When Eight Ships were overwhelmed by the Freshes , of which Six were ( as not lying difficult ) removed and cleared the first month ; the other Two being great and deep laden , sunk in the best of the Harbour , were blown up with Gun-powder a few months after , with some particulars of what Change happened that Harbour thereupon to this present August following .

THE two Wrecks called Mr. Vicars , and Mr. Grayes Ships , sunk where before was not above 10 , 12 , to 14 foot at low water ; the one L lying on her broad side , the other K back-broken , sate right up , fast dockt , the Freshes running with such violence from Westward above , betwixt both Ships ; and almost round about them such a whirle Neddee of water , as may be compared to an Oriocano of wind , had the first Month scoured a Channel on the West side of , and neer both these Wrecks , deep as they are marked 28 , 30 , to 33 foot also at low water , which Channel would have run lower , and so settled the Ships out of harms way , had they not at that depth met with a hard Cole-Mine ; whereas at the East-side towards the Barre the old depth of 10 , 12 , to 14 foot at low water continued notwithstanding the greatest Storms , Surfs and Spring-Tides that happened out the Sea over the Barre , so neer the Wrecks for two months together after the Wrecks were so settled .

For it was the Freshes that overwhelmed these eight Ships in December , 1672. which no Storms ever did , whereof these two L , K sunk in the best of the Harbour , as appears by the two Light-houses C , D and the Barre M , for no Ships could steer into the Harbour by the lights , but must run hazard of being spoild , if not quite split upon the Wrecks , they being beset in such a manner as the Wreck L , defended K , from the Sea , East , and K the like for L , from the Freshes West , that they were absolutely fixt for Ages to continue , and that Harbour like to be lost for ever .

But since the Powder-blasts upon these two Wrecks L , K , a few alterations hath appeared near the Barre to the better , viz. the Wrecks lying so near the Hurd Sands N , caused such a strong Sluce betwixt that and the Wrecks , that it hath thrown the Hurd up further Southward , and consequently the River and the Barre broader than it was before at that place , which is the cause of this in publick . Some small alterations also it hath caused on sundry Sands up the River , of which every Wherry-man can inform , although by what course it hath taken since the blasts : All those places are like in a year or two's time , to return to its old station ; for after the Ship L that had Lead in , was blown away , where at first it sunk was but 10 , 12 , to 14 foot , after thirty dayes were 28 , 30 , to 33 foot , and after the blast one third part of four hundred peeces Lead being taken up at about 28 foot deep , within twenty daies after it shallowed to 17 and 20 foot , and daily more , till all the rest of the Lead became buried .

These two Wrecks , one very near , and the other above 400 Ton full , laden with Coals , &c. weighed about eight hundred thousand pound weight apiece , besides the empty Ships , which by the Ship-Carpenters Rule of proportion ought with all her Masts , Anchors , Tackle , Rigging , &c. to weigh near as much as her Lading in weighty Commodities , if she be designed long liv'd ; to these add so many hundred Ton of Water or Sea atop of them . The difficulty of conveying a Powder-chest to execute under Water at them on the out-side of the Ships , many , viz. their lying so near the Barre , that what by one constant course or other happening every year , in three quarters thereof it could not be performed ; for three dayes before , and three dayes after every Spring-tyde , reckoning the day of the Moons change , there 's half of the year gone , how often the Wind is East , North , or N , E in a year , either of those , with a reasonable gale , makes too great a swell thereabouts to spend Powder-chests below ; how many stormy dayes are there usually in a year ? when , and two dayes after every storm , no dealing thereabouts in that business ; and worse than all this , rainy-weather sometimes three or four dayes , after one dayes showres , the Freshes will bring down so swift a Current , that over against Cliffords Fort , and the Figure 30 , makes for a matter of a hundred and fifty fathom length , a gulf , swifter than that of Florida . To all these , one difficulty more as bad as the worst , the Neddee , or Whirle of Water , would without great pains and care overturn the Engine from its designed place , which sundry particular difficulties I mention , because some unskilful pretenders to this part of the Mathematicks , expected that so great a weight and bulk before-mentioned , besides Lead and Stones , in one of them , should with one Chest containing seven barrels of Powder , be blown up from that depth , so easie and so high above Water , as the Boyes send up Kites , which could not have been hoped from seven thousand barrels , the Ships not being to be undermined , and the Powder-chests being fired at the sides of the Ships ; but , were such a business to be done in the Waters of Thames , as many Chests might be spent , and Ships blown up in twenty dayes , as could be done at this Barre in a year at such weather as was there six months together ; and every day one could be done to an empty Ship in such streams as the Thames , and where the Chest could be conveyed in the hold .

At any of which Weathers , or at the nearest of a Slack ( if any ever be there ) all former known waies would have failed , as divers ( to any other purpose but vain expences ) were endeavoured before my coming there ; for no flying Fusee would burn to the bottom , but either bend or break , which must needs choak or drown the Wild-fire by the way ; so that possibility it self became to be questioned , whether ever the Harbour were like to be cleared , or at the best to the cost of many thousands ; thereupon the Magistrates sent up a Relation of the dangerous condition His Majesties Port of New-Castle was in ; His Majestie was pleased to send unto them a new way to convey a Fire-Ball through a hollow Mast fastned to the Chest at the bottom of the Sea , the Chest shaped and ordered within and without in such a figure , as the designed place could be executed upon , as true under Water , as Guns can send out Bullets above , which hitherto was never known , or at least not known to be practised in any Country by any Nation whatsoever before ; by virtue whereof the Author can destroy and remove all such Sinckers , as was this and the last year , or at any time hereafter may be designed by the enemy , as certain ( without undermining ) as Rocks ( which cannot be done but with undermining ) can be blown up above ground , whether the Sinckers are fill'd with Sand , Coals , Stones , Bricks , Morter , in a mass , or loose , the like of any other matter of weight whatsoever .

And in regard the appearance of Smoak above Water after the blast so far under , hath startled the inquisitive Chimist in point of nature , that the Sea-water being salt , and Gun-powder likewise salt , its Smoak also salt , must therefore certainly incorporate together , and none of that Smoak ever be seen above-water .

I have purposely placed this figure V to shew how the Water and Smoak , with pieces of the Ship did appear for a moment or two above water , a matter of a quarter of a minute after the Powder took fire below , without any contradiction to that rule of nature ; for these six or seven barrels of Powder spent together under Water , produced no more Smoak or report above , than is usual from one Ordnance ( although those that stood a mile off upon the Hills , felt the ground shake under them at the blow ) and doubtless therefore by that natural rule , the Smoak must all have dissolved into the Salt-water , had the blast been deeper , or the quantity of Powder less , which being so much , and the motion so swift through such a shallow as twenty eight foot , some Smoak appeared above , by the same rule , as a Gnatt passing through a small flame , must dissolve in the flame ; but by reason of its swift passage , part of him appears scorcht on th' other side . And for another Gentlemans opinion , to confirm the foregoing , that this lower Smoak W having not so swift a way as the uppermost X before it : where the report began was therefore the sadder colour , as if it had been dyed in the passage , is not so probable , but palpable to the contrary in my opinion ; rather that the sadness of the Smoak about the Water W passing through the Ship , and up with the Coals , became blackish by the Coals ; and nothing more certain , but that almost all the Smoak was mingled with the Sea ; else had but half of it broke out above at X , it must consequently have shaken both South and North Sheilds .