The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1881-03-12 00:00:00

FEARFUL SHIPWRECKS IN THE
NORTH.

A series of terrible shipping disasters occurred on
the Aberdeenshire coast on Saturday morning, eight
or nine vessels having been wrecked, and nearly 200
lives lost. Five vessels were driven ashore to the
north of Aberdeen, and three near Peterhead; from
the former 15 lives were saved, but, unfortunately,
over sixty were lost. One of the vessels was the
Liverpool [ship Ben Rhydding, of Liverpool,
supposed to be from Calcutta to Dundee, with
jute ; all the crew, thirty in number, perished
within sight of land, the -ocket apparatus being un-
able to reach the vessel. The scene after the Ben
Rhydding struck was-heartrending, the crew clinging
to the rigging. Some of them were seen hanging from
it dead. They were in this position for several hours
till the masts gave way. Twelve men went down with
the mainmast, and foirr with the foremast. One body,
which came ashore lashed to a spar, is supposed to be
that of the captain or the mate. On the body were a
gold watch and rings, and a large sum of money was in
the pockets.

The Ranger, of Frederikshaven, Captain Osterberg,
from Christiania for Leith with battens, was also
wrecked on the east coast of Scotland on Saturday.
The captain and mate were washed ashore and
miraculously rescued. The rocket apparatus was
brought into requisition to save the remainder of the
crew. The rocket was successfully fired, but the
men seemed unacquainted with the use of it. A
coastguardman named George Williams, seeing this,
threw himself into the sea and swam out to the vessel,
and by almost superhuman exertion saved all hands,
four in number.

The Harmony, of Mandel, Neilson master, bound
from that port for Borrowstowness with pit props,
drove ashore in St. Andrew's Bay on Saturday. The
crew, consisting of four men and a boy, were gallantly
rescued by the Ladies' Own lifeboat of the National
Lifeboat Institution sbationed at this place. The
vessel has since become a total wreck.

On Monday morning a schooner was observed in
danger off Boarhills, f(ur miles to the east of St.
Andrew's, and the lifeboat succeeded in taking off the
crew, 16 all told. The vessel was the Grasshopper, of
Southampton for Sunderland in ballast. The captain
stated that he had seen several vessels and two
steamers in the vicinity of the bay, and had that
morning been passed by a boat with nine men, the
captain of whom said that he had lost his ship.
The screw steamer Essen, of Kiel, from Bilbao for
Rotterdam with a cargo of iron ore, went ashore near
Niton early on Sunday morning during a dense fog.
The crew were landed safely, and their immediate
wants were provided for by Mr. Forster, the Niton
agent to the Shipwrecked Mariners' Society.

The Swedish schooner Niels dragged her anchor on
Friday afternoon, and drove ashore on the north side
of the Tay between Broughty Ferry and Monifieth.
The English Mechanic lifeboat, of the National Life-
boat Institution, stationed at Broughty Ferry, was
happily successful in saving the crew of five men from
the wreck.

The Italian vessel Arpoerate, Captain Angelo Gio
Yavagnin, laden with walnut and marble wood, came
ashore between Bolthead and Bolttail, Salcombe,
during a dense fog and a heavy sea on Sunday morn-
ing. Some of the crew put to sea in their own boat.
The Hope Core lifeboat went out, but failed to find
them. The body of the master's wife has been washed
ashore. The vessel went to pieces. Large quantities
of walnut wood have been cast upon the beach ; also
marble and wood marked "F,11.” and numbered.

The Montrose lifeboats, belonging to the National
Lifeboat Institution, were again instrumental on
Monday in rendering good service to the crews of
wrecked vessels, their brave crews showing great de-
termination and courage. The brig August, of Barth,
was running for Montrose, in a terrific sea, when she was
driven ashore. The No. 1 lifeboat dashed across the
Annat Sandbank to her assistance, and secured a line,
but was driven away by the heavy seas. Meanwhile the
other lifeboat had been launched off the beach, and was
successful in saving the crew of seven men shortly
before the vessel broke up. Soon afterwards the iron
steamer Norm'a, of Bergen, stranded half a mile away
to the northward, and became a wreck. The No. 2
lifeboat Was fortunately the means of saving eleven
of the crew, one man only being lost,