Southport Visiter, April 13th, 1850.
FATAL COLLISION AT SEA – PLYMOUTH Apr 16th
The Master of the GEORGE WILKINSON, 391 tons reg, belonging to Mr James BROWN of Liverpool, reports that on Saturday, 13th inst, she left Weymouth in ballast for Quebec.
Yesterday morning at 3am, when the Eddystone bore, N.N.E, a distance of 20miles, wind S.W, blowing strong, with thick hazy weather, the GEORGE WILKINSON was on the starboard tack under 3 single-reefed topsails, foresail, mizen, and topmast stay-sail, saw ahead at half a mile off, a large ship on the larboard tack, standing to westward or northwest, towards the GEORGE WILKINSON, under double-reefed topsail, mainsail and foresail.
She continued her course and was hailed repeatedly, without effect, there being no lookout forward, struck the GEORGE WILKINSON on the larboard side, abaft the fore rigging, carried away her fore topmast, and topgallantmast, fore and main topsail yards, rigging gear etc.
Having hooked her anchor, Capt BROWN was obliged to slip the cable attached, and thus lost 30 fathoms of chain.
When clear, one fine young man RANDLES, aged 25, and from Weymouth was missing.
The stranger proved to be the HARBINGER from London, Capt SAMPSON, which left Harve on Friday, with 250 German and Swiss passengers bound for New York.
She lost jibboom and fore topgallantmast, and had her starboard side grazed by the channel bolts of the GEORGE WILKINSON.
The HARBINGER came in about 4pm, and brought up in the sound, the GEORGE WILKINSON which had lost more canvas followed an hour later went up the catwater and moored at the pier.
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