13 December 1863

Thomas Keir diary - 13 December 1863 entry [National Library Micro-MS-0837]

Sunday 13th – about 4 A.M. the
old /man\ breathed his last in the hospital
the first death in our ranks[1], and God
only knows who comes next. he was
reduced to a mere skeleton. 7 A.M. the
sailmaker sewed the body up in a piece
of canvas, and placed it on a board, and
soon after removed it to the top of the
deck house till after service when the
body was consigned to the deep. The board
with the body on it was removed to the
lee side and placed on the top of the bulwark
and two or three of the sailors balanced
it while the Captain read the funeral
service and when he came to the words
it was launched over and fell in the water
with a splash, and the weights at the feet
soon sank it out of sight, the waters
closed in and all was if nothing had
occurred. some of his friends were crying

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and the captain ordered them to be re-
moved or they would make him cry too.
The man died at 4 A.M. and all was
over about 11 A.M. There are one or two
more ill and fears are entertained of
their safety. The weather is getting warm
our latitude at noon was 8°11’ north
as I was sitting on the forecastle in
the afternoon, observed an object on the
water to the port bow, as we approached
it I recognized the triangular fin, and
shouted out, a shark! a shark! there was
a general rush to the side, and we all saw
the animal distinctly, but the distance
was too far to judge of it size truly.
There was also a species of hawk hovering
about the vessel and occasionally alighting
on the rigging. the day has been beautiful
a fine breeze and some clouds which keeps
down the heat, today all the females were

ordered of the forecastle by the captain
which caused a little grumbling among
some of the passengers. Had a flagon of
the preserved potatoes for dinn supper, Peter
and Sandy[2] tooke share and pronounced them
good. We were all strictly examined by
the Captain and Doctor in the forenoon and
they found fault with them that were
barefooted

STANDARDISED

Sunday 13th

About 4am the old man breathed his last in the hospital, the first death in our ranks, and God only knows who comes next. He was reduced to a mere skeleton. 7am the sailmaker sewed the body up in a piece of canvas, and placed it on a board, and soon after removed it to the top of the deck house till after service when the body was consigned to the deep. The board with the body on it was removed to the lee side and placed on the top of the bulwark and two or three of the sailors balanced it while the Captain read the funeral service and when he came to the words it was launched over and fell in the water with a splash, and the weights at the feet soon sank it out of sight, the waters closed in and all was if nothing had occurred. Some of his friends were crying and the captain ordered them to be removed or they would make him cry too. The man died at 4am and all was over about 11am. There are one or two more ill and fears are entertained of their safety.

The weather is getting warm, our latitude at noon was 8°11’ north. As I was sitting on the forecastle in the afternoon, I observed an object on the water to the port bow. As we approached it I recognized the triangular fin, and shouted out, a shark! a shark! there was a general rush to the side, and we all saw the animal distinctly, but the distance was too far to judge of it size truly. There was also a species of hawk hovering about the vessel and occasionally alighting on the rigging. The day has been beautiful, a fine breeze and some clouds which keeps down the heat. Today all the females were ordered off the forecastle by the captain, which caused a little grumbling among some of the passengers. Had a flagon of the preserved potatoes for supper, Peter and Sandy took a share and pronounced them good. We were all strictly examined by the Captain and Doctor in the forenoon and they found fault with them that were barefooted.

HENRY SCHOFIELD DIARY

Dec 13th fine

5th Sunday an Irishman died about 4 Oclock aged 42 and was put overboard into the sea at 12 O’clock. Had service. Saw a shark and a hawk on deck. Very hot, lice running about on deck I got one onto me. The Captain & Doctor & passengers had a [?] on forecastle wanting them to come off. For dinner spice pudding & bouilli. Norwegian Tom[3] told me of his father’s deathly murder.

Notes

1. The deceased was Joseph Hughes, a farm labourer from County Down, Ireland, who was travelling with the Boyce family. The passenger listing gives his age as 40, though the captain wrote in the ship’s log that he was 56. Cause of death was dysentery.

Joseph Hughes age 56 Passenger expired. He had suffered with a Bowel complaint from the time he came on board. Dr Cocksedge attended him the whole of the time. At noon buried the deceased

2. Peter and Alexander, Thomas’s brothers.

3. There was one crew member from Norway, though his name in the crew list was Christian Peterson, so the identity of “Norwegian Tom” remains unclear.