to
abandon the attempt.

The sunken ship remained, a constant impediment to other vessels
wishing to cast anchor near the spot, for nearly fifty years, when
Colonel Pasley, by means of gunpowder, completely demolished the
wreck: the loose pieces of timber floated to the surface; heavier
pieces--the ship's guns, cables, anchors, the fire-hearth, cooking
utensils, and many smaller articles were recovered by the divers. These
men went down in Indian-rubber dresses, which were air and
water-tight; they were furnished with helmets, in each side of which
were glass windows, to admit light, and supplied with air by means of
pipes, communicating with an air-pump above. By these means they
could remain under water more than an hour at a time. I do not think
you are old enough to understand the nature of Colonel Pasley's
operations. Large