'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎287] (306/622)

HISTORY OP THE INDIAN NAVY.
287
approaching too close, the ship took the ground. At low water
we were high and dry on a fine firm sandbank, the people from
the vessel walking about and taking a full and leisurely view
of the poor ' Moozuffer,' from her keel up to her hammock-
nettings. But her fatal hour had not yet arrived, for that night
at high water she floated, when we backed off the bank and
anchored. Next morning we got up our anchor and set off
again on a voyage of discovery, and had not made much run
when the leadsman sang out four and a half fathoms from the
chains. At this moment the captain was busily intent in
catching with his glass the palmyra-trees at the mouth of the
Rangoon river, and did not hear the cry of the leadsman, who
presently gave three and a half fathoms, and almost imme
diately two and a half fathoms, and we were again aground.
The palmyra-trees were made out just at the moment we took
the ground, and it was then obvious that we had overrun our
estimated course and the mouth of the river considerably by
the great speed at which she had been going after leaving
Khyouk Phyoo, on Monday the 11th. This time, Friday the
15th, the ship had taken up a fatal position in the Sheeing
quicksands, eleven miles to the eastward of the Rangoon river,
with all the forepart of the vessel, from the engine-room forward
to her bow, on the bank, but a considerable depth of water
astern. At night she was nearly off, nay, I believe, was
actually afloat again: but the backing of the engines was, as
it would seem, stopped too soon, and the tide immediately
drove her on the bank again, never more to float. She now
began to evince unequivocal symptoms of dissolution, for on
Saturday morning one of her boilers was forced up, and the
steam pipes destroyed in consequence, and at the same time it
was obvious that her bottom, under the machinery, was
seriously injured, as the engines began to evince strong symp
toms of a desire to part company, and there were ten feet of
water in the ship, the orlop deck, where the passengers' bag
gage was stowed, being by this time under water. This day,
baturday, we started off the ship's gig to Rangoon, some forty-
nve miles or so distant, to give the authorities there intelligence
of what had happened and of our condition and position, and
fortunately the boat made that place the same night in safety.
Un bunday morning we had the pleasure of hearing our guns
answered, and before long the ' Pluto' and' 'Zenobia' hove in
sight, and it being high water the former ran alongside of us,
the • Zenobia'anchoring at a short distance from the wreck.
We were not long in shifting everything we could save, with
our precious selves on board the two steamers, and we reached
nis place (Rangoon) on Sunday night, fatigued, harassed, and
amy, as you may easily imagine. Had Saturday night been
wy, there is no knowing what might have occurred to us all.