Tie Coromandel, having received her orders proceeded to Tungying Island with hastily recruited gang of evaties which, with the crew of the Sobraon, and other men drawn into the ranks on the made up a complete: of some five hn hinds." Phe necessary apparatus for sileiag op: rations was supp by Boyd To begin with work was retarder by rough weather, lifs boats were smashed, Jand the steam pinnace of th+ Sobraon foundered in a heavy sev. The waves came along wit tremendous force and, striking the sides of the wrecked steamer, rose above her, sweeping her decks from fend to end. the°men laboured by day, going on shore at night time, and their efforts cetinned day after day without a halt, Everything movable was taken out of the cabins, and nothing was left undone to save the whole effec's of the steaner. {Tt was thought at first that it would be possible to refloat her, but the hope was perforce abandoned. She was firmly fixed the rock, ths top of which, judged by the divers to weigh one hundred ton", the force of the impact had broken off and sent to the bottom. Kvery hour she continued to become more of a fixture in her peculiar position, and Cxptain Vihert says that the rock is now worn several feet deep by the sagging motion of the wreck.
The Coromandel worked in a daily routine which altered not, and generally speaking, in weather treacherous and bad. \Her very numerous working party hal every morning t" be put on board the Sobraon and every evening at least they had to be taken off again, Often they would be put on board while yet the weather smiled, ant in a couple of hours " syusl! would burst and a heavy sea get up with.the suldenness which is frequent on the China corst. Then cams the necessary but very dangerous work of them off again, for the Sobraon at such times was described as being little better than "a deathtrap." It says much for the patient skill with which this was done that there wera at no time any accidents. Perhaps the most difficult work which these men—and others—hat to. perform was the hoisting showed of the five-ton buller which formed part of the pumping gear tike down the Coromandel. "There were none of the proper xpplianees handy, the weather at the time was extremely bad, and all the conditions seemed ayainst them. The boiler, of course, had to by hoisted in over the port sido—a matter of six y feet, since the Sobraon's list is to starboard and the only power available was band-power. A conference of skilled heads evolved a plan, and finally, with 600 strain. ing men on the treble, it was got inboard,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.