The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-05-14 00:00:00

FATAL COLLISION AT SEA.

A very fearful collision occurred in the North Sea !
on Friday night, by which eight liven were sacrificed.
It appears that the screw steamer Jesmona, under the
command of Captain Whitelaw, left London last
Thursday in ballast for the Tyne. She proceeded all
right on her way until about half.psat ten o'clock on
Friday night, when, If untclitle Foot on the Yorkshire
coast bearing S. by E. A E, at a distance of eight miler,
a laden screw steamer, which afterwarde proved to be
the Earl of Elgin, which had left Sunderland that
evening, coal laden, bound for Bordeaux, was observed
right ahead. Those whore watch it was aboard the
Jesmond, seeing the vessels rapidly approaching each
~tiler, at once ported the helm and ordered the engines
to be stopped. By this time, however, the position of
the steamers was such Bait a collision was inevitable,
and almost immediately the two ships came together.
The collision was very violent, and had the effect of
holing the bows of the Jcsmond. The damage
sustained by the Earl of Elgin was, however, still more
serious, as ehe was struck amidships and nearly
cut in two. At the time of the collision the ma-
jority of the persons on board the steamers were
below and in bed, and on the blow being struck they at
once rushed on deck, and a scene of the greatest ex-
citement was occasioned. This was especially the case
on board the Earl of Elgin, on which the sea was rapidly
gaining. What rendered the excitement still greater
was the fact that among the occupants of the latter
steamer were three ladies— viz., the daughter of
the captain, the wife of the chief mate, and the wife of
a captain of a vessel belonging to Sunderland, who was
proceeding to Bordeaux to meet her husband. The
captain and crew of the Jesmond, on seeing the position
of the Earl of El ?in, at once exerted themselves to the
utmost in rendering assistance. Ropes and lifebuoys
were thrown over the sides, and two boats efficiently
manned were launched. By this time the Earl o f
Elgin was rapidly sinking, and the majority of those
belonging to her were struggling in the water. The
scene was most heartrending. Through great
efforts, seven of the crew of the Earl of Elgin
were saved by means of ropes and lifebuoye, and
five other persons, among whom was the captain, were
rescued by means of the boats. Those who went off in
the boats state that they distinctly saw s elle of the
women and men go down, but were unable to reach
them. The Earl of Elgin quickly sank. The captain of
the Jeamond remained near the spot until half-past one
o'clock on Saturday morning in the hope of picking up
some of the persons, but without effect. He then
steamed for the Tyne, and arrived in Shields harbour
between four and five o'clock on Saturday morning,
when the Jcsmond was moored alongside Messrs.

Smith's quay, North Shields. The following persons
belonging to the Earl of Elgin are lost :—Thomas
Wilkinson, chief engineer; William Sallabank, chief
mate ; Charles Kent, fireman ; Frederick Woolkesley,
seaman ; George Bolton, seaman; Miss Hamand, the
daughter of the captain; and a female passenger. The
following is an account given by one of the survivors of
the crew of the Earl of Elgin.
We left Sunderland stew minutes before eight o'clock on
Friday night. All went well uutil very near to Whitby, about
eight miles off the land, when a steamer's mast-head light
was seen on the [starboard bow and a short time after the
Earl of Elgin was run into by a steamer, which afterwards
turned out to be the Joononil, of Shie'de. She struck the
Earl of Elgin on the starboard side, right amidships, going
nearly halt through the vessel, when immediately the sea
came in, and in a very few minutes the vessel sank. Thu
alarm having been given that the vessel was sinking, confusion
reigr ed for some time, and in attempting to get outthe
idly-
boat it was capsized, by which one poor fellow was drowned.
The captain had a child with him, a girl seven year. of age.
The mate had his wife on board, and there was also a female
nisaenger, the wife of another captain. It was then diA.
covered that the starboard lifeboat hail been stove in the
collision, and there was only one boat left for the whole of
the crew. Into this the master who was the last to leave the
vessel got, with his daughter in his arms, acconip inied by a
female passenger, but what became of them until the master
was picked up in the water, very much exhausted, is not
known, although it is stated that the c..pt am had the child
In his arms when lie sank down exhausted. There was a
general rush to the boat some ran up the mast, and some
jumped into the water, making for the side of the Jonnontl,
by which three or four of them were saved. The remainder
were picked up by the Jeanonin3 boat's crew, with the excep-
tion of five men, the two women, and the child, who went
down with the sinking vessel. When taken on board the
demand they were treated a lth the greatest kindness, and
landed at Shields about six o'clock on Saturday morning.