The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-12-08 00:00:00

WRECKS AND WRECKERS IN 1886.

An " Eye-Witnees," writing from New Brighton,
nnder date Nov. 30, sends the following letter to The
Thnes for publication :

It is well known that on Momley evening last • West Tn-
Mau trikier was lot in this locaiity, with h•r crew of some
twelve men. This lath, second Instance within is fere rays
of a vessel perishing with all hand• E the month of the
Mersey. in the immediate neighhoorhood of three lifenuat
stations, and a, a dis,ance of shout four miles from the to..
of Liverpool. Both of the in fated vessels were observed
h were unattended.

00 the mornirg -succeeding the latter catastrophe the
energies of the parishioners of Wallasey were directed to the
securing of toe cargo, which the tide wanted up In large
quantit.es Courage, which might well have been disidayed
a few honrs before on behalf of the drowning crew, wit/more
pv4.411017 devoted to the rescue of rum barrels, to gain
which the dangers of surf and tide were freely braved.
For Mlle* the shore was dotted by these puncheons of over.
proof rum, many, If not the 'eon, of which were speedily
broached 1 rip. of men, women, and children from the
villains, of the district had, at the ery of •• A wreck, •
wreck o' poured on to the sands, and people of with sem
and all ages partook of the flery •pirit. Beside. thls, each
was provided with a bottle, or paint can, or lug, to take
home a quantity
I saw a boy about twelve years of age Intoxicated and
bleeding, drinking the raw spirit 'SO degrees shown proof,
from a broken bottle The police and ooestatised were, I
presume, C. few In number to Interfere stmeessfitily, for I
in...reed them look on with stolid indifference. hue, they
prevented mtich of the cargo from being enrrte,l sway
ro"lily: hilt, in spite of all vigilance in this direction, men
might have been seen rolling casks of rum along the ugh
road without let or hindrance
. . . .

At dnek on the shore the pools of ..It water were with
dlfficnlte eiwtlnantshed frown pwmls of spirit, for the ft...need
wrtckers no longer contented themselves with borne the
cesk hot hod ac•nally broken them In Indeed, althoren
Oats have now elapsed since the wreck, the eir reek.
with rum.

lell of the day. It seems, fitly terminated with •
groin debauch at night, and the whole found Pe natural result
in inquests v., toruc who have died through excessive drink-
ing ern certain this might have been prevented by the
presence of a handful of pollee.
It he a remarkable coincidence that in the same With In
which all this took place, while some of its mhaidtahti wore
lying In • elate of beastly intoxication &Tong the shore and
others were hiding the stolen property from the police, and
some ha crawled hew, to die. • Reform meeting Was held,
at *Mott mantowei suffrage was folly demanded, and the
teat the lower orders have ten.lencles to drusken-
Dees was Indignantly repelled.

The Daily Telegraph of Satnrda3, ha n her, atrong
and indignant leader on the id:e.t.a enacted at the
above wrecking, and chi chide their article tints :
Can we—dare we—eivir way to the Ides that this panda-
mnh•hm of 4,renkenee.s and "treat rage occurred up in our
nun .11nree, am i wo glisii men arid worrier, suit osier the
ern. of an ',IAA rhip--atrandeel, with the lora hrr
hands, on so °titer " florboSsnd ' than that et the entrance
to the river Mermy ? The "New on trod, river I.
a Atone, t itch Liverpool . it has charchea and chapel.;
there ere Ilibles In %sent-rola, honses, shops, clergyman, and
merchao is Stu:lion ta ep ken there the people are our
conntrireen, stiblycts of her Misjesty, Christians, born of
decent mothers, and not littered in the jingle by savage
dams. It Is rbilcniont—lt cannot he there must he another
place of therm. name In 'he New Hebrides. or the V Pow
S-a, or some horrid and desokte haunt of pirates Co.! than.
eaters TM% what la this we have overlooked In the narra-
tive? Yesterday. New Brlghtim—the vreltknown wweritilt
place on the NI ersey—reor tho scene 01—f all this
demoniacal deb own It is here, then, on our own coast,
that a scene an detestable has hero perpetrated In the halt
of day. almoet within sight of our greatest maritime
city Let as lath no more of the '.heethen." arid meal no
more stmacrlptions to Soefetles for Propagatlng the Gospel
In F weign Parts. Let on collect and destroy the printed
records of such • spectacle, hout meroantile nattrans heat of
It, and avoid one More. as they wonid thnse of ferocious
•bortaines. Let an armed ship go at once to the 'pot with
misoonartes and finite, and see whether any irnoreasion
can be maim o on till. deplorable colony. The existence of
finch a Diane within these islands Is enough to All those who
believed In English peersee with despair