"She's a Fine Boat...Her Name is the Rewa....."

Tilbury Docks across the Thames from Gravesend.  Google Maps 2022

Page 6 continued....

    "....But the time is come for us to be moving so up to our arms & baggage & let us move on.  We are now on the pier head & have a good view of the Thames ...the tender is along side but the vessel in which we are to sail is not in sight yet, she hasn't left London yet... someone says rather strange too...some one else says she has... but an old river hand on the pier soon puts matters right for he directs our attention to the masts of a ship moving...

Page 7 

 

down the river & tells us that this is the vessel that we are to go by... yes I can see the masts but I cannot see the vessel for she is a good distance up the river but of course we have a full description of her given us whilst waiting.  On the opposite side of the river is the new Tilbury docks, being constructed for the London Tilbury and Southend Railway Company & on the river itself all is motion as only those who are acquainted with the traffic on the Thames can rightly imagine. But now our vessel is drawing nearer & we are able to descerne (sic) the fine hull of her...she's is a fine boat...her name is the Rewa...one of the British India Steam Navigation Company's boats of 4117 tons...she is now opposite the pier & in mid river...drops anchor & embarkation on the tender proceeds.  We are each presented with a new testament from the good missionary from the "Thames Church Missionary Society" and a parting word being the last we received on shore in England...the tender pushes off with the first party for embarkation...."

   The tender that Charles referred to was generally a smaller ship that transported people or supplies from shore to a much larger ship anchored away from the pier. Tenders provided a link from shore to ship, especially if the larger ship was too large to tie up on the dock or if weather was rough.   

(wikipedia.org Ship's Tenders)

  Construction on the Tilbury Docks began on July 8, 1882 so Charles would have seen the progress being made from across the river at Gravesend where his train journey ended.  The first vessel to enter the completed docks arrived in 1886. The Port of Tilbury is now the principal port for London, and is located 25 miles downstream of London Bridge.  (Wikipedia Port of Tilbury)

  The Thames Church Missionary Society was begun in 1844 to "afford the advantages of a cruising vessel of worship and partial visitation to the vast floating population of the Thames".  Many times vessels were not allowed to proceed to ports of destination for days or weeks but had to wait their turn in the river to unload cargo, or had to wait for fair weather to continue their journey.  The Society's "great object" was to "supply their crews with spiritual instruction", usually with a ship fitted out as a church.  The Society  provided a lending library and also sold tracts, Bibles and prayer books at reduced prices.  (Lifeboat Magazine Archive The Thames Church Mission Sept. 1852 vol. 1 issue 6)

It looks like Bibles were handed out for free to the English Military on their way to Egypt in 1884. 

  The steam ship "Rewa" (ship No. 1) was built in 1882 by the British India Steam Navigation Company,  so was fairly new when Charles embarked on his sea journey in September of 1884.  According to TheShipsList website, the ship weighed in at 4, 017 tons, very close to Charles' estimate of 4,117 tons.  The ship was sold in 1905 to the Spanish government, later sold to Uruguay and was renamed Brasileno. 

https://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/bisn.shtml

  Page 8

    "I will leave you to imagine for yourselves the feelings that would pass through the minds & hearts of men on leaving English Terra-firma for the seat of war...I may say for myself that although I knew that possibility (?) (?) my return impracticable yet I knew that it was possible (& this hope was uppermost) that after events had terminated there was a chance of returning & this thought always on top impelled me to take courage & work with a will. I do not remember among all the party of having seen one man who shew any (signs?) of depression at the point of embarkation.  We are now alongside and one after the other we climb up over the ship side & on the deck of the vessel... at about 3 o'clock we are told off to our quarters & having the second party on board, the shipping baggage & c (cargo) we weigh anchor about 5 o'clock & slowly we commence steaming down the Thames. Soon after we are under weigh... as we have not had any meal since morning...we are served out with our rations and tea is prepared for which we are heartily thankful......"

 ....A ship is under weigh once it weighs up (pulls up) its anchor and begins moving. This spelling is now obsolete. (whitesmoke.com)

 Charles King's journey to Egypt continues aboard the Rewa in the next post.....

 This is the steamship SS America launched in 1883 by the British passenger line National Steam Navigation Company (National Line).  It was bigger than the Rewa, with a 6,500 tonnage gross,  but gives you an idea of what steamer ships with masts of the era looked like. Masts with sails were used to assist the engines when conditions were favorable and helped steady the ship in rough seas. (Wikipedia: National Line)