Horrocks's severely wounded : letter 8 September 1846 |
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| Title : | Horrocks's severely wounded : letter 8 September 1846 |
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| Creator : | Horrocks, John Ainsworth, 1818-1846 | ||
| Source : | PRG 966/6 | ||
| Date of creation : | 1846 | ||
| Format : | Letter | ||
| Contributor : | State Library catalogue | ||
| Catalogue record | |||
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| Copyright : | This item is reproduced courtesy of Mrs Pam McTaggart. It may be printed or saved for research or study. Use for any other purpose requires written permission from Mrs Pam McTaggart and the State Library of South Australia. To request approval, complete the Permission to publish form. |
| Description : |
On page 3 of his letter to his sponsors Horrocks described the accident that ended the expedition. He was reloading his gun to shoot a bird for the natural history collection they were making, when it was accidentally discharged when the camel lurched, knocking him. This movement fired the gun, shooting the ramrod through his fingers and lower jaw, knocking out a row of teeth from his upper jaw. Horrocks' gun had slugs in one barrel and ball in the other. He was in the process of changing this ammunition, and screwing the ramrod into the wad over the slugs, when the gun was accidentally fired. The camel, named Harry, was the surviving one of a small batch that was imported in October 1840 from the Canary Islands. Horrocks had exchanged six of his cows for the camel, believing it would be highly suitable for work in the arid regions he proposed to explore. It would be more than 20 years before camels became the mainstay of Australian desert exploration. |
| Subjects | |
| Related names : | Horrocks, John Ainsworth, 1818-1846 |
| Coverage year : | 1846 |
| Region : | Flinders Ranges and Far North - Outback |
| Further reading : | Morphett, George C. John Ainsworth Horrocks Adelaide: Pioneers' Association of S.A., 1946 John Ainsworth Horrocks of Penwortham: explorer and pioneer Watervale, [S. Aust.]: Mt. Horrocks Historical Soc., [1986?] ([Burra, S. Aust.?]: Burra Community Print) McKnight, Tom L. The camel in Australia [Melbourne]: Melbourne University Press, [1969] |
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