Background - The Slave ship - Wrecksite - The de Burgh's - Joe Matthews - The conservation report
Arrived - On the 21st instant, the James Matthews, Roberts, master, from London, touching at the Cape of Good Hope. - Passengers, Messrs. Burgh, Mrs Roberts, and Mr F. Luth.
We regret to say that the James Matthews was wrecked on the night of the 23rd, after having come to anchor. The following are all the particulars we have been able to collect as to this unfortunate occurrence, and we should be glad to see some inquiry made into the circumstances:-
On Wednesday the brig came to anchor in Owen’s Anchorage in 5 fathoms water. On Thursday afternoon it came on to blow fresh, and about midnight blew a heavy gale of wind; between the hours of 12 and 2 in the morning the cable parted, when the second anchor was let go, which brought her up for a short time; at last she drifted on Woodman’s Reef, where she soon filled with water. Between 7 and 8 in the morning the masts were cut away - the weather was so very thick that nothing could be seen of her before 7 o’clock.
As soon as it was ascertained that she was in danger, Captain Scott went to assist in saving the crew, and a second whale-boat was despatched for the same purpose, when the passengers and crew were saved. On Thursday afternoon, a boat belonging to a man of the name of John Edwards went to the brig, and was obliged to hang astern, not being able to return to Fremantle. At the time the chain parted Edwards and his mate ran on deck to see about their boat - the boat had broken adrift.
Whether Edwards succeeded in getting into his boat is not known, but neither he nor his boat has been seen since. It is to be hoped that a considerable part of the cargo will be saved, if the weather should be moderate. The vessel is reported to be a total wreck. It seems to be the general opinion that if the second anchor had been down before the first parted, so that an equal strain had been on both chains, the vessel would have weathered the gale.
The Brigantine 'James Matthews'
Excerpt from the diary of Henry de Burgh
Details of the voyage of the James Matthews are contained
in the diary of Henry de Burgh, one of its four passengers. It is a
revealing insight into those times.
En route:
'In
the evening of the same day we came closer under the ‘Christina’
to the same port and Robert and I accompanied the Captain on board to
supper. There were a great many nice people on board and I bear with
me still a tender recollection of the younger sister of two Misses Carter
who were emigrating with their brother.
There was a little dancing and some singing on deck and we adjourned
to the brig late. The weather was so calm that the two ships kept the
entire night within speaking distance of watch other and the next morning
after breakfast we renewed our visit to the ‘Christina’ and
passed the day on board making the agreeable to Miss Carter, playing
chess, etc, etc.
Our owner got very drunk and nearly upset us all going back to the grig
in the gig.(sic) The next day the gentlemen of the ‘Christina’
dined with us, but I never saw Henrietta Carter again though I have
since seen her name in the ‘Adelaide Observer’ as led to the
Hymnal altar by some or another bullock feeder whose name I scorn to
perpetuate'.
Chess pieces recovered from the 'James Mathew
The wreck on 22 July 1841:
..The
sailor on watch rushed into the cabin to say that the anchor had given
way and the brig was drifting. The second anchor was instantaneously
let go, but did not take hold, so we drifted with great rapidity...
They then endeavoured to make sail, but this failed... A few second
more and the brig’s keel struck with great force... The ship’s
bows went down and her stern settled on the rock...
...I saw a large chest of ours, containing among other valuables 200
sovereigns, consined to the deep. We had now sunk to the uttermost the
rocks would permit us...
I confess that I was not unmoved at seeing the beautiful brig that had
borne us so manfully over such a waste of space in such a state of dilapidation.
Henry Burgh
The De Burgh's - Top
After the wreck Henry and his brother Robert, who had accompanied him
from England, purchased property near York. Henry returned to England
in 1846 and did not return.
Robert married Clara Welliton and together with their three small children
they left for the Ballarat goldfields in 1852. They returned to Western
Australia in the following year to take up land on the Moore River later
named Cowalla. Their family grew in number, but in 1865 they lost three
of their children to diptheria and moved in to Caversham, where they
remained for the rest of their lives.
The wrecksite: - Top
The wreck lies buried in sand approximately 100 metres from shore. The
water depth varies between 2 and 3 metres, and the sand basin in which
the wreck lies is surrounded by a bank of sea grass. The highest section
of the wreck consisted of a mound of slates and a bundle of large iron
lengths resembling railway lines. Beneath these are the ballast stone
which lie on top of the ceiling timbers.
The
wreck site from the air looking south east (top) and north west
(lower). showing the Cement jetty and water pollution. The wreck is
midway between the jetty and the point.
Sea
grass
Visibility
on the site is usually poor due to the proximity of the site to a cement
works jetty. Barges deposit loads of lime sands at the end of the jetty
for dredging into the factory. Consequently a fine milky suspension
cloud repeatedly moves over the site, sometimes reducing visibility
to less than one foot. A south westerly breeze is necessary to clear
the site entirely. The site is protected against swell and rough wave
conditions during all weather with the exception of a north westerly
wind.
Excavation:
Maritime archaeologists and volunteers under the archaeological direction
of Graeme Henderson of the Western Australian Maritime Museum carried
out four seasons of excavation on the wrecksite between 1974 and 1976
initially using airlifts and later water dredges, a three dimensional
‘bedframe’ recording grid and photogrammetric recording. Preservation
conditions were good on the site and a significant amount of the hull
and cargo remained. The entire remaining hull structure was excavated
and all of the loose artefacts which lay within the hull structure were
raised, conserved and some are now on display at the Maritime Museum
in Fremantle.
While research into the ship’s rigging and cordage has been published,
most of the research and publication has concentrated on the hull, as
an important representative of the slave trade.
The finds:
A significant proportion of the final cargo of James Matthews appears
to have been intended for the construction of one or more farmhouse
buildings including items such as roofing slates, window panes and door
hinges. By far the largest single component of the cargo was 7 000 roofing
slates.
Part of the cache of the 7,000 roofing slates
Builders’
or carpenters’ tools were found together with bundles of iron rods
believed to be intended for blacksmithing purposes were found . Eight
iron wagon axles, four iron horse harness traces some complete with
ring and swivel, nine wool carding combs, quarters of a grindstone,
together with glass window panes and heavy iron door hinges.
While Henry de Burgh mentions the presence of ploughs in his diary and
writes that during the sinking the ‘decks had been cleared off
and the ship lightened of everything possible, among which our ploughs,
instruments and all heavy luggage, which was on deck ready to be landed
in the morning’ No evidence of these ploughs was found during the
archaeological excavation.
The timbers:
The entire hull was cleared over three seasons from 1974 through to
1977. The keelson was exposed, and then the adjacent inner planking
was uncovered. Dredging proceeded up the ceiling to the bulwarks of
the port side about midships, where the scuppers and chain plates were
exposed, as well as what may be part of the coaming of the main hatch.
The remains of iron griddings, which may have been deck gratings, were
also recorded in this area.
The outer planking is sheathed with copper, and the timbers are fastened
with copper, iron, and wooden tree-nails. A thin pine inner skin covers
a section of the inner planking.
The remains were recorded in three dimensions using stereo cameras on
a tower and a grid frame that allowed tape measurement sin an x, y and
z (vertical ) axis. The site plan shown here was the result.
After the excavation the timbers were covered over and the materials
raised sent to the conservation laboratory in Fremantle where they were
readied for study and exhibition.
Graeme
Henderson's team produced this site plan.
The 3 dimensional site recording methodology
Typical slaveship - Top
Discovery: Top
The wreck was located on 22 July, 1973 on the north side of Woodman’s Point in Cockburn Sound, by members of the Underwater Explorers Club who were
conducting an underwater line search as part of their wreck research program.
Construction:
Graeme Henderson's research showed that James Matthews was a snow-brig of 107 tons, registered at the Port of London. The vessel was 80.2 feet in length, with a breadth of 21 feet and a depth of 11.5 feet (approximately 24.5 m x 6.5 x 3.5 m). It had one deck, two masts, a square stern, male bust figurehead and no galleries.
Colonial Trader :
The James Matthews left London for Fremantle on 28 March 1841 with a cargo of 7,000 slates, farming implements, general cargo, 3 passengers and a crew of 15. One of the passengers, Henry de Burgh, left a comprehensive diary covering the voyage to Australia and his later experiences on the land. Much of the cargo belonged to de Burgh, who had been involved in the organisation of the enterprise in England and had an interest in the vessel. When the brig was wrecked he suffered a considerable personal loss, including a case of guns and rifles, and a chest containing 200 sovereigns.
James Matthews a Former Slaver: - Top
The slave trade generally consisted of a ‘triangular run’, with ships travelling from Europe with trade goods, to West Africa where slaves were purchased from local slave traders, to the Americas, where the African slaves were sold, and new cargoes on loaded for the return voyage back to Europe. On 25 April 1837 one slave-ship, the brig Don Francisco was seized as a prize near the island of Dominica by Her Majesty’s Brigantine Griffon. At that time the Don Francisco had 433 slaves on board and was in a near sinking state.
Packing a cargo of slaves
Henderson found that the Don Francisco was owned by the notorious slave dealer Francisco Felis de Souza, who arrived in West Africa from Brazil around 1800. He traded in humans, and goods out of the Portuguese controlled fort at Whydah on the coast of what is now Benin. His fortune dwindled though declining trade, and the loss of the Don Francisco and another slaver the Florida with their cargo of slaves would have had considerable effect on the state of his financial affairs.
Francisco Felis de Souza
Don Francisco was condemned as a slaver by the British and Portuguese Mixed Commission Court on 21st November 1837. During the court proceedings it was revealed that da Souza had earlier purchased the vessel from a Frenchman, Gabriel Giron, who was apparently a slave dealer also. The Lloyds’ Surveyor thought the vessel was French built. Subsequent to its condemnation Don Francisco was sold, repaired and entered into general trading under British registration and re-named the James Matthews
This should not have happened. In 1836 a Bill was presented to the British Parliament requiring that slave ships, immediately after condemnation, should be broken up entirely, and sold in separate parts. This was to defeat the re-purchasing of vessels for re-employment in the slave trade. In 1837, when the Act came into effect there were 24 prizes at Sierra Leone. The schooner Gazita, which was one of the 24, was cut in two and sold; the remaining 23 were hauled out and burned.
The stacking plan for slaves abaord the James Matthews
The effect of this and other similar legislation must have been to severely limit the chances of survival of any representative of this type of ship. It was fortuitious that the James Matthews was not broken up after condemnation.
Vessels built for the slave trade needed to meet special constructional requirements, such as a shallow draft, fine lines for speed and various internal fittings to provide for the slaves. Slave ships were famous for their excellent sailing qualities and some of their internal features were so obviously intended for a specific trade that legislation was passed providing that vessels of this design could be detained as a prize even without the actual presence of slaves on board.
Freeing slaves from the nightmare below decks
Joe Matthews and the James Matthews - Top
Texan Joe Matthew’s father had earlier purchased part of the de Burgh property Cowalla and Joe came to wonder about the interesting links to the de Burghs and to the little ship. He visited the exhibitions at the museum and got to meet all the staff, many of who were involved in the earlier James Matthews exhibitions.
His interest was such that he provided a grant to the WA Maritime Museum to study the wreck and to see if the timbers could be raised. A study was commenced under the leadership of Dr M. McCarthy, involving many staff of the museum’s conservation facility, notably Ms Vicki Richards, a specialist in the assessment and treatment of ‘composites’ i.e. wood/metal objects.
When it became apparent that the costs of raising, preserving and presenting the hull was prohibitive, the program soon evolved into a major in-situ preservation study.
Vicki Richard’s study- Top
The results of this on-site conservation pre-disturbance survey which was conducted over the summer of 2000/2001 indicates that the exposed hull remains of the James Matthews are in relatively poor condition but most of the wreck remains are buried and these structural timbers are in a good state of preservation. The rate of degradation would have accelerated dramatically with the significant decrease in sediment coverage over the past few years.
Therefore, a synergistic maritime archaeological and conservation management plan must be devised to significantly reduce the continued deterioration of this historic shipwreck site. Click here to read Vicki’s report. 471k download. This report does not include images, maps or sketches of the site.
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