The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-02-02 00:00:00

SHIPWRECK AND LOSS OF LIFE:

A sad digester has occurred at the mouth of the
Mersey, reeultieg in the loss of 25 lives, in circum-
stances of great suffering. Throughout Sunday night
and Monday morning a gale was blowing from the
west-north-west, with a terrific sea. About two a.m.
information was received at New Brighton and
Liverpool that two vessels were In distrs si on Taylor's
Bank, in the estuary of the river. The New Brighton
lifeboat put out in the darkness in search of the
distressed vessels, and was speedily followed by the
Liverpool lifeboat, both being in tow of powerful
eteatntuge. At daybreak it was discovered that one
of the vessels had floated and had put back to port,
where she reported having received but little damage.
There wan a dense mist at the mouth of the river, and
as it lifted occasionally those on the tugboats and the
lifeboats, which they had in tow, could discern above
the water the masts of a large iron ship, to the rigging
of which 25 men were clinging. The lifeboats re-
mained by the wreck for some hours in the hope of being
able to render some assistance to the men on the ill-fated
vessel. The sea at this time was running mountains
high, and as the Lleod tide rose the great waves dashed
over the poor fellows in the rigging, who had already
been exposed all night to the fury of the gale and sea.
So great, however, was the violence of the gale and BO
dangerous the position of the vessel, surrounded by
wreckage, that the tugboats found it impossible to cast
off the lifeboats, and ultimately, the men becoming
exhausted by exposure, the tugs were reluctantly put
about and returned with the lifeboats to port. At the
time of leaving the stranded vessel the sea was making
a clean breach over her, and the only hope for the
safety of the crew was that the masts might be able
to withstand the fury of the gale. So great had been
the force of the sea that the vessel had been com-
pletely turned round from the position in which she
originally went ashore. Her mainmast had gone
by the board, and part of the mizen-mast had also
been torn away- Several inward bound vessels passed
the wreck, but were unable to render any assistance,
as they could not get within a mile of her. They
reported, however, seeing the crew in the rigging.
Shortly after the return of the lifeboat the captain of an
arriving tug reported that the masts had gone by the
board, and that all hands had been drowned. There
was great excitement on the landing-stage, where a
large crowd had assembled, on the return of the life.
boat about its fruitless mission, and much indignation
was expressed that the poor fellows had been aban-
doned to their fate. Gentlemen boatmen and river
policemen volunteered to man the lifeboat to return to
the wreck, and a crew was soon obtained, !Jut before
a start could be made the news of the fate of the men had
reached the stage. The crew of the lifeboat gave the
name of the wrecked vessel as the Juno, owned by
Messrs. Donald Kennedy and Co., of Liverpool,
which left the Mersey on the previous Monday, with
a crew of twenty-five hands all told, most of whom
were foreigners. The Juno was a three-masted vessel
of 1500 tons burden. The captain of the tug Fiery
Cross, which towed out the New Brighton lifeboat,
gives it as his opinion that the vessel is not the
Juno, and says he made out sufficient of the name
to conclude that she was the Sydney Dacres,
an inward bound ship from Calcutta. Other
captains, however, report that the vessel was un-
doubtedly the Liverpool ship Juno, the crew of which
were: James Corkhill, Isle of Man, master; George
Brown, Dumfries, mate; William M'Vane Down,
second mate; Adolph Bowfil, Dresden. carpenter ;
James Budson, Isle of Man, boatswain; Mann Louis,
Antwerp, rail-maker; Robert Riddick, Liverpool,
A.B. ; James Berrent, Yarmouth, ordinary seaman;
T, Clery, Waterford; George White, and some foreign
sailors of various nationalities. It is thought that the
Juno had been driven back by stress of weather, and
it is stated that the captain's wife and children were
on board when she left the Mersey.