Liverpool Mercury, January 5th, 1907
Shipping snippets
A Calais telegram Thursday
The Greek tug ATHLETE had towed into St Nazaire the Transatlantic steamer RANEE which struck on the rocks whilst on a journey to Algiers. She lost her rudder and sustained other damage. The RANEE is a steamer of 5,660 tons, registered at Liverpool and belongs to the Asiatic Steam Navigation Co.
A Board of Trade inquiry at Liverpool on Saturday. Joseph Llewellyn REES, Master of the sailing ship MORVEN of Aberdeen which was lost off the coast of Co Clare was exonerated from all blame and complimented for the measures he took to try and save his ship.
The Ryde [I.O.Wight] lifeboat on Tuesday capsized off Ryde Pier after a fruitless search for a drifting boat with a man in it. The crew of nine were blown across to Southsea clinging to the boat. When a quarter of a mile from Southsea Castle two men, William HOWARD, High St, Ryde, 2nd Coxswain of the lifeboat and Frank HAINES of Ryde, coastguardman, were swept away from the upturned boat, their bodies subsequently recovered at Southsea.
The lifeboat was new and was on her first launch to save a life. The man adrift whose assistance the lifeboat went to was picked up by the Bembridge lifeboat, eastward of the Isle of Wight.
At the Board of Trade Inquiry, concluded at Carnarvon into the loss of the schooner SNAEFELL, on the west coast of Jutland in October last, the court found the master Capt R. OWEN, alone was in default and his certificate was suspended for 3mths.
The case of the stranding of the sailing ship SPEKE off Phillip Island, Australia, has lately been the correspondence between the Merchant Service Guild and the Board of Trade, with reference to the decision of the court in the stranding, and which, in suspending the Captains certificate for 12mths and also mulcting him for £20 costs. The Board of Trade in reply are to return the certificate.
Liverpool Mercury Jan 12th 1907
Shipping
Missing passenger steamer
There is great anxiety in shipping circles in New York over the non-arrival of the steamer PONCE, 3.500 tons, belonging to the United States and Puerto Rico Navigation Co. The steamer carrying a large number of passengers left San Juan, Puerto Rico and should have reached New York at the beginning of last week. She was reported on the 28th December 1906, since then nothing has been heard of her. Several revenue cutters are engaged in the search for her
Feared total loss of Nelson liner
The steamer HIGHLAND FLING, London to Buenos Ayres with a cargo of cement left the former port on January 1st, and had been at Falmouth for a few days, owing to her engine-room bilges making water. It was finally decided by Capt PURVIS to take her to Cardiff, where the cargo might be discharged and her hull examined. She started on Monday morning and in the evening a telegram was received that she had gone ashore at Kennach Bay, Lizard. Tugs were despatched and reported that her forehold was full of water and she would probably become a total loss. Lifeboats from Cadgwith, the Lizard and Coverack, rescued the crew of 40. The HIGHLAND FLING is owned by the Nelson Line of Liverpool and is a steel ship of 3,822 tons, built at Newcastle in 1890.
At Newcastle a Board of Trade inquiry
Into the loss of the steamship ISLE OF IONA, off Whitby in December last. Court found that the Master was not on deck when the safety of the vessel required his personal supervision and a good and proper lookout was not kept. The causes of the casualty were that the original course was not steered and was altered, a lookout was not kept and no steps were taken to give the vessels position. The 2nd officer was under the influence of drink on his watch.
The loss, was caused by the wrongful act and default of the master, John H. CUSSONS, Chief Officer William CULVERT and 2nd Officer. The Masters certificate was suspended for 3mths, the 2nd Officer’s 12mths. The mate was reprimanded for neglecting to see that the course given by the master was not properly steered. The court declined giving the master a 1st mates certificate due to the term of suspension being short.
New York Sunday
The steamship ETURIA arrived today and reports heavy weather throughout her trip. On Friday evening while the watch were endeavouring to secure the lashings of the starboard anchor davits, a huge wave swept over the bow, dashing the men violently to the deck. James WALKER, Seaman of Liverpool, was killed and 6 others seriously injured. One William NEWELL sustained fractures to the leg and skull and is not expected to recover.
At the Liverpool County Court
Before his Honour Judge SHAND, assisted by Capt BLYTHE as Nautical assessor, the case was heard of the owners of steamship TORRINGTON of Liverpool, 1,280 tons gross, against the steamer CLAN FARQUHAR of the Clan Line, for damages in a collision on the 8th of February last [1906] when both vessels were leaving the Mersey with cargoes. The TORRINGTON’S case was that when the ebb tide left the CLAN FARQUHAR dragged her anchor and came down on the TORRINGTON, which, although she had steamed up could not get away because she had all the chain out on both her forward anchors. The CLAN FARQUHAR was over her anchors before the damage was discovered. All her witnesses denied the TORRINGTON dragged at all.
The case for the CLAN FARQUHAR supported by her pilot who was on board, was that she took up a perfectly safe berth and did not drag at all, the collision was due to the TORRINGTON having drifted upon the flood tide and had come up within her swing on the change of the tide. The court found the TORRINGTON alone to blame.
Liverpool Mercury 19th Jan 1907
Shipping
The Japanese liner AWA MARU has been re-floated undamaged after being on Redcar Rocks during 17days.
A serious collision occurred off Beachy Head between the steamship ETNA and the destroyer WEAR. The ETNA put into Admiralty Harbour badly holed in her port bow, about 2ft above water.
The survivors of the schooner CAMBRIAN from Portmadoc [port of registry Aberyesthy] were landed on Monday night at Folkestone. The schooner was run down by the French steam trawler DORACE of Boulogne, off, Beachy Head. Among those drowned were Capt Thomas Williams, of Ralph St, Borthygest, Portmadoc, a widower, aged about 60, he leaves a son, and a German seaman called DIAMOND. The saved include Owen ROBERTS and Samuel RILEY.
An accident occurred at a launch at the yard of Messers R. STEPHENSON and Co, at Hebburn. The vessel the CROSSBY, built for Whity owners, ran across the river and collided with the steamer TURBINA, which was moored at Messers PARSON’S works at Wallsend. The TURBINA was driven onto a slag bank and sustained considerable damage. The CROSSBY was undamaged.
On Tuesday night the schooner COLORADO was coming up the Queen’s Channel with a cargo of timber for Garston, from Wicklow, when it failed one of the Channel buoys and capsized. The crew in their small boat landed at the Wellington Dock. The schooner, which, kept afloat beached at Tranmere.
A collision occurred on Monday off Southwold, Suffolk, between a steamer and the sailing trawler, IVANHOE, BUCKLES, the mate of the latter was drowned and the skipper Charles WELLGOSS was picked up by the steamer’s small boat but died soon afterwards. Two other men were rescued and a boy, the son of the skipper, saved himself by jumping on board the steamer. The weather was fine but it was dark, a survivor of the IVANHOE said, the steamer crashed into the trawler, rendering her timber like match, wood. Water then poured in and the IVANHOE sank in minutes. The 3rd hand, Charles BEARD, and the deckhand, William BURGOYNE kept themselves afloat for nearly an, hour then, were picked up by the steamship’s boat.
Rescued by a Liverpool ship.
Letter received by the owners from the Captain of the Liverpool ship BARCORE, dated, lat 34.30, lon 129W, Dec 24th, 1906:-
“After leaving Vancouver we experienced terrific gales, when in lat 47.5.N, lon 120.10 W. On Dec 8th we picked up the shipwrecked crew of the American ship GREAT ADMIRAL, from Puget Sound to San Pedro Cal, lumber laden. The crew, had been on the raft 2 nights and 2 days and were very exhausted. Two had died from exposure. We rescued the Captain, Mate, Mate’s wife, 2nd Mate and 12 seamen. This morning a barque hove in sight and we hope to transfer them to her. We made slow progress, having had a succession of gales and headwinds.”
Owners of the BARCORE say the rescued crew, have evidently been put on the barque as the letter was posted at Alameda.
Liverpool Mercury, Jan 26th 1907
Shipping snippets
It is feared the schooner JULIA overdue at Sunderland, was the vessel which foundered on Jan 12th off Whitby in a collision.
The body of a seaman picked up in the West Channel of the Solent, is believed to be one of the men of HMS. HINDUSTAN, who were lost by the capsizing of a cutter. The name T. PIPER was on the clothing.
Fire on the WRAY CASTLE
Com W. F. CABORNE inspector of the Board of Trade, inquired into the circumstances of the fire on the WRAY CASTLE of Liverpool on 28th Aug 1906, at lat 22. 4 N and long 23. 39 W, states there is no evidence to show what was the cause fire.
Members of the Board of Trade inquiring into the explosive fire in the Houlder steamer BEACON GRANGE visited the ship at Alexandra Wharf, Belfast, principal officers and engineers of the ship were in attendance together with W. M. MILLAR engineers surveyor for the Board of Trade of Liverpool.
On Sunday afternoon the two masted steamer MARIE THERESA, 300tons of Bordeaux was washed ashore on Cefnsidan Sands, Carmarthen Bay. Coastguard SHERGO of Burry Shore boarded the vessel and found her abandoned with foremast and deck houses washed away. An explanation was given by Capt AUTIN when 7 men of the French brig were landed at Tenby on Sunday. They were bound from Areachan for Swansea with pit wood and struck on the Helwick Banks, Carmarthen Bay in thick fog on Saturday. They were lost and got ashore on their boat.
Several disasters occurred in the Channel on Saturday, there was a dense fog and two steamers were sunk in the Straits of Dover, also two large ocean liners were placed in jeopardy. The VADERLAND of the Red Star Line from New York was badly damaged in a collision, whilst the P and O liner, MOLDAVIA from Australia stranded on the Goodwin Sands.
The VADERLAND, 12,000 tons, was in a collision with the NAWORTH CASTLE, 1,713 tons, off the Goodwin Sands early in the morning, the Scottish vessel was so seriously injured she sank like a stone.
The NAWORTH CASTLE was from Newcastle to Italy with a large cargo of coal and the liner was bound to Antwerp with passengers for America.
The Dundee steamer carried a crew of 20 of whom 17 were saved, those lost being, 2nd engineer LOW, Steward PARKINSON and a seaman, NICHOLSON.
The MOLDAVIA of Greenock, 9,500 tons was on a voyage from Sidney to London. She struck on a spit in the sands and with the rising tide managed to get off with her own engines.
The Grimsby steamer ESHCOLBROOK off Dover signalled she had on board the crew of the Dublin steamer CITY OF DRESDEN, sunk in a collision in the Channel. The crew of 16 were taken to the Sailor’s Home, they had lost everything, she was struck amidships and they only had time to launch the boat when the vessel foundered.
A portion of the Nelson Liner HIGHLAND FLING which stranded at Cadgwith on the 8th inst has been towed into Falmouth roadstead. Repeated attempts were made to get her off by tugs, without success, the forward part was too embedded in the rocks. In order to save her valuable cargo of thousands of barrels of cement, her refrigerating machinery and main engines, the London Salvage Association decided to cut the vessel in two with dynamite. Their work was stopped by a heavy swell, but the sea accomplished the work for the salvors by breaking the keel in twain. The after part was then towed off by tugs and brought into Falmouth. If the salvors complete their task it will be the best on record, equal to that accomplished on the Mersey when a stranded ship was cut into two, towed up the river and lengthened by having 30ft, or so, put in between the severed parts.
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