The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-07-06
The Wreck of the "ROyal George" /"

SplGnead, OH Portsmouth, England in
I7S2, with all her guns, stores, and crew,
had batf1ed all attempts to raise or re-
move it, when in 1889 Colonel Paisley
undertook the task of blowing it up
with gunpowder, a plan hitherto un-
known in such operations. The story
of this famous wreck has long been fa-
miliar, but the chief facts may be reca-
pitulated here.
The Royal George" had long been
an object of pride, not only to the navy,
but to the English public. She was the
Oldest first-rate in the service. She car
ried 108 guns, and it was said had borne
more Admirals' flags than any other
ship in the British navy. She carried
the tallest masts and the squarest can
vas of any English built man-of-war
and may have been considered as the
embodiment of the naval glory of Eng
land, then at its height. At the period
of her disastrous end she had Just re-
turned from cruise off Spithead, where
Lord HOwe's fleet of between 80 and 40
sail Of the line, many frigates, and 200
or 300 merchants vessels were riding at
anchor. 1t was on the 10th of August,
1882, as she lay here quietly, that the
carpenter discovered that the pipe which
admitted the water to cleanse the ship
was out of repair. AS the orifice of this
pipe was about three feet below the sur
face of the water, it was necessary to
heel the vessel slightly over, so that the
pipe could be raised and examined.
This simple operation, which had fire.
quently been performed in the navy
with impunity, was the chief cause of
the terrible disaster which followed. To
accomplish it, the guns on the laboard
hn al ~ JnreA ArHHFa 81
holes as far as they could go, and those
on the starboard side removed to the
middle of the decks. This brought the
port-hole sills of the vessel on the lower
side nearly even with the water. Un-
fortunately lighter, laden with rum,
soon afterward arrived, and placed her
cargo aboard on the lower side. This,
with the additional weight of the men,
caused the water to enter at the ports,
but so gradually that it was long before
any one perceived the danger.
Meanwhile, the smiths and braisiers
had almost completed their work, when
sudden breeze blew upon her raised
side, forcing her still further down,
while the water began to rush with ter
rible force into her ports. The lieuten-
ant of the watch now ordered the drum
to beat to right the ship-but too late.
AS the vessel heeled over, guns, shot,
and everything movable rolled with it
to the lower side, and accelerated her
descent, and the enormous vessel fell OF
her brOadside fiat, with all her masts in
the water. Then was seen a confused
multitude of men and women scram-
bling to the side still left out of the
water, and uttering heart-rending LAM
entatioDs. So sudden was the accident
ha haA fso;a Al.
alarming to arouse general attention,
that scarcely any succor could be rem
dered even by the multitude of vessels
which lay at anchor near. Signals of
distress were fired for help from Spit
head, but the unfortunate vessel finally
sank. Of the 200 persons on board, in
cluding 250 women and children belong
ing to the seamen, nearly 900 perished
The rest escaped by mounting to the
rigging or clinging to floating timber.
With those lost was Admiral Kempen-
feldt, who, at the moment of the occur
renee, was writing in his cabin, whence
his captain had in vain endeavored to
eXtricate him. Among the numerous
affecting episodes of this historical ship
wreck, was the saving of little child,
who was miraculously preserved by
holding on to the fleece of a sheen,
which swan in the water, where the
child was picked up by gentleman in a
boat. Both the father and mother of
the child had perished, and the gentle
man who rescued him humanely under
took to provide for him.
In the year 1884, Mr.. Dean, an engi-
neer, with the authority of the govern
ment, descended by means of a ladder to
the wreck, being attired in apparatus of
his own invention, which has since be-
come better known to the public. His
dress, composed of india-rubber, made
perfectly water-tight, having a helmet
of metal on his head extending to his
shoulders, large enough to allow him to
turn his head round at pleasure, having
three glass lenses to admit the light,
and tube of the same flexible material
on the top to supply air by means of an
air-pump, worked by men in attend
ance above. Mr.. Dean found the un-
fortunate vessel huge mass of old tim
ber, stores, and materials mixed with
mud, clay, and sand. In his dress,
though he had attached to him nearly
80 pounds weight to make him sink, he
easily walked about the ruins of the
ship, using his hatchet freely, and re-
manning down more than an hour each
time. In this way he succeeded in re-
covering number of valuable brass and
iron guns in high state of preserva-
tion, besides a number of interesting
articles of less Importance.
No further attempts were made to re-
move any portion of the "Royal George"
until 1889, when it occurred to the in
genious mind of Colonel Paisley that
gunpowder, so commonly applied by
miners in blowing up solid rocks, as
well as in military operations, might be
successfully employed for the purpose of
breaking up the wreck, by which some
of it's valuables might be recovered,
while dangerous obstruction would be
removed. Two divers and two sets of
workmen were employed in different
lighters moored near enough to be
within hail. The divers were attired in
Mr.. Deans apparatus. The first exper-
iment proved failure, owing to an ao-
cident in the cylinders and other causes.
Other huge cylinders filled with gun
powder were then sunk, and on the
29th of August, the anniversary of the
sinking of the "Royal George" five
small charges were exploded. The ex-
plosions were effected by the fusees be-
ing fired by the wires of the voltaic bat
tery-an entirely new application of
that wonderful instrument. On the 23d
of September large cylinder, charged
with 400 pounds of gunpowder, was
lowered and carefully placed by the di-
vers, and all being ready, Colonel Pas
ley directed it to be fired. Instantly,
hof0ro ha ouos Of fhoneorI, e