The Sun.
London, England, 1867-12-25 00:00:00

WRECKS IN 186 G.

A return recently issued by the Board of Trade
records 1,860 wrecks and casualties as baying ee'd
curred in 1866 on and near the coasts of the Uvilites
Kingdom. The number reported in 1865 Iv%
1,656. The number for 1866 was not only ah°f
the corrected average of the last ten years, but a'so
above the average of the preceding five Ye3rLse
This was partly attributable to an increase le tv
number of vessels frequenting the coasts, and it 13,
also to be noted that the numbers for any one Yea
will be increased or diminished according to the Prei
valence or absence of gales. In 1866 the gales,o,
January, February, and March and October, Nel'Aew;
ber, and December gave 793 wrecks, C. Of '4'l4
number 279 occurred in January. The 131°-
serious disasters occurred on the 11th of Jantl37i:
Of the shipping in Torbay on that dap
vessels were either totally lost or sail:1115"d
damaged. The number of ships lost or dareage
in 1866 was 2,289, and was in excess of the nude
ber of wrecks and casualties (1,860), becriej
in cases of collision two or more ships were invc° e,
in one casualty. Out of 1,860 casualties 953 °a,
curred on the east coast, 274 on the south Oa;
412 on the west coast, and 144 on the Irish 035';
net.
but while the greatest number of wrecks hare;
on the east coast of England, the greatest I°l9
of life occurred in the Irish Sea. AVest,,epof
gales were far more fatal than eas'",:h,
gales, the most fatal, however, being from s 0 ,ea
west. The number of lives lost in the Irish 'OO
during the last eight years was more than dc)tiof
the number lost on any other part of the coasts' pro
the 2,289 vessels lost or damaged in 1866, 86 W-fg
rigged as ships, 150 were steamships, 631 schooner:
r 1
426 brigs, 249 barks, 257 brigantines, ali—crerea
smacks, &c. Nearly half the vessels that Oil.'" tea
from wreck or casualty last year was repreol/ A
by the unseaworthy, overladen, or ill-
in
vessels of the collier class, chiefly emploYe
the coasting trade. The state of rottennessboo
of want of repair of some of the ships 3:00
20 years old often called for remark, and II- go
age of 25 to 30 a ship was sometiteetiog
rotten that it fell to pieces immediately on totle'teot
the ground, without giving the crew the sligilopo
warning ; but disasters to comparatively nee'slot,
bore a very high proportion to the whole 0111., 5:31
Thus, taking the eight years ended 1866, of ll'op
wrecks, &c., in which the ages of the QeSi
3'
were stated, 1,135 happened to nearly new sco,ro
and 1,981 to ships from three to sevenlol-
of age. Then there were wrecks and e 3301
ties to 2,506 ships from seven
.to 14 years 01“, vied
to 4,180 from 15 to 30 years old. Then f°ll° $0
1,528 old ships from 30 to 50 years old. w- stb°,,
v
more than half a century old 283 were betwee sOt
and 60, 127 from GO to 70, 61 from 70 t° f the
and 31 aged 80 years and upwards. fore
total total number of wrecks, &c., in 1866, 422 a ill
referred to collisions, of which 121 oceu°3eoitr
the daytime, and 301 at night. Of the rel Ol
ing 1,438 casualties, 562 resulted in the a,,t0l
loss of the vessels, and 876 resulted in P thali
damage. Of the vessels totally lost no klefeel
125 were lost through carelessness, 74 from "
in ship, &c., and 276 from stress of weather;odia
the vessels partially damaged 119 suffered twa
carelessness, 44 from defects in ships, Ike., I/130i life'
from stress of weather. As regards the 100 a pea
the returns show that the total number tipit',
sons lost on and near the coasts of the 'Olt
Kingdom last year, in 199 ships, was 896' weep
i
was in excess of the number lost in any Yellr' so)le
in 1859, when, owing to the loss of the pa
The Jere
Charter, the number reached 1,647.
uode
number of 324 lives was lost in vessels that fe v,oe6
127 were lost through collisions, and 393 it'd 4,03
stranded or cast ashore. On the other has
lives were saved from wrecks during the 3131°Li
tar
353 by lifeboats, 516 by rocket and nicir
tiara
ratus, lines, &c., 439 by huggers and coastgodoi,
other boats, 973 by ships and steamboats, 3, oViI3PO
by ships' own boats. For the purpose °:1660°,,0
life from shipwreck there were at the end °lof rocV4o
th© coasts of the United Kingdom 265 sets 1170J0
and mortar apparatus, 2,828 of CaPtaile Oaf
cork lifejackets, and 207 lifeboats. BesidesL j co°,a
there were also 102 volunteer life brigades alibe f°';
panics. In addition to pecuniary reslards:retrotileljo
lowing presentations were made by tilt.
during the year 1866 for saving life :--v".01) troPo.
medal, one gold medal, five silver medals, etO
ti ectp
''
llr-
medal, 12 gold watches, seven gold C 00, A
23 telescopes,four binocular glasses, 20 se
one quadrant.