9th June 1898

Thursday
Divers down bout Bower Anchor Accident ocurred which resulted n the lost of our largest boat, diving pump and all the diving apparatus, it happened in this way out cutter with diving pump and all the gear lay directly over the Anchor, the diver went down taking a stout hemp hawser with him he made it fast  round the cable, the men in the cutter took the weight of a bight of cable to clear a rock of which it was foul of a 4 in wire hawser had been shackled on to the cable from the ship which was round our steam Capstan ready for heaving in, when everything was got ready they was going to cut the hemp that was from the cut so that the cable would clear itself when let go as it was resting on the ledge of the rock, In the meantime the hands came on board for their Stand Easy

whilst they was on board the ship started  to swing around towards shore, the Captain seeing this and forgetting all about the wire Hawser hanging form our bows went astern with both Engines, which taughtened the Wire Hawser hauled on the cable causing that to slip off the Rock the hemp hawser being fast to the cutters stern took her down with diving pump and all the gear in her,

lucky job that no-one was in the boat at the time, as they would have gone down too, as nothing could have been done to save them, the Captain then gave up all hopes of recovering the the gear and thought it was time to clear out, so they slipped the wire hawser  and proceeded to sea, since arriving at at Tucopia the following losses and damages had happened to us, Running the Ship on Shore damaging her bottom causing her to leak badly lost port Bow anchor 4 & 6 inc h wire Hawser ten oared cutter diving pump and gear complete 2 1/2 inch shackles of cable Blacksmiths Anvil 4 sounding leads broke two gripping spars and knocked a large hole in the 2nd Gig during the??? had very rough weather set in, shaped course for Duff Group.