Tag: maritime history
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The “Blue Death:” Cholera’s reign of terror
Richard de GrijsSydney, Australia Cholera—the “Blue Death” and, in the words of one witness, “one of the most ghastly experiences a disease could inflict on a human being”1—emerged in the early 1800s from the Ganges delta, traveling along the routes of global trade2 and religious pilgrimage.3 This waterborne disease could transform proud vessels into floating…
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Wasting away: The silent death of tuberculosis at sea
Richard de GrijsSydney, Australia In the suffocating hold of the William Nichol, twenty-year-old Sarah Dorrett lay dying. For over a year she had been “subject to cough,” but the voyage from England to Australia had hastened her decline. Surgeon-Superintendent Peter Leonard (1801–1888) watched helplessly as she passed through “every indication of tubercular disease of the…
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Below deck and breathless: Pneumonia’s toll on seafarers
Richard de GrijsSydney, Australia In the tight, damp quarters of historical tall ships on the open sea, pneumonia was a common occurrence. More than just an unfortunate illness, it was often a death sentence, preying upon the weakened and crowded bodies of sailors, soldiers, convicts, and emigrants. Although less sensational than scurvy and not as…
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No fitful rest for the ordinary sailor
Richard de GrijsSydney, Australia At the Australian National Maritime Museum, our exhibits include two replica ships that played major roles in Australia’s European history. The Dutch East India Company’s Duyfken made the first recorded European landing on Australian soil in 1606. Our second replica vessel is a faithful copy of HMB Endeavour, commanded by James…
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William Dawes: Deep flaws and sparks of brilliance
Richard de GrijsSydney, Australia Most Sydneysiders will have heard of William Dawes (1762–1836), although they may not know exactly who he was. Dawes Point, the promontory supporting the southern pillars of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, is named after him, as are Dawes Creek and Dawes Ridge in the nearby Blue Mountains National Park. William Dawes…