When ashore on this reef she was sold by public auction at Halifax, and fell to a syndicate of private individuals for L440.  These gentlemen at once decided to raise her if possible, transport her into dock, and repair her.  They commissioned Captain Kelly, of the Princess Beatrice, a ship then in harbor, to visit her and see what could be done for that purpose.  He went with a hired crew to Annapolis, and from thence proceeded to the steamer by means of a tug, a distance of about forty miles.  When they arrived they found the Ulunda with her head to sea, and her stern in only 2 ft. of water at low tide, with a list of 30 deg. to port and her foremast broken short off.  At high tide the water flowed over the upper deck.  On examination, the engine room was found full of water, which did not rise and fall with the tide, showing that it had been filled at high tide through its skylight.  No. 3 hold was also full, but had a slight leak, which was shown by the water falling slowly at low tide and rising in the same manner at high water.  The other three holds were hopelessly leaky.

Upon investigation, it was decided to pump out the engine room compartment and No. 3 hold, and to make the iron lower deck watertight over the remaining holds.  For this purpose three powerful pumps, with the necessary boilers, were obtained from Halifax, sent by rail to Annapolis, and then shipped on board a tug, from which they were hoisted into the Ulunda by means of the derricks on the mainmast.  These were centrifugal pumps, capable of discharging 2,000 gallons a minute each.  One was placed in the engine room, another with its suction in No. 3 hold, and when these two compartments were pumped dry, it was found that in No. 3 hold the leak was easily kept under, while in the engine room there was no leak at all.  The third pump was not used.

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In the two foremost holds 2,000 large casks were then placed, and all the hatches over the leaky holds—­Nos. 1, 2, and 4—­were battened down, and made airtight with felt, pitch, tow, etc.  A small hole was then made in Nos. 1 and 2 hatches, about 2 ft. square.  When the tide had sunk its farthest, these two holes were closed and made perfectly airtight, in the same manner as the hatches had been.

Before this took place the whole of the lower deck over the badly damaged holds had been prevented from bursting up by means of wooden shores, which were placed in rows about 4 ft. apart, and wedged firmly into position.  The wood for the shores was obtained from Annapolis, and the casks from St. John.  The ship went ashore on August 26, 1890.  This work was commenced on September 8, and completed ten days afterward.

The labor of repairing her could only be carried out at low tide, and only then with the greatest difficulty, as the decks were very slippery with weeds, etc., and inclined at an angle of 30 deg.  Everything was ready for floating her off at high tide on the 18th, and the hatches were closed up on that day.