Complex sentence: The middle portion of the boat was covered with a thatch-house, in which baggage and passengers are stowed; the gunwale was not more than a foot above water, and from the great top and side weight.
Split into simpler sentences: The middle portion of the boat is covered with a thatch-house, in which baggage and passengers are stowed. The gunwale was not more than a foot above water, and from the great top and side weight.