40 PREPARATIONS FOR RIGHTING. [1843 



in the channels (in order to afford room for the two 

 barges on deck), could not be got at on the declining 

 side ; we had, however, embarked several large spars cut 

 up the river as specimens of the wood to be obtained 

 here ; and as the tide slackened, we succeeded in getting 

 three of these well placed on the starboard side, and a 

 good vertical strain brought upon them by purchases 

 lashed through the starboard main-deck ports. These 

 measures, aided by our horizontal purchases on the 

 coasting cable, tended to prevent her keel from slipping. 

 The usual preparations having been made by battening 

 down the hatchways, and the ship having only inclined 

 twenty-two degrees, or to what had been ascertained the 

 previous night to be not attended with danger, no doubts 

 were entertained of her righting herself with the ensuing 

 flood tide, particularly as more decided measures had 

 been adopted to aid her by the horizontal purchase from 

 the mast heads on the coasting cable to the shore. Upon 

 the rise at flood, the chain pumps were put in motion to 

 free her from nine inches water, reported in the well, this 

 being merely two inches beyond her ordinary depth in 

 the well. A serious difficulty, however, not hitherto 

 contemplated, now presented itself; the 'Samarang' 

 being fitted with the old chain-pump, it was found that 

 the inclination caused the slack part of the chain to fall 

 into a curve, and the descending discs to overlap the 

 trunks so much as to render them useless. Before time 

 allowed of any effectual remedy being applied, a report 

 was made of the water " gushing in full streams into the 

 hold," and that the ship had five feet, the rise of 

 tide rapidly overpowering her. The carpenter then dis- 



