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The CITY OF MANCHESTER 1851
from London 9 03 1851 via Plymouth with Captain Baker, arrived Port Adelaide on 16-07-1851 with 245 passengers (43 needlewomen) for Adelaide and Port Phillip
1851 CITY OF MANCHESTER - Passenger List
Transcribed by Di Cummings and Lynn Cowan
The following, related by John Pearce, a passenger on the CITY OF MANCHESTER in 1851,
shows that the last few miles of the journey (from the ship at anchor to the shore),
could provide its own hardships and frustrations.
We arrived Adelaide July 16th, 1851 being 16 weeks and 1 day from Plymouth. From then until Friday July 25th we stayed on board the vessel.
That evening at about 5 o'clock, No. 1 Lighter left the ship with the following passengers:
Mr and Mrs Hunt and family (8), Mrs Hunt snr, Mrs Smith and 2 children, Mr and Mrs Ruddick and daughter,
Mr Robert Banks and son Robert, Mr Jones, Mr Thumbwood, Mr Pearson, Mr and Mrs Pearce and family (8) and 5 crew.
About 3 miles from the Lightship we struck on a sand bank where we continued till 1 o'clock in the morning. At high water we, by great exertion, got off. Our minds were no sooner relieved from danger, than we again struck on another sand bank where we continued all night and, by pumping every five minutes and proping the vessel we kept her up till towed out by a steamer. We then soon arrived in port all safe and well by half past 1pm., but much exhausted with anxiety, fear and hunger.
Early in the morning Mr Hunt, Mr Jones, Mr Pearson, Mr Thumbwood, Mr Bank and myself, left the almost wrecked lighter
landed and and walked to port to get assistance. I called on Fry & Davidson (Agents) and also on Captain Baker, to request them to send assistance immediately for fear of a storm arising, that could make a complete wreck of her (the Lighter).
From these I met with the greatest insults aheated the awful circumstances with the greatest levity. The Captain, if worthy of the name, saying "you have left the vessel, you are out of my charge, and you may get off the best way you can".
I told them - if they would give me a positive answer that they would not render any assistance, I would employ boats to take the passengers off, that they might not be left to the mercy of the waves, and after sue them for the damages.
They them jointly said - you may do just as you like, we care nothing about it, we sent a Lighter for you and if you have met with misfortune we can't help it.
I said - but will you give me a positive answer that you will not render any assistance, that we may know what we have to do - to which they would give no answer.
I then went to the Agent again to know if he would do anything for us. He said - the Steamer was going down the river with a Lighter and himself, but would not promise to do anything, as he said she would get off at high water.
I then asked him to allow Mr Hunt and myself to go in the Steamer. He said - no, you cannot. So we thought that as he refused such a reasonable request, we could not place any confidence in what he would do.
We therefore, without any loss of time (to relieve the anxiety of those we left on board) as soon as possible engaged a boat to take off the passengers and leave the luggage to the mercy of the sea. We paid down 30/- aand was to pay 20/- more when the work was done.
But before we got in sight of the Lighter, they had been there with the Steamer and towed her off. I suppose after we left, they were afraid of the consequences of being exposed. So that I think we need not thank them.
I do now and again say the Capt. is a mean low paltry fellow and knows not how to behave with common decency to any respectable persosn. He had his reward - for when he got to Melbourne, the sailors to a man left him, and he was seen tramping from the diggings without any shoes to his feet.
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Source: Mortlock Library, South Australia. |
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