A VESSEL WITH A HISTORY.

Evening Post, Volume XLII, Issue 127, 25 November 1891, Page 4

A VESSEL WITH A HISTORY.

_ The hulk Success, which recently arrived in Port Jackson, in tow from Molbourno, ia a vessel with a history. She was one. of the pionoer tradors to Melbourne, and somewhere about 1853 was purchased by the Victorian Government, dismantlo^ and. converted into a floating dep6t for long-sentence orirmnals. In this capacity sho served for years, and many wcro the bloodcurdling scenes enaoted on board. Little change has beon mode in hor from tie old timo. She is a prison ship which could bo put in "commission" to-morrow, so far as strength and *pll accommodation is concorncd. Her main lower dock shows the prisons, with their bolts and bars and heavy doors, thoir narrow cells, their "tiger dens," their won gratings, thoir oolleotion of leg-irons and other paraphornalia of a convict ship In somo of tho colls are to bo seen tho bolts in the walls or ship's timber, to whioh rofraotory prisoners wero chained, and the dark hole on tho lowor deck, whoro there is not room for a man when chained to the bolt to mthor stand ;ip or lie down. It was from tno auooess that a number of convicts led by % Captain" Melville, as he was called, attempted to escape. They dashed out the brains of ono of tho warders in tho boat, but immediately afterwards a fnsilado from tlia wardors on board struck one of thcui 'to the heart, and fatally wounded. But, so tho story goos, MelriH'e escaped his just punishment. Ho vaa'Ventenoed to death, it is true, for hi» part'in' tho affair, bnt got off on a, t«ohnioal point, only to commit smoido in the Melbourne Gaol. Tho Success ,s the mfeert* of. a Melbourne syndicate, Mr. J. H: Chambers being the nwnager, and" she has been taken round specially for exhibition. The ship, to say the .least, isa wonderful old vessel, for thotwrh over 100 years old-having beon Wit at Moulmem, British Bormah, in 1790-hw timbers are still in a good state of piseaeryatjon She Irf built of, teak, andfthe ififcn maSt and ship's bell are sa& to be those put m tho vossel when X was launched. The following no^e. £ con! stoouously displayed on boar^ th> vessel — 'fPnson hulk Sucoess, Eiwt Hdia trader 100 years old, bnilt of ioji^ak, Sai prison oells, with e» B t*.(i ß wax) of the priWfTS, *i ?*&»*> &**** " nd manacles." ™«l J" n5 f the ownorß lo sen d the vessel to England. She will make the &3UB* wil> Capiaia B - Jenkin '