The vessel
Eglinton was built in 1848 at Quebec, Canada, as a three-masted
carvel-built barque. Lloyd's Survey Register recorded the vessel as having
a standing bowsprit with a female figure-head, a square stern, with a poop
deck in addition to the full deck. The extent of the Lloyd's survey means
that full measurements for the barque are available although no plans are
known to exist.
Eglinton was described by its agents as a 'splendid fast sailing
ship'. It was employed at a time of increasing competition in the clipper
trade where attributes of speed, good cargo capacity and low operating costs
were desirable. In January 1852 the agents of Felgate invited application
for freight and passengers for an intended voyage between Gravesend and
the Swan River, via Capetown and various ports in Asia and Australia (Henderson
& Millar, 1994:20).
Under Captain Bennet, with 23 passengers aboard, Eglinton sailed
on 11 April 1852. On 29 July the vessel left Cape of Good Hope, having taken
more passengers aboard. Before leaving the Cape the captain noticed that
the chronometer was giving incorrect readings and, when his request for
a replacement was refused, he was forced to rely on his own instrument for
the voyage. On 3 September a discoloration in the water was noticed and
it was estimated that land lay 240 kilometres away. The sails were shortened
with an expectation that land would be sighted the following day.
The wreck event
At 9.45 p.m. the look-out called 'breakers ahead'. Almost immediately
the vessel struck a reef, rendering the rudder useless. Eglinton
now ran over the first reef towards a second line of reef about 1 kilometre
ahead. Moments after the vessel struck the stern frame was broken in. There
was confusion aboard as the crew and passengers had been celebrating the
near completion of the voyage. The masts were cut down and the boats were
made ready for launching.
The water was up to the seats and we were chilled! The night increased in severity: terribly dark and dreadful squalls of hail and rain and a fearful sea (Mrs James Walcott, letter, 4 December 1852, Henderson papers, Reel 1331, Norfolk Record Office, England, quoted in Henderson & Henderson, 1988:13).
The next morning, with no response forthcoming from Perth to the guns
that were fired, the task of transferring the passengers to safety began.
One passenger lost her life when one of the ship's boats overturned. The
boatswain also drowned in his effort to save the ship's chronometer which
had fallen into the sea.
Printed earthernware plate with 'wild rose' pattren from the Eglinton .
Salvage
Eglinton had a valuable cargo aboard for the merchants and other
colonists of Western Australia. Much of it was uninsured. While a quantity
of goods from the wreckage had floated ashore, plans were made to salvage
the vessel. Lloyd's agents arranged for a third of the value of the cargo
to go to the Fremantle boatmen on its recovery (Henderson & Millar,
1994).
Many of the survivors from the wreck received little attention. Concern
was directed toward retrieving the cargo. Salvors recovered £15 000
of gold sovereign originally bound for the Colonial Government. The operation
was directed by the superintendent of water police who was later to lay
personal claim to the third share of the cargo offered by Lloyd's (Henderson
& Henderson, 1988).
By September, gales had torn up the lower deck, washed away all the bulkheads
and smashed many of the deck beams. In Perth and Fremantle daily auctions
continued to realise high prices for damaged and retrieved cargoes. The
hull of the vessel was sold in November but it is unlikely that much remained
of it for salvage. |
Inquiry
Captain Bennett was charged with negligence, convicted for not obtaining
fresh ratings for his chronometer and for not laying out the anchors, and
fined £50. This sum was paid by a group of sympathetic colonists.
One of the crew was found guilty of stealing some personal effects from
the wreck and was imprisoned for six months (Henderson & Millar, 1994).
Site location
The site lies approximately 49 kilometres north of Perth, 2.4 kilometres
from Eglinton Rocks, and 2 kilometres from the mainland, on Eglington Reef.
Site description
Inspection of the site revealed that little of the ship's structure remains.
Material was almost entirely confined to cargo including quantities of earthenware,
chinaware, glassware, bottles and metal artefacts. Much of this material
was located in the extensive limestone cave system that forms part of the
reef.
The wreckage extends over an area of approximately 50 metres by 35 metres.
It lies on part of a chain of offshore reefs running parallel to the coast
and rises within 1 metre of the surface from a sand bottom about 10 metres
deep on the outer side.
In 1993 much of the site was covered by concretion and kelp, including
the artefact concentrations, iron concretions, bricks and ballast. In some
places artefact concentrations were up to 0.5 metres thick.
Excavation and artefacts
In 1971 and 1972 excavations of the site were undertaken. The large collection
of material is held by the Museum. It includes over 700 registered articles
which form part of permanent and travelling exhibitions. Among the items
collected were hundreds of glass tumblers, wine goblets, assorted glassware,
jars of preserved fruits, china dinner sets, pharmaceutic supplies, clay
pipes, a toothbrush and comb (Henderson & Henderson, 1988:14).
Artefacts displayed from the Eglinton .
Statement of significance
Historical
This site is of particular historical significance as an immigrant ship
that brought people to the colony during the Australian goldrush era. It
is also significant as a wreck event for the impact it had on the local
community. The fledgling colony would have been affected economically by
its loss, though this was in part offset by the extensive salvage operations.
Archaeological
The archaeological assemblages that remain in situ and the excavated
material are of significance because they offer the opportunity for Western
Australia's colonial history to be re-examined. The origin, value, quantity
and quality of goods offer possible reinterpretation of colonial trade and
dependency on imported and mass produced items.
References
Green, J. & Henderson, G., (file report), Preliminary report of the discovery and work on the Eglinton.
Henderson, G. & Millar, K., 1995, Eglinton site report, Department of Maritime Archaeology, Western Australia Maritime Museum, in progress.
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