The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-16 00:00:00

Th,3 Wreck of the Stanley.

The following is the report addressed to the Board
of 'Trade :
TO THE LORDS OF THE COMMITTEE OF PRIVY COUNCIL

FOR TRADE.

My Lords,—We have the honour to state for the infor-
mation of your lordships that we have held an official in-
quiry into the circumstances attending the loss of the screw
steamship Stanley, which occurred on the evening of the
24th November, on the Spanish Battery Rocks at the en.
trance of the river Tyne.
In this investigation we have had the able assistance of
Captains Harris and Baker, the Nautical Assessors of the
Board of Trade, and we now beg to submit the following as
our report.

The Stanley was built of iron at Hartlepool in the year
1858, and registered at Aberdeen: By her certificate of re
gistry she is described as being la length 193 9-10 ft, in
breadth 27ft, and in depth 141 t. Her gross tonnage was 552
tone, and her registered tonnage 376 tons. She was owned
by the Aberdeen Steam Navigation Company, and was em-
ployed in the coasting trade between that port and'London.
The vessel was propelled by two engines of the combined
power of 110 horses. The crew consisted of 29 persons all
told, and it is stated in evidence that she was in good con-
dition and properly equipped for her intended voyage.
The Stanley left Aberdeen at 9,25 p.m. on the 23d No-
vember, under the commend of Mr Thomas Howling, who
held a certificate of service, which was lost in the ship.
She had on board, as far as can be ascertained, 31 passen-
gers and an average general cargo. In addition, there were
on deck 47 head of cattle secured in pens, and 30 sheep, and
when the vessel left the port her draught of water was 13
feet aft and 9 feet forward.

On leaving port the weather was fine, with a moderate
breeze from SSW. Nothing of any moment occurred till
the following morning, when the wind veered to S, and at
9 a.m, it drew round to SE, blowing hard, with a high sea
getting up, and increasing rapidly. At 2 p.m. it was blow-
ing a hard gale with a very heavy sea, and the ship laboured
so heavily that the cattle pens gave way. The weather hav-
ing now assumed a very threatening aspect, the master held
a consultation with his mate. They referred to their chart,
and finding Tynemouth bore about west, and distant about
25 miles, they deemed it more prudent to run for that har-
bour than the Firth of Forth, as both the wind and sea were
more favourable for reaching the Tyne.
Accordingly a course was shaped to make the entrance of
the Tyne. At 4 30 p,m. they made Tynemouth Light, bear-
ing about Wby N. On approaching the harbour rockets
were fired in the hope of obtaining a pilot, and the ship's
head was turnea to seaward, awaiting the result of their sig-
nals. Night coming on, and the ship making very heavy
weather of it, with hardly steerage way against the heavy
sea, the captain held a further consultation with his mate,
on the propriety of entering the Tyne without a pilot or the
guidance of the harbour lignts. The mate had considerable
experience of the navigation of the Tyne, and the master,
feeling the urgency of the case and knowing the dangerous
position in which his vessel then was, determined to run in
for the safety of ship and all on board, Having thus decided,
arid considering further delay danger, us, the ship was steered
for the harbour. A small pilot steamer, which had been out
seeking for vessels, was t..riven in by stress of weather about
a quarter of an hour before the Stanley entered, and the
Stanley, in her then dangerous position, was left to her own
resources. She entered bel ween the piers in safety, and
while proceeding at a rate of eight knots an hour, three tre-
mendous seas in succession struck her aft, a little on the
starboard quarter, broaching her to against her helm (then
hard a-starboard), and before the ship could recover the
proper channel she grounded on the rocks below the Spanish
Battery, at about half-past 5 p.m., and ultimately became a
total wreck, with a disastrous loss of life.
A communication was established by means of the rocket
apparatus, but, in spite of the repeated commands of the
master to take the hawser to the masthead, it was made fast
so slow that alter three lives had been caved it became en-
tangled in the rocks, and was rendered useless. The rising
tide and heavy sea prevented the Coastguard and those on
shore from making any further efforts at that time to com-
municate with the ill-fated ship. Prior to this an attempt
had been made by one of the crew to lower one of the ship'f,
boats, but the davit breaking five lives were lost, and shortly
afterwards the whole of the remaining boats were washed
away, About half-past G p.m. the Tynemouth lifeboat Con-
stance put off, but was recalled in consequence of an an-
founded impression that the crew and passengers had been
saved by the Shields lifeboats. It was subsequently ascer-
tained that the Shields lifeboats had been unsuccessful in
their•attempta to reach the wreck, and at about 8 o'clock
the Tynemouth lifeboat again put off and made a gallant
effort to reach the ship, and had nearly succeeded when an
overwhelming sea washed over the Stanley's bow, and
falling upon the lifeboat broke all the oars from the rollocks,
and washed overboard all but two of her spare oars. In this
disabled condition the sea carried her into the rigging of a
schooner stranded at a little distance ahead of the Stanley.
By this mischance four of the boat's crow were thrown out,
two of whom unfortunately lost:their lives. After this the
lifeboat was rendered useless, and she drifted up the river.

While this fruitless effort was being made to relieve
the sufferers, the Coastguard had proceeded with the rocket
apparatus to North Shields, from whence they put off in
a steaming to the scene of the wreck, but the sea was so
terrific that they were unable to reach the veksel, and were
compelled to return.
About 10 p.m. the ship broke in two, the same sea sweep-
ing away the deckhouse, on which most of the passengers
had taken refuge, and washing them overboard. At this
time the greatest saer:flee of human life took place. The
fore part of the ship swung round to the wind and sea, and
one of her anchors having been providentially washed from
the catheal, the chain attached to it held her in position, or
probably we should have to record a still greater loss of life.
Tho Coastguard, whose laudable exertions cannot be too
highly commended, returned to the scene of the disaster,
and the tide having fallen, succeeded in again establishing a
communication with the ship at about 5 o'clock a.m. ; by
this means the remainder of the crew and passengers, some
33 in number, were eventually rescued, 25 having met with
a watery grave.

Such is the narrative of tho loss of the Stanley, as extracted
from the evidence before us.

In commenting upon these events we would direct the
attention of your lordships to certain facts elicited during the
lengthened and searching investigation in which we have
been engaged, in the hope that measures may be taken to
prevent, if possible, similar disasters in future.
A review of the evidence will show that the Tyne Im-
provement Commissioners, by removing the old bar and
deepening and widening the channel, have vastly improved
the entrance to the harbour, and have rendered its naviga-
tion comparatively safe ; but the full advantages which
Would have resulted from this improvement appear in some
measure neutralised by the absence of buoys and beacons to
indicate the deep water channel.
The valuable evidence of Mr Ure, the engineer-in-chief
of the Tyne Commissioners, will be read with great atten-
tion. All that seems to be required to render the Tyne
available for vessels of considerable draught of water in all
weathers and at all periods of the tide is a proper system of
lights and Luoys, and the concurrent testimony of nearly all
the witnesses examined before us, speaks to the necessity of
keeping the guiding lights exhibited at all times of the tide,
instead of extinguishing them, as is now the practice, at
half-ebb, and re• lighting tk-m as Boon as the flood has made
in the harbour. In the present state of the river, had the
lights been exhibited throughout the night we might not
now have to deplore the numerous wrecks and the fearful
sacrifice of life that occurred on the night of the 24th of
November last.

Another point to which we would direct particular atten-
tion is the difficulty the Stanley experienced as to obtaining
a pilot. it is the practice of the screw steamers frequenting

the Tyne to retain the services of a pilot, specially selected,
and who is expected to await the ship's arrival; when this
takes place during the night, the ship discharges a rocket
as a signal, and this is now of such frequent occurrence that
a rocket signal is not heeded, except by pilots specially re•
tained by vessels then expected. Thus the Stanley, arriving
off the port and seeking shelter, found her signals totally
disregarded. The pilot's 'steamer which was outside the
harbour saw the Stanley, but, taking her for one of the
screw steamers frequenting the port, and presuming that
she would have a pilot awaiting her arrival, did not go near
her; and the pilots in their evidence state that they have
been so frequently disappointed, and their services so con-
stantly refused, that they have ceased to communicate with
this class of vessels. We venture to suggest that this state
things should le remedied, so that a stranger Arriving off
the port may rely upon obtaining the services of a pilot,
Taking into consideration all the circumstances of the
case, the state of the weather, and what was requisite fur
the safety of the ship and of the lives and property in-
trusted to the care of the captain, we have decided, with
the concurrence of our assessors, that he was justified in
making for this port ; and that, having been unsuccessful
in obtaining a pilot, and being then on a lea shore, with an
unusually heavy sea, and knowing that there was a suffi-
cient depth of water on the bar, he was also justified in
running in, assisted as he was by the local knowledge of
the mate. And we are further of opinion that the loss of
the steamship Stanley was a misadventure caused by the
overwhelming sea, the absence of leading lights, and by
other circumstances beyond the control of the master. We
have, therefore, adjudged that Captain Thomas Howling is
entitled to a renewal of his certificate.—We have, &e.,

JOSEPH SrErion, J.P.
ALEX., S. STEVENSON, J.P.
We concur in the above report,
H. HARRIS, I
It. Nautical Assessors.
B BAKER,
Tynemouth, Dec. 13.