An item reported that at Liverpool a tiding was received that the transport Bosphorus sunk in the Algoa Bay near the Cape with all men on board. She had left on 18 September Liverpool with victuals for the Abyssinian expeditionary troops.(1)
Another Dutch newspaper Middelburgsche Courant dated 29 December supplied more details about the disaster. The item used the newspaper Kaapsche Volksblad dated 19 November describing that a transport hired by the British cabinet for the expedition was lost with 48 of the 85 crew members killed. The steamship hit with all sails set by and full speed on 22 October at 01.00 o’clock the rocks on a distance of 5 miles west of Slang river and about 30-35 miles distance of Humansdorp. Around o6.00 o’clock it broke into pieces and all men were thrown over board except for the first and second helmsmen who as volunteers with the last life-boat tried to bring a rope to the shore. Although the boat immediately was smashed to pieces the managed to come on land. The surviving crewmember robbed of all their belongings were transported from Humansdorp to Port Elizabeth an there was taken care of them. The authorities at Port Elizabeth blamed the unreliable charts for the disaster.
Note
1. Wikepedia mentioned that when missionaries and representatives were imprisoned by the Ethiopian government England successfully launched a punitive expedition. Strangely enough was the imprisonment meant to attract British attention by the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros II for military assistance in ending the revolt in his empire.
George Mcall Theal wrote in his book History of South Africa since September 1795 (1908) on page 95 that this transport was bound for Bombay when she struck a reef near Cape Saint Francis on 21 October with forty survivors of the crew of 98 men.
The newsletter SOS of the Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Programs, vol. 2, issue 4 of 2008 said that this screw steamship with sails was wrecked near George on 21 October.
The website http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/lostatsea.html also mentioned 21 October and wrecked at Zitzikama Point, cape of Good Hope and calls her a Abyssinian transport steamship.
The website http://everything.explained.at/List_of_shipwrecks/ mentioned 21 October and George as the place of disaster.
Another Dutch newspaper Middelburgsche Courant dated 29 December supplied more details about the disaster. The item used the newspaper Kaapsche Volksblad dated 19 November describing that a transport hired by the British cabinet for the expedition was lost with 48 of the 85 crew members killed. The steamship hit with all sails set by and full speed on 22 October at 01.00 o’clock the rocks on a distance of 5 miles west of Slang river and about 30-35 miles distance of Humansdorp. Around o6.00 o’clock it broke into pieces and all men were thrown over board except for the first and second helmsmen who as volunteers with the last life-boat tried to bring a rope to the shore. Although the boat immediately was smashed to pieces the managed to come on land. The surviving crewmember robbed of all their belongings were transported from Humansdorp to Port Elizabeth an there was taken care of them. The authorities at Port Elizabeth blamed the unreliable charts for the disaster.
Note
1. Wikepedia mentioned that when missionaries and representatives were imprisoned by the Ethiopian government England successfully launched a punitive expedition. Strangely enough was the imprisonment meant to attract British attention by the Ethiopian emperor Tewodros II for military assistance in ending the revolt in his empire.
George Mcall Theal wrote in his book History of South Africa since September 1795 (1908) on page 95 that this transport was bound for Bombay when she struck a reef near Cape Saint Francis on 21 October with forty survivors of the crew of 98 men.
The newsletter SOS of the Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Programs, vol. 2, issue 4 of 2008 said that this screw steamship with sails was wrecked near George on 21 October.
The website http://www.old-merseytimes.co.uk/lostatsea.html also mentioned 21 October and wrecked at Zitzikama Point, cape of Good Hope and calls her a Abyssinian transport steamship.
The website http://everything.explained.at/List_of_shipwrecks/ mentioned 21 October and George as the place of disaster.
