Travel Diaries and Journals

9

soon ready to take out turn under one of the wooden spouts, or shoots, to have our hold filled with coals, brought down from the pit's mouth in little square wagons on iron tramways, at that time the only form of railway in use.

In waiting our turn at the 'spout' we spent a Sunday at Shields, and getting leave from the Captain to go on shore, having never before been far from home I had much to look at. I soon left the black dirty town of Shields behind me and struck into the country enjoying the beautiful sunshine and the song of the birds, and was sorry when night coming on made it necessary to seek my close sleeping berth on board the vessel once more. I had a great wish to see the famous old town of Newcastle about eight or ten miles higher up the river than Shields, but want of opportunity forced me to defer it until my next voyage.

As soon as we were full of coals we dropped down with the tide took a pilot and went out of the harbour and found a very heavy sea outside, and we being very deep in the water we were continually under water, every thing washed off the decks and not a dry thread about us. The cooking coppers stood on deck but we could keep no time there, our work was harder now the sails required a deal of attention, and I was obliged to stand my watch and not take my share of the ship's duties as far as my stomach would allow me, with the men, except taking the helm, and wondrous short my four hours watch below, 'Starboard watch', to which I belonged [illegible?] to be called before I had closed my eyes ten minutes, however we reached Yarmouth harbour all in due time discharged coals, and again took cargo for London, and such with slight variations is the routine on such vessels, and in the winter