The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1867-10-22 00:00:00

FOI/R EIENDROWNID IN THE WENT BAY.

Od Tburaday =Ruing, shortly after eight, a boat
containing • Tarty of men warn observed to be tossing
In the raring sea in the West Bey, aid being driven
towards the Chesil beach. The boat was nearly *Moat*
the Coast-guard Station at Wyke Regis, but long ere
any aasietenos could be attempted on behalf of in
111-starred occupants, the frail bark was dashed
upon the beach and instantly broken to fragments, the
unfortunate crew being immersed in the raging sea.
The Coen-guard wen, as usual, prompt and e
In their efforts to render help, and there wors=
several villager* quickly on the spot, quite as mews to
render what /awns they could, although all hops of
saving life was over. By the persevering exertions of
these on shore, four bodies were recovered, but when
taken from the water they were quite asked, and
dreadfully mutilated by the form witlicri+h •
tithe bad
I bsen &Mal upon the pebbles. The had
been awned with the rocket apneas on Wednesday
but in so heavy • OM as p evened on Thursday, sad
with the stray SW. wind then blowing, it could
aisecelF be &god that they would have been Wan-
menial in saving life lad they been enabled to use
this valuable contrivance. The almost tots' destruction
of the boat entirely set at nought every attempt
mosnain tbe vessel to which she belonged.
papers, however, which were oat ashore give 'a slight
eke to her Identity. From these documents it was
ascertained that sbe tier was the schooner newt
Woodburn, of Barrow.in.Furness, Leacashire, 127 tons
regatta, and 250 tons bonbon, Jobs Scales neater. A
greet number of papers bearing dotes of several years
wen washed ashore mad taken possession of by the
Ciomitguard, but 'in them no mention occurs of the
newl's destination or the cargo sbe contained. It Is
shown by then papers that she was at Belfast at the
end of Sweember, and discharged at that port 228 tons
of coals, and received in addititiou to other freight 45 tons
of sand as ballast. in account book was amongst the
paper*, and in this was the record of sundry payments
made in Belfast for the ship ; among them an allowance
for "beer" to the men for loading. After leaving
Belton, miss men have gone into some port and paid
the light dues. In the Custom Home form, however,
the mins is abbreviated to "Miro," which gives little
information of a ssliefeelory nature, and Weed the
whole partimilan me of a very vague character, as
she is simply Mated to be "going north about.* It
may be reasonably sappond that the vessel was
abandoned by the mew, who took with them all the
ships papers, and seisavonred breech the land in their
boat, perhaps ignorant of the fatal character of the mast
they wen appraudgag. • Law itom the aspisia's wife

Hiving at Berrow-in-Furneeil was among the Mince
found, and from this it would appear the e=
brother was on board, • fact that is somewhat
confirmed by the strong resemblance observable in two
of the bodies- Some marks in one of the naltelle
showed it was the remains of the captain of the mesel.
Them ware tattoed on the arm the letters R. H. sad
J. K, the latter letters in three Oboes ; there were
besides the figures of • beast and • mermaid. The man
was apparently between 50 and 60 years of age; two
others were some years younger, one perhaps 30 and
the other slightly more advanced to life. The younger
man had the marks of • blister on his left breast. and •
sear on his right leg near the knee. The bodies were
brought saves the Fleet in the course of the afternoon,
and conveyed in a waggon to the nearest publicbouse,
there to await an inquest. On Friday morning the
stern boned of the boat was picked up, and corroborated
the papers, that the veiled belonged to BUTOIr-ill-
humus, and alio showed that her owner was Mr. J.
Brookland, of Inversions, lansashirs.
The inquest was held at the Albert Inn, on Friday,
at 12 o'clock, before Henry Look Faq., deputpeoroner.
The foreman chosen was Mr. John Talbot. The first
evidence was given by John Bird, 15 years of age
He deposed that his father want him over to the Beach
on Thursday morning, about eight o'clock, to see his
heat and net were "all right," as it had bent a very
weigh night. When he was on top of the beach he
heard some men " hallothog," sad he thought it was
semi fishermen. He looked towards the water and
saw three or four men in • boat holding up their hands.
He stopped to me who they were, "because it rained
so hard," aM coming bark he met Merles Ward and
Thomas Williams, who be told of it, and thin went
back again to the beach with them, when oothing could
be seen but some pieces of the boat. Nothing what.
ever maid be seen of the men, neither up oar down the
beach. He afterwards maw the bodies washing up and
down the beach, and he then remained till they were
landed. The means of bringing the bodies to shore
was with the assistant:* of a rope. Thomas Frampton
was one of the men who rescued the bodies. The rope
was tied round his body. and when the ass went beck
the man ran in and tried to grasp the bodies. There
was no one else on the beach besides witness. It was
• very wet morning and the wind was blowing strati.
According to his idea the bast was 60 yards from the
beach, or more than that. It was about • quarter of
an hour after that he met Ward and Williams. It
was near Ward's house, and directly he told them
they ran all the way and mimed the backwater, and
went to the moisten« of the tomto the boat.
Charism Ward, hair droner, then deposed that be
met the last witness yesterday morning about aguarlic
to nine o'clock. He was running for some men. The boy
at ones gave information stating he saw three or four
men in • host off in West Be,. The men were waiving
a handkerchief. He then, in company with Thomas
Williams and the boy, ran to the backwater, and went
acmes in • trough to the beach, On arriving there at
first they saw no men bet • haat all in pieces. They
picked up • lot of papers on the beech which had bees
washed up, and on looking in the water they saw three
or four men washing about He found himself and his
companion were of no amount, and he went and
requested further assistance. Charles Stone was the
first man who came, and James Stone followed, and then
with ropes tied round their bodies to prevent them
from being washed out to sea, they tried to rescue the
bodies. He helped himself to recover one body. They
were employed about three hours in this way in recover-
ing four bodiet. He was quite satisfied that all the
bodies were dead, and no attempt was ;nada to
resuscitate the bodies. Hs gave the mere up to the
otrestl °Meer at Wylie, Mr. Drayton-
By
, bin East: lithe" had been proper assistance
at at the time he thought the men could have
been saved-
Examination continued: He went into the sea to
is and recover the men. People had hold of the rope
when be went in. He could swim, but swimming was
of no use in a sea like that.
John Andrews, ocast-guardsman, stationed at Wyke
Regis, deposed that it was his duty as day watchman
to watch and see if there were any vessels likely to
come on shore. Be was called to his duty at a Tarter
to six, and Wllll on the beach at • quarter-past six. He
then walked from one end of the guard to the other.
with his glass in his hand, but he saw nothing in sight.
He was there until half-past NOVI& when he nosed to
this side of the beach. He heard no noise, and he had
used his gime half-a-dozen times that morning.-- The
guard oommenced to the westward of Shanklin, and
ends to the eastward just below the rills butts- The
length of the Wyke guard would be two miles. When
the oosst-guard crew went across to the beach the boy
pointed out where the boat had been seen. The bodies
were washed ashore within his beat. _ . . .

-.--
The witness Ward wee recalled, and stated that he
mused at Orem-hue.

Andi;;;;Ltinued : The guard opposite Green-
lane was about a fourth part of his guard. He had
passed the spot when the boy pointed out where
the boat was. He confirmed the evictor'se of the
boy as to the weather. The wind was about want. He
was quite sure he beard no noise from seaward. If •
noise had been made he would have heard it. When
he left the beach he was still watchman, and crossed the
backwater and cleaned his boat out. He was there
about an hour. He heard of the occident about Ma-
ma nine. He warn then at the buildings. He bad
not then been relieved, and consequently left no one on
the besoh. The course he had pursued that morning
was his reviler duZitswaatchman every fifth day.
Ca East ex that the first duty of • man-
tras the m of revenue and to assist in the
saving of life. After relieving the night patrol he
would examine the mast, and then make a report to
his raver.
Witness continued : He did not see the boy. He
was on duty as watchman that day till half past 12.
When he was at the building hi was in the look-out
place. It was not in the least strange that this
boat should be off the coast without his seeing it, as she
would dip in the sea.
A Juror (Mr. White) stated that the boat was men of
the coast about seven o'clock, and It was taken for •
crab boat. Another Juror (Mr. Roberts) was of
opinion that if the boat bad gone in at Portland she
would have been saved.
Mr. Drayton, the officer of oosat.guard at Wylie, then
produced the papers recovered.
Thomas Williams, of Wyke Regis, deposed that he
was in company with the witness Wand and corroborated
his evidence. Witness gave further evidence as to the
contents of • book be had picked up and delivered to
the coast-guard, but this book it appeared was in the
possession of Mr. Chesesman, the collector of customs
at Weymouth. The receipt produced was one be saw
In the bill book, as follows :—" Belfast, November 9,
1887. Wheeling on board of the Eleanor Woodburn
55 tons of mad ballast, at 6d. per ton. Paid
Hugh Mo. Cann file. Cd. Settled. Hugh Mc. Cann."
Captain Beat, in reply to the Coroner, stated that he
was satisfied the coast-guard had done his duty. They
were of cosine obliged to take the man's word that he
had examined the coast. He (Captain East) had a
rocket apparatus at Portland, and he should apply for
a rocket at Wyk. It would be very useful timpani
a fishing boat was lost.
Ward re-called, and stated that the bodies must have
been in the water three re four hours. Where the
bodies came ashore was in Wyk*, but he believed
Portland claimed the beach.
The Coroner having briefly slimmed up, the jury
returned • verdict of " Found Drowned."