They Arrived At Newcastle Safely On The Day After
Their Departure, And Disembarked The Little Colony.
All three vessels
were then loaded with coals and cedar for Sydney, the Lady Nelson
receiving on board "twenty-six fine logs of rich cedar." The homeward
voyage was unfortunate, as the James was lost off Broken Bay.
Leaving
Newcastle in a very leaky condition, and encountering a gale, the water
gradually gained fast upon her and stopped her progress. Two days
afterwards the pumps became choked, and the five men who composed her
crew had to bale with buckets. Eventually they stood on to a sandy beach
where their vessel, being nearly full of water, was dashed to pieces by
the tremendous surf. The crew were picked up on the north head of Broken
Bay by the Resource and brought to Sydney.* (* For this portion of the
Lady Nelson's story no log has been available. The material has been
derived principally from the columns of Sydney newspapers.)
The voyage of the Lady Nelson to Norfolk Island in April and May, 1804,
was one of the most tempestuous the brig ever experienced. She sailed
with the Francis on April 30th, but the two ships soon parted company.
Their cargo consisted of stores and a quantity of salt staves and hoops
for the purpose of curing pork, a supply of which was greatly needed for
the colony. For eighteen days continuous gales buffeted the ship and
drove her so far northward that she could not make her port of
destination.
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