DOUGLAS - 1850


Master : Captain Douglas (1850);
Captain M Rogers (1851)
Rigging:Brig; sheathed in copper in 1847 & 1851
The copper sheathing was to make her free of barnacles
hence the expression copper-bottomed.
Tonnage: 379 tons in old measurements
and 472 tons in new
(she was quite a small ship, with two masts).

Construction: 1846 in Hull in East Yorkshire, England
Owners: Collinson
Port of registry: London, Port of survey: London

With a total of 21 deaths on the voyage the ship was called The Death Ship in South Australian newspapers, and there were lengthy complaints published about the officers and surgeon (REGISTER January 12, 1850)
REPORT on the journey of THE DOUGLAS

DOUGLAS sailed for Sydney 1851
PASSENGER LIST:

DEATHS on the voyage to Adelaide. There were several reports in the papers, from both passengers and details from the inquests, that approx. 23 people died.
There were conflicting details relating to dates and causes of death (reflected in the passenger list). Cannot relate the child who died October 4th to anyone on passenger list
Adcock, Mr died Sep 29 1849, of cholera
   Sep 27, died of cholera
   Sep 29 1849, congestion of brain
Babington Sarah died Oct 17 1849
   [girl] Oct 15, aged 15
   Oct 17 1849, convulsions
Barnard, David - husband [not on passenger list]
Barnard, Athalia - died of typhus [not on passenger list]
Barnard son, 13 years old [not on passenger list]
Barnard child died Oct 19 1849, of diarrhoea
Bassett, Mr died Sep 29 1849, of cholera
   Sep 26, died of cholera
   Sep 28 1849, cholera
Bowyer infant died Oct 16 1849, diarrhoea
  [child] Oct 14, 14 months Oct 16 1849,
  effusion of brain
Bulmer Mr died Oct 3 1849, cholera
   [man] Oct 2 1849, died of cholera

Bulmer [child] Oct 5 1849 died, cholera
   Oct 5 1849, diarrhoea
Clay Mr died Oct 9 1849, of cholera
   Oct 9, aged 27
Elliss child died Dec 14 1849, of dysentry
   Dec 14 1849, of pneumonia
Evans, Edward - Died of dropsy on board the Douglas
at the Port (Adelaide), on Jan 13th 1850, superinduced by
habitual intoxication during the voyage [not on passenger list],
brother of Mr Evans of the London firm of Bradbury & Evans.
Hutchinson, Mrs died Dec 8 1849, of dysentry

Hutchinson child died Dec 18 1849, of dysentry
  Dec 18 1849, of inanition
Landell, Mrs died Oct 21 1849
   [woman] Oct 21, leaving 5 small children
   Oct, 21 1849, exhaustion from sea sickness
Landell infant died Oct 17 1849, of diarrhoea
   [child] Oct 15 / Oct 17 1849, debility
Middleton, Mrs died Dec 2 1849, of diarrhoea
Miller, Mr died Sep 29 1849, of cholera
   Sep 28 1849, died of cholera
Parnell child died Dec 29 1849 of epilepsy
   Dec 29 1849, of convulsions
Thornett, Mr died Sep 29 1849, of cholera
   [Thorns] Sep 28, died of cholera
   Sep 28 1849, of cholera Thornett Mrs died Sep 29 1849, of cholera
   [Thorns] Sep 28, died of cholera
Tilley infant died Oct 31 1849
   Oct 31 1849, of debility
Wheller, Mrs died Oct 31 1849, of fever Willard, Mrs died Sep 29 1849 at Plymouth,
   died of sea-sickness, Sep 24
   Sep 27 1849, of cholera