The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-10-26 00:00:00

ABSTRACT OF THE WEE '3li

REGISTER FOR 1876-77.

The Board of Trade have this year presented to
Parliament an Abstract only of the usual Annual
Wreck Register ; but this document yields abundant
information of the destructive character of the
numerous shipwrecks which took place on our
coasts during the year commencing on the Ist
July, 1876, and ending on the 30th June, 1877.
Before however, we enter on the details of the
Wreck Register Abstract, we must shortly refer to
the immense shipping interekts of this country, of
which every Englishman must naturally be proud.
It represents, in a very marked manner, the cease-
less enterprise and energy which have always
characterised our merchants and sailors, who, in
these modern times, have built up a merchant navy
of such stupendous proportions as to make it occupy
an all- important place' either in time of peace or,
war, in the destinies of Great Britain. _

rVe accordingly find, from other Parliamentary
Returns, that the number of British vessels which
entered inwards and cleared outwards during the
past year to and from ports of the United Kingdom
was 581,099, representing a tonnage of 101,799,030.
Of these ships, 224,669 were steamers, having a
tonnage of 66,560,127.
In addition to these figures, about 60,000 foreign
vessels entered inwards and cleated outwards during
the same period to and from British ports, repre-
senting a tonnage of nearly 20,000,000.

These 641,09 g ships, Biitish and foreign, had
probably :on board, apart from passengers, four
millions of men and boys.
And now we shall proceed with our brief analysis
of the " Wreck Abstract." We observe that in
1876-77 the number of wrecks, casualties, and col-
lisions from all causes, on and near the coasts of
the United Kingdom, was 4,164, which number ex-
ceeds that of the previous year by 407. 511 cases
out of this large number involved total loss, 502 and
472 representing the same class of calamities for the
two preceding years.
Again, if we deduct 511 from the yearly list of
casualties (4,164), the remainder will be found to
be made up of 1,120 serious casualties, and 2,533 of
minor class of sea accidents.

We regret to find that, during the past twenty
years—from 1857 to 1876-77—the number of ship-
wrecks on our coasts alone has averaged 1,948 a
year, representing in money value millions upon
millions sterling in the aggregate.
In making this statement, we lay aside entirely
the thousands of precious lives, on which no money
value could be placed ,which were sacrificed on such
disastrous occasions, and which would have been
enormously increased in the absence of the deter-
mined and gallant services of the Life-boats of the
National Life-boat Institution.

In the Abstract of the Wreck Register it is
stated that, between 1861 and 1876-77, the num-
ber of ships, both British and foreign, which came
to grief on our coasts, and which were attended
with loss of life, was 2,784, causing the loss of
13,098 persons. In 1876-77, loss of life took
place in one out of every twenty-two shipwrecks
on our coasts.

It is hardly necessary to say that gales of wind
are the prime causes of most shipwrecks, and that
those of 1876-77 will long be remembered for their
violence and destructive character.

Of the 4,164 wrecks, casualties, and collisions
reported as having occurred on and near the
coasts of the United Kingdom during the year
1876-77, we find that the total comprised 5,017

vessels, and that the number of ships-in 1876-77
is more than the total in 1875-76 by 463. The
number of ships reported is in excess of the
casualties reported, because in cases of collisions
two or more ships are involved in one casualty.
Thus 847 of the wrecks were collisions, and 3,317
were wrecks and casualties other than collisions.
Of these latter casualties, 446 were wreeks, &c. re-
sulting in total loss, 902 were casualties resulting
in serious damage, and 1,969 were minor accidents.
The whole number of wrecks and casualties other
than collisions on and near our coasts reported
during the year 1875-76 was 2,982, or 335 less than
the number reported during the tisslvs months
under discussion.
It is to be observed that of the 3,317 casualties
(excluding collisions), 2,824 are known to have
Imppened to ships belonging to dreat Britain and
its dependencies, while 493 belonged to foreign
countries.
Again, we find that out of these 2,824 British
vessels, 1,859 were employed in our own coasting
trade, 745 in the (over sea) foreign and home
trade, and 220 as fishing vessels. There were 15
casualties to ships belonging to foreign countries
and states employed in the British coasting trade,
and 410 to foreign vessels bound to or from
British ports. although not actually engaged in
our coasting trade • while there were 18 casualties
to foreign ships which were not trading to or from
the United Kingdom.
We observe that the total number of English
ships, excluding collision cases, which according
to the facto reported, appear to have foundered or
to have been otherwise totally lost on and near
the coasts of the United Kingdom from defects in
the ships or their equipments during the year
1876-77 is 20 ; while 54, happened through the
errors, &c. of masters, effieers, crews, or pilots, 180
through stress of weather, and 61 from other or
unknown causes.

The number of casualties arising from the same
causes during the same year, and resulting in
serious damage, is as follows :—Through defects,
77; errors, 112; stress of weather, 367; other
causes, 170; and the eases of minor damage were
through defects, 10(; errors, 190; stress of
weather, 1,258; and other causes, 229.
It is curious to observe the ages of the vessels
which were wrecked during the period under con-
sideration. Excluding foreign ships and collision
cases, 221 wrecks and casualties happened to
nearly new ships, and 396 to ships from 3 to 7
years of age. Then there are wrecks and casual-
ties to 6317 ships from 7to 14 years old, and to 907
from 15 to 30 years old. Then follow 459 old ships
from 30 to 50 years old. Having passed the ser-
vice of half a century, we come to the very old
ships, viz. 71 between 50 and 60 years old, 33
from 60 to 70, 24 from 70 to 80, 9 from 80 to 90,
and 5 from 90 to 100, while the ages of 68 of the
wrecks are unknown.

Amongst the losses on our coasts in 1876-77,
excluding colliiions, 442 were steamships, and
2,875 were sailing vessels. Of the 2,824 British
ships meeting with disaster in the year, 1,583 did
not exceed 100 tons burden, 886 were from 100 to
300 tons, 165 were from 300 to 500 tons, and 210
only were above 500 tons burden. Of the 315
British vessels totally lost, irrespective of collision
25 are known to have been built of iron; and of
this number 23 were steamships and 2 sailing
vessels.

The localities of the wrecks, still excluding col.
lisions, are thus given :—East coasts of England
and Scotland, 1,140; south coast, 630 ; west coast
of England and Scotland, and coaat of Ireland,
1,259; north coast of Scotland, 129; and other
parts, 159. Total, 3,317.
The sites of those several terrible disasters are
distinctly shown on the Wreck Charts attached to
the Wreck Register Abstract. On the Charts the
site of each one of the 269 Lifeboats belonging
to the National Lifeboat Institutton is also
given.
It is recorded that the greatest destruction of
human life happened on the north and east coasts
of England and Scotland.
On former occasions the Wreck Registers indi-
cated the direction and force of wind in the case
of all the vessels to which diasters had happened
thetinw ydes in i
ar,bu,ns u
tthoepresent Abstract b4s4tr6ac4 tcaosneliagitvhees
he in
year, -

Dealing with these 1,785 cases only, we find that
the winds that have been most fatal to shipping
on and near the coasts of the United Kingdom
during the year were as follows :—N. to E. inclu-
sive, 287; E by S. to S. inclusive, 630; S. by W.
to W. inclusive, 541; and W. by N. to N. by W.
inclusive, 327. Total, 1,785.
Again, on distinguishing these last named
casualties near the coasts of the United Kingdom
according to the force of the wind at the time at
which they happened, we find that 739 happened
with the wind at forces 7 and 8, or a moderate to
fresh gale, when a ship, if propeply found manned
and navigated, can keep the sea with safety; and
hat 1,046 happened with the wind at force 9 and
upwards, that is to say, from a strong gale to a
hurricane.

We must say one word on the subject of casual-
ties to our ships in our rivers and harbours, as the
fearful calamity to the steamer Princess Alice last
September in the Thames has directed afresh
intense attention to them throughout the civilised
world. We find from the Wreck Register Ab-
stracr that the total number during the year 1876-
77 was 984, of which 17 were total losses, 245
were serious casualties, and 722 minor casualties,
Of these casualties, collisions numbered 658
founderings 13, strandings 184, and miscellaneous,
129.

These 984 casualties caused the loss of or
damage to 1,725 vessels, of which 1,020 were
British sailing vessels, 560 British steam vessels,
118 foreign sailing vessels, and 27 foreign steam
vessels. The lives lost in these casualties were 15.
With reference to the collisions on and near
our coasts during the year 1876-77, 48 of the 847
collisions were between two steam ships both
under way, irrespective of numerous other such
cases in our harbours and rivers the particulars of
which are not given in the Abstract. We cannot
attach too much importance to these facts, for no
disaster at sea or in a river is often more awful in
its consequences than a collision, as has been too
strikingly illustrated this year in the cases of the
German ironclad Grosser Kurfurst and the
Thames steamer Princess Alice.
We feel assured that the Board of Trade will
make renewed efforts to diminish, as far as practic,
able, collisions at sea and in rivers by laying down-
if necessary, new and improved rules for the
guidance of our mariners.
As regards the loss of life, the Wreck Abstract
shows that the number was 776 from the various
shipwrecks enumerated during the year 1876-77.
Of the lives lost, 92 were lost in vessels that
foundered, 57 through vessels in collision, 470 in
vessels stranded or cast ashore, and 93 in missing
vessels. The remaining number of lives lost (64)
were lost from various causes, such as through being
washed overboard in heavy seas, explosions, missing
vessels, &c.
Of the 192 ships from which the 776 lives were
lost, 131 were British, involving the loss of 459 lives
and 61 were foreign, causing the loss of 317 lives
This number (776) may appear ;,to the casual
observer a comparatively small one by the side of
thousands who escaped disaster from the numerous
shipwrecks above meutioned. We are, ho wever,
of opinion that it is a very large number, and when
we bear in mind the inestimable value of human
life, we are convinced that no effort should b left
untried which can in any way lessen the annual
loss of life from shipwreck on our coasts.
On the other hand, great and noble work was
accomplished during the same period, 4.795 lives
having- been saved from the various shipwrecks. In
bringing about that most important service, it is
hardly necessary to say that the craft of the National
Life-boat Institution played a most important part,
in conjunction with time Board of Trade's rocket
apparatus, which is so efficiently worked by the
Coastguard and our Volunteer Brigades.
Nevertheless, the aggrepte loss of life is very
large, and so is the aggregate destruction of pro-
perty. The former is a species of woe inflicited on
humanity; the latter is practically a tax upon
commerce. While the art of saving life on the
coasts is understood (thanks to the progress of
science—the earnestness of men—and the stout
hearts of our coast population), the art of preserv-
ing property is as yet but imperfectly known
amongst us. and still more imperfectly practised.
On reviewing the Wreck Register Abstract of the
past year, we are bound to take courage from the
many gratifying facts it reveals in regard to saving
life, which, after all, is our principal object in com-
menting on it. Noble work ha is been done, and is
doing. for purpose; and is it not something, amidst
all this havoc of the sea. Ito help to save even one
life, with all its Ropes, and to keep the otherwise
desolate home unclouded?

To aid this merciful work, we confidently appeal
for support on behalf of the National Life-boat
Institution, whose lifesaving fleet of 269 boats is
over readyto hasten tothe succour of the shipwrecked
sailor in its mostlhelpless and direst distress.

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