'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎374] (483/496)

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extended east and west,—Booby Island just visible, bearing east half
north. Soundings Measurements of the depth of a body of water. were very regular the whole way from Wednesday Is
land,—the least water being seven fathoms, and the deepest eight : se
veral shoals and sandbanks however were seen during the day, which
consequently rendered the navigation at night unsafe. It would there
fore be advisable, should darkness close in before a vessel could
reach Booby Island, to anchor until the morning. On the 5th, the south
east trade freshened up sufficiently to allow us to carry our top-gal
lant sails. The sky being overcast with clouds, rendered the weather
delightfully cool and pleasant: the thermometer during the extreme
heat of the day was never higher than 70°. At 9*50 a. m. some dis
coloured spots being visible from the deck, bore away to avoid the sup
posed shoal—our latitude at noon 10° 54 7 south and longitude 136° 3S 7
east. At 9 p. m. saw Cape Wessel bearing south 10° east, distant about
ten miles. August the 6th, the breeze became more moderate, with a
fine clear atmosphere : our latitude at noon was 10° 52 7 south, longitude
133° 26 / east. At 2*45 p. m. passed to the northward of a small island
called New Year’s Isle, distant about two miles. At sunset, Cape Croker
was seen bearing S. W. f W.: sounded in twenty-four fathoms, muddy
and gravelly bottom. At 6*40, being nearly abreast of Cape Croker,
about four miles distant from it, suddenly shoaled our water from twen
ty-two fathoms to seven. Put the helm down immediately, hauled close
to the wind on the starboard tack and stood off shore; but still finding
our soundings Measurements of the depth of a body of water. decrease very rapidly, shortened sail and prepared to
anchor. Before this, however, could be accomplished, the vessel struck
with such tremendous violence on a detached reef in nine feet water,
that scarcely any one could stand on the deck. Backed all the sails, with
the hopes of getting stern way in, but unfortunately to no purpose: they
were then taken in and furled. The boat being lowered, a hawser with
a kedge were taken out and dropped about a cable’s length off. An at
tempt was then made to heave her off, but she was so firmly fixed on
the rocks that no effort of ours could move her. She now heeled over
on her bilge, bumping and straining herself so fearfully that I expected
every moment to see her go to pieces: the surf also breaking clean
over the gunwale, sweeping all before it. In one of these heavy surges
the rudder was carried away in the head, tearing the pendant with it
and lifting the whole of the poop deck up by the violence of the concus
sion. The night being very dark, it was consequently lost. A boat
having been sent out to sound, in order to ascertain the extent of the
shoal, soon after returned, the officer in charge reporting there were three