What happens to Marlow's steamer before he evens gets on board in Heart of Darkness?

When Marlow arrives to the Central Station he finds his steamer sunken in the river. Before he journey up the river in search of Kurtz he must repair the ship which he anticipated will take several weeks if not months. He and the manager make plans to repair the ship and order the necessary parts from the company at the Lower Station. Weeks go by and parts never arrive. Over time, Marlow realizes that the manager has not been submitting the orders for the parts and does not want the steamer to be repaired. In fact, the manager may well have sabotaged the steamer himself to keep it from journeying up to the Inner Station. All this waiting gives Marlow more time to adjust to his new surroundings and hear more about Kurtz and his exploits.