142
A VOYAGE TO
[North Coast.
1802.
November.
Friday 26.
- On boring into one timber of a side from the bread room, one is sound; but on the larbord aide it is rotten.
- The stem appears to be good; but the stemson is mostly decayed.
- The lower breast hook is decayed within side.
- The transoms, sleepers, stern post, and postson are all sound.
- The ends of the beams we find to be universally in a decaying state.
- The tree-nails are in general rotten.
- From the specimens we have seen of the top-sides and bends, we expect that the insides of them are rotten, fore and aft; but that about one inch of the outside of the greater part is yet quite sound.
- After the above report, and upon due consideration, we give the following answers to the four questions put to us.
- 1st. The ship having before made ten inches of water an hour, in a common fresh breeze, we judge from that, and what we have now seen, that a little labouring would employ two pumps; and that in a strong gale, with much sea running, the ship would hardly escape foundering; so that we think she is totally unfit to encounter much bad weather.
- 2nd. We have no doubt but that, if the ship should get on shore under any unfavourable circumstances, she would immediately go to pieces; but with a soft bottom and smooth water, she might touch for a short time without any worse consequences than to another ship, if she did not heel much; but altogether, we judge it to be much more dangerous for her to get aground in her present state, than if she were sound.
- 3rd. It is our opinion that the ship could not bear heaving down on any account; and that laying her on shore might so far strain her as to start the copper and butt ends, which would make her unable to swim without vast repair.
- 4th. Mr. Aken has known several ships of the same kind, and built at the same place as the Investigator; and has always found that when they began to rot they went on very fast. From the state in which the ship seems now to be advanced, it is our joint opinion, that in twelve months there will scarcely be a sound timber in her;
