The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1876-10-28 00:00:00

TfiE STOURBRIDGE OBSERVER.

labour, and Mr. Holeroft informed the defendan t
thrtt if he came again he would be liable to twelve
months imprisonment, and to be flogged.

THE VT'A/ECli REGISTER AND CHART FOR

1874-75.

The Tirreck statistics of the 12 months ending
in June., 1875, certainly record the most numerous
casualties for one year that have been published.
The offia era of H.M. Coast Guard and Board of
Trade have left not a single:shipping accident un-
noticed, either on our coast or in our narrow seas.
Accordil igly, we find that the number of lost or
damage, I ships within those limits amounted last
year tol 4,259. Of these, 155 were unhappily at-
tended with loss of precious lives. which in the
very large majority or cases could not he saved
either by the craft of the National Lifeboat Insti-
tution k‘r by the Rocket Apparatus of the Board of

Trade.
In or ler to account for the increased number of
wrecks, casualties, and collisions near the coasts of

the 'United Kingdom for the year 1874-5, it is
necessarj to state that this is in the first instance
owing to the almost unprecedented continuance of
bad weather and heavy, gales during the winter
month 4 in that period; and secondly to a class of
casualti es being included in the Wreck Register
which i n pre-dons years was not considered of
sufficiei it importance to be noticed. We may here
remark that all minor accidents have in previous

_
years been included with all serious accidents (not
total lo sses) under the head of "partial losses,"
but as it was found that to continue to include in

the sau le class and withoutlexplanation such casual-

ties as damage amounting to almost total loss of a
ship, al Id the loss of a sail or a spar. was to give
informt tion in a manner that might be understood
the clai 3s of casualties not resulting in total loss of

_
ship ha ,s therefore in the present return been sub-
divided into two, viz. "Serious" and "Minor" cas-
ualties attended with "partial damage." .
More ;over, it should be borne in mind that in
consecp mice of the care now take% casualties have
consttu itantly been more and accurately reported
to the :Board of Trade, so that in the roturns of
latter years are included many casualties which
would, under the arrangements of former years, no
doubt :ha.ve been unreported.
We lnay here remark that the lists in the Regis-
ter of Wrecks at Home" embrace cases which
_

happeut in waters within ten miles from the shores
of the United Kingdom; in waters within any bays
or eat uaries ; in waters around any outlying
sandbanks which are dry at low water; in the
seas be twyen Great Britain and Ireland; and be-
tween the Orkney and Shetland and Western
Islands and the mainland of Scotland.
The number of wrecks, collisions from all causes
on and near the coasts of the United Kingdom and
in the surrounding seas reported during the year
1874-ti is 3590, which is 1787 more than the year
1873-4. We have fully stated above the reasons
for this great increase, but we may here mention
that of these 3590 wrecks,- casualties, and collisions
472 involved total loss against 408 and 576 re-
spectively for the two previous years. Deducting
472 from 3590, the remainder is made up of 1172
serious casualties and 1946 minor accidents.
Thus Annual average number of wrecks on the
cdasts of the United Kingdom reported since 1855.
divided into four periods of five years, may thus
be given. Between 1855 and 1859, the number was
6023, giving an average of 1504 a year. 148etween
1860 and 1864 the number was 7415, or an annual
average of 1483; between 1865 and 1862, 9467, or
nearly average of 1893; and between 1870 and
1874,-5, 10,428, giving in that period an average of
2085, wrecks each year.
Considering the total number of casualties
(3500), a small proportion only are really attended
with loss of life, on account of the prompt and
unflinching efforts that are made by Life boats
and other means to succour the distressed sailor.
It appears that of the casualties on our shores in
1874-5, about one out of twenty-three resulted in
lost; of life.
With reference to the destructive gales during
the past seventeen years, they are again parti-
cularized in the Register.
In regard to the 3590 wrecks reported as having
occurred on and near the coasts of the United
Kingdom during the year 1874-5, 659 were col-
lisions, and 2931 were wrecks and casualties other
than collisions. Of these 2931 wrecks, strandings,
and casualties other than collisions, 411 were
wrecks, &c., resulting in total loss, 981 were
casualties resulting in serious damage, and
.).539
were minor accidents. The whole numb tif of
wrecks and casualties other than collisions on and
Thar our coasts reported during the year 1873-4
was 1422, or 1509 less than the number of wrecks,
strandings, and casualties, other than collisions,
reported during the year 1874-5.
Again, the annual average in the United King-
dom for the 19f years ending June 1876 is—for
wrecks other than collisions resulting in total
losses 461; and—for casualties resulting in partial
damage 863. As against this the numbers for the
year 1874-5 are for total losses, 411, and for partial
damage 2520. Of these 411 total losses, 177 hap-
pened when the wind was at the force of a gale,
and are classed in the returns as having been
caused by stress of weather, —B4 appear from the
reports made by the officers on the coasts to have
been causedby inattention, carelessness, or neglect
---33 arose from defects in the ship or in her
equipments (and of these '433, 19 appear to have
foundered from unseaworthiness); and the re-
mainder appear to have arisen from various other,
but we fear equally culpable, causes.
Looking carefully at the Register we find that
of the 981 casualties resulting in serious damage,
but not total loss, from causes other than collisions,
on and near coasts of the United Kingdom,-393
happened when the wind was at the force of a
gale, and are included as having been caused by
stress of wea4her,=-182 arose from carelessness,-
129 from defects in the ship or her equipments;
and the remainder appear to have arisen from
various other causes. Of the 1539 casualties re-
sulting in minor damage, from causes other than
collisions, on and near the coasts of the United
Kingdom, 906 happened' when the whip* was at
the force of a gale, and are included as having been
caused by stress of weather, 2341 were from care-
lessness, 59 from defects in the or her equipments;
and the remainder appear to have arisen from
various other causes. •
Thus we learn, that the total number of ships
which foundered or were otherwise totally lost on
and near the coasts of the United Kingdom, from
defects in the ships or their equipments, during
the year 1874-5, was 33; also that the number -of
casualties arising from the same causes, during the
same year, and resulting, in serious .damage was
122, and those causing minor damage 59.
Again, it appears that '',1877 wrecks happened
when the wind was at force at 6 or under, that is
to say, when the force of the wind did not exceed
a strong breeze, in which the ship would carry
single reefs and top-gallant sails; that 656 hap-
pened with the wind at forces at 7 and 8, or a
moderate to fresh gale, when a ship, if properly
found, manned, and navigated, can keep the sea
with safety; and that 952 happened with Ile wind
at force
.9 and upwards, that is to say, from a strong
gale to.a, hurricane. In other, words, 1877 hap-
pened when the wind was such that a ship could
carry her top-gallant sails; 656 whea a ship ought
to be well able to hold her course; and 952 with
the wind at and above a strong gale.
We also observe that westerly winds are farmore
destructive than easterly winds, the most destruc-
tive being from south-west. It should, however,
be mentioned that westerly winds are much more
frequent on our shores than those blowing from
the east.
In the year 1874-5 there were on and near the
coasts of the United Kingdom 331 wrecks and
casualties to smacks and other- fishing vessels. Ex-
cluding these 381 fishing vessels, we observe that
the number of vessels employed in the regular
carrying trade that suffered from wreck, casualty,
or collision on or near our coasts during the year
was 3871.
In regard to the ages of ships meeting with casu-
alties on our coasts, we find Ithat during the nine
and a half years ending June 1875, disasters to
comparatively new ships bear a very high propor-
tion to the whole number.; and that during the
year 1874-5, 383 wrecks and casualties happened
•".;
nearly new ships, and 646 to ships from three
-„„ „-^''s of, age.
,T.ohmensetvheenretoarfoeu;tereecnksyeanarsd
to seven ,
casualties to 921 :ships &
• •,•tv years old.
old, and to 1,262 from fifteen to " ct
Then follow 567 old ships from thirty tofifty ry
old. Having passed the service of half a century
we come to the very old ships, viz., 74 between
fifty and sixty years old, 31 from sixty to seventy,
18 from seventy to eighty, 11 from eighty to ninety
3 from ninety to a hunched, and 3 upwards of a
hundred. The ages of 335 are unknown.
On the Wreck :Chart which accompanies the
Register, the position of each one of these casual-
ties is distin.ctly defined, and one can thus some-
what realise the terrible shipwrecks that took place
during the winter storms. The sites of 256 Life-
boat Stations or the National Lifeboat Institution
are also clearly denoted on that Chart.
Of the 4259 vessels concerned in the 3590
cases where ships were lost or damaged on and
near the coasts of the United Kingdom, during
the year 1874.-5, 535 were steamships. 124 were
rigged' as ships, 1200 schooners, 438 brigs, 439.
barques, 446 brigsntines, 310 smacks; the remain-
der were small vessels rigged in various ways.
Of the 4259 vessels referred to, 2036 did not ex-
ceed 100 tons burden, 1353 were from 100 to 300
t0n5,,538 were from 300 to 600 tons, and 333 only
were abovb 600 tons burden. Of the 478 vessels
totally lost, 39 are known to have been built of
iron • and of this number 29 steamships and 10
sailig vessels.