The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-28 00:00:00

Loss of the Brig Weannouth.

OFFICIAL REPORT.
To the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council

for Trade.

My Lords,—ln accordance with your instructions,
we, the undersigned two magistrates for the county
of Cornwall, have held an inquiry into the loss of
the brig Wearmouth, on the Par Sands, on Satur-
day, Nov. 25, assisted by Capts. Baker and Alston,
the nautical assessors appointed by your Board.
The brig Wearmouth was a wooden vessel, built at
Sunderland, in the county of Durham, in March,
1862, and registered the same year at the same port,
and was of the burthen of 270 tops. She had
a crew of nine hands all told, but no passengers on
board. She was commanded by Mr. T. J. Churn-
side, who held a certificate of competency. The
Wearmouth left Taganrog, in the sea of Azoff, on
the 15th Sept. last, with a cargo of linseed in bulk,
bound to Falmouth for orders. The vessel appears
to have been in good condition on leaving that port.
All seems to have gone well until she arrived at
Buyukdere, in the Bosphorus, where she took the
ground, but was hove off again without sustaining
(apparently) any damage. The brig proceeded on
her voyage, and when off the Spanish coast she ex-
perienced bad weather, losing some sails. On Nov.
24 the English coast was made, somewhere near the
Deadman headland. During the night of the 24th
the vessel appears to have been working to
windward, and on the morning of the 25th she
was close to the Gribben, the weather being, as
described, squally, with a strong breeze at the S. to
S.S.E. At about 9.30 the vessel was hove to and
the jack hoisted for a pilot. At about 10 a.in. Mr.
Richd. Johns, a Trinity-house pilot for the port of
Fowey and to the eastward as far as Looe, came
alongside in the pilot-cutter, and asked if they re-
quired a pilot and where they were bound. The
master of the brig said, " Come on board," but, as
appears by the evidence, the brig was wore round
to the westward and sail made on her. The wind
having hauled more to the eastward, there appeared
a good chance of weathering the Deadman, which
bore about W. 6.8. from the brig, her course being
shaped to pass that headland with a leading wind,
intending to proceed on to Falmouth. The pilot
had in the meantime got his small boat out, intend-
ing to board the Wearmouth, but, seeing her ma-
noeuvres,gave up the attempt and ran into harbour.
As the brig approached the IVadman, the wind
suddenly veered more to the S. and S.W., coming
in hard squalls, increasing in strength. The vessel
broke off, bringing the headland on her port or
weather bow. The helm was put up, and the ves-
sel kept before the wind, with double-reefed topsails
set, lowered on the cap. No attempt was made to
haul her up on the starboard tack to get off shore.
The Wearmouth had been making some water since
the bad weather on the Spanish coast, and had
pumped up a good deal of linseed, a part of her
cargo, but it does not appear that she was alarm-
ingly leaky. She had also a considerable list to
port, but this did not affect her steering or sailing
materially. The cause of this list to port was not sa-
tisfactorily accounted for. After running before the
wind some time the Gribben was again approached,
the brig hove to, and the signal rehoisted for a pilot.
Just before this a barque was observed standing
towards them from the-westward; this vessel proved
to be the Drydens. She passed the Wearmouth, and
kept standing towards the shore. This led the mas-
ter to suppose that those on board the barque were
acquainted with this part of the coast, and he deter-
mined to stand in after her, which was done, and it
appears in evidence that a man was sent into the
chains of the brig with orders from the master to
keep the land lead going. After running some short
time they got five fathoms, when the barque was ob-
served to take the ground, and in seven or eight
minutes after the Wearmouth also struck heavily,
the second bump carrying away herrudder. Previous
to this one anchor had been got clear with 40 fathoms
of chain. No attempt was made to bring the ship up
by anchoring, but she was run on the beach, and sub-
sequently abandoned as a total wreck. By the evi-
dence of the pilot the weather was so very furious that
it would have, in his opinion, been impossible for
the Wearmouth to have Weathered the Gribben, even
had she made the attempt by bracing up on the star-
board tack after she put back from the Deadman,
and he said that no sails would have stood the fury
of the wind on this occasion, and that he considered
the master fully justified in beaching his vessel to
save the lives of those on board. Some evidence
was adduced as to the master being drunk at the
time of the stranding, but this was not satisfactorily
proved to the court. The Wearmouth struck be-
tween 12 and 1 o'clock on Saturday, Nov. 25, on
Par Sands. At about half-past 3 the Fowey life-
boat, from Polkerris, boarded both vessels, and took
all hands safely to laud, one man having been taken
out of a boat that had broken adrift from the brig
Nothing whatever appears to have been saved from
the brig, but, most fortunately, no lives were lost.
This is a brief narrative of the facts as adduced by
the evidence. In commenting upon this case, it ap-
pears to the court that the evidence of the pilot, Mr.
Johns, and many other nautical gentlemen (among
them a commander in the royal navy), tends to
exonerate the master, they describing the weather as
unusually severe on the day of the wreck, and that,
in their opinion, the master was justified in not at-
tempting to haul off the shore on the starboard
tack when the wind veered to S.S.W. or S.W., as
in all probability, had he done so with spritsails and
a strong list to port, the brig would have been dis-
abled, and rendered incapable of reaching any place
where the crew could have been saved. In this opi-
nion we concur. This being the opinion of the court,

the next point was as to the judiciousness of running
down with the intention of getting a pilot if possible.
We consider the master acted properly, as he was

justified in expecting to get one, having left the
pilot-cutter about an hour before. We believe that
the master thought the barque was running into
some safe harbour. We concur in the opinion of the
witnesses that he was justified in following the
barque, from the position in which he then was.
Having decided to follow the barque, we are of opi-
nion that had he let go his anchors when he saw her
take the ground, it would have been too late to save
the vessel. The Court cannot close this report with-
out remarking upon this vessel being allowed to go
to sea without a marine barometer, as, in this case,
had such a valuable instrument been on board, it
would have indicated the approach of the violent
gale, and have induced the master to accept the ser-
vices of the pilot in the first instance, whereby this
unfortunate accident might have been avoided.
Having decided to follow the barque, and made pre-
parations for anchoring, we are of opinion that had
he let go his anchors when he saw her take the
ground, it would have been too late to Save the ves-
sel. As to the accusation of drunkenness, the Court
fully exonerate the master. We have, therefore,
with the concurrence of one assessor, acquitted the
master of blame for the loss of the brig Wearmouth,
and have informed Mr. T. J. Churnside that he is
at liberty to apply to your lordships' board for a
renewal of his certificate • and have the honour to
remain, your lordships' obedient servants,
NEVIL NORWAY, Magistrates.
Jo H NW. PEARD,
I concur in the above report. R. B. BAKER: