THE LOSS OF THE BLERVIE CASTLE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 3, Issue 134, 14 April 1860, Page 8

THE LOSS OF THE BLERVIE CASTLE.

(From the Evening Mail, December 2Q.J Anxious inquiries have been made daily at Lloyd's and of the charterers of the ill-fated outward bound Australian ship Blervie Castle, relative to the fate of the unfortunate passengers and crew. Unhappily, not the least doubt is entertained but that they must have all perished in the ship, and this belief is confirmed by the reports that have since been made by the French fishermen, to the effect that they had seen numbers of dead bodies of men, women, and children, floating among the wrecked goods and cases. That the catastrophe toot place during Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, and on either the Varne or Kidge Sands, has now been satisfactorily ascertained. It appears the wreck wa3 first seen about 8 o'clock on Wednesday morning, by the captain and chief officer of the General (Steam Navigation Company's steamer Panther, while on their passage from Boulogne to London, and who, from some oversight or other s omitted on their arrival in the Thames to report the fact to cither Lloyd's or the Shipping (Gazette, by which the loss of the Blervie Castle would have been known 48 hours before it was actually announced. The wreck was observed to the eastward of the Varne and Kidge Sands, and some 10 or 12 miles off the French coast, the wind blowing hard at the time from the S.W., with a high sea. The chief mate at first perceived something large looming in the distance, right in the course of the steamer. His impression at the moment was, that it was a species of whale which is occasionally seen in the Channel, but soon afterwards he detected it was the wreck of a 600 or 700 ton ship, floating with her bilge out of the water. The course of the Panther was direct at it, and it was only by her helm being put hard aport that she cleared the wreck, otherwise she might have sustained serious damage. The wreck was sheathed with yellow metal, and she appeared to have been painted a buff colour inside her bulwarks and stanchions, or rather what remained of them. Capt. Russell, who was despatched to the French coast by the underwriters at Lloyd's to collect all the authentic information on the melancholy subject, writes to say — " That the wreck of the Blervie Castle was seen oil Saturday driving about 12 miles ISLE, of Calais. Four fishing boats had it in tow for 16 hours, endeavouring to get into some place on the coast, but were at length obliged to relinquish their charge on account of the strong wind. The fishermen describe the wreck to be much damaged in her stern, that all her masts were gone and she was lying on one side." The next that is heard of the wreck is from the officer of the Dover and Calais steamer, which escaped coming into collision with it in the course of Saturday night. On Monday night some Deal luggers came up with the wreck between the Kentish Knock and the Galloper, 50 or 60 miles from the Varne Sand, and they got it in tow and succeeded in getting it on to the main to the eastward of Hamsgate harbour. From its shattered state it was evident that some vessel had struck upon it during the time it had been driving about. Lloyd's agent at Rainsgate describes it as the port side of a ship from stem to stern, of about 600 tons, broken off at the floor heads, yellow metalled and fastened, all black outside, and partly planked with oak or teak. It was painted with a narrow white streak, and the poop and top-gallant forecastle appeared to have been newly coppered. The general opinion is that the wreck i 3 that of the Blervie Castle, although as yet it has not been clearly identified as part of the ill-fated ship. It may be remarked that some doubt has been expressed as to whether the wreck really is that of the Blervie Castle, and an impression has been entertained that it belonged to some other ship which had come in collision with the Blervie Castle, and had met the same fate. This conjecture has arisen from the circumstance of pieces of wreck having been seen floating in the Channel different from that of the Blervie Castle, but its driving about for so long a period would account for its somewhat altered character, and it is only reasonable to suppose that it is part of the lost vessel. There has been a large quantity of wrecked goods landed, not only at several of the French ports, but] at Ramsgate, Dover, Margate, &c, some of the cases having the words "Blervie Castle" upon them, and others only the figures and marks. On referring to the ship's manifest, however, it has been clearly ascertained that the greater bulk of the cargo brought ashore formed part of the cargo of the Blervie Castle. Lloyd's agent at Dunkirk also forwarded the following : — " Dec. 23- — Seven cases have been picked up 12 miles N.N.E. of this port. G and C (in a diamond) C A 88, G B A (in a diamond) H 62, W H P (in a diamond) C M 259, 1 (in a triangle) A 34, S J (in a diamond) M 65, five of which bear the name "Blervie Castle," besides one without mark and one containing a pianoforte. The third one (No. 259) is broken and appears to contain ready made clothes. On the spot there was no appearance of a vessel. except that of a mast." Immediately on the receipt of this news, the brokers, Messrs. Grierson and Tweedale, of Princess Street, who had chartered the ship, compared the marks and numbers of the cases with the vessel's manifest ; and it was evident that the whole of the wrecked property was a portion of the cargo of the Blervie Castle, and hence it was apparent that she must have gone to pieces, as the 4 barrels marked "Booth, London," which had been landed at Calais, were known by the clerk to have been stowed at the bottom of the hold of the ill-fated ship. The Blervie Castle was one of the fleet of Messrs. Duncan D unbar, of Limehouso. She was a very fine ship, 610 tons register, almost new, having only been built two years ago, and was classed at Lloyd's A 1, 12 years, She had very superior passenger accommodation, and was chartered by Messrs. Grrierson and Tweedale, and laid on for Adelaide. She loaded in the London Docks, and about 40 passengers had taken berths in her to proceed to the colony. Twenty-two joined her when she left the river, and the remainder intended to go on board at Plymouth, where the ship had to put in. She carried a crew of 34 hands, in-

qluding.the officers, and had a valuable^^go oi' lherchantlise, with some live stock on de'cffl^The Channel pilot took chaise of her when she'&ailed fro,rn Gravesend on the 15th inst., and proceeded through the Downs -with her, and left her off Dover on Sunday evening, when all appeared to be well with her, and she had a. fair wind, for her course down Channel. It was expected that she would reach Plymouth about Tuesday or Wednesday, but nothing more was heard of her. Towards the close of Tuesday the wind shifted to the north-north-west and blew a terrific gale, with heavy snow, the pilots who were out describing it as an awful night. It is supposed that the ship must have got some distance down the Channel when she encountered the gale, and whether Captain M'Hardy who bears a high character for skilful seanienship, attempted to run back or hold on by beating about, and was driven back by the force of the tempest, is a matter of conjecture. It is quite evident that the ship got back to the eastward of Dungeness in the more narrow portion of the Channel, where both the English and French coasts are most prominently lighted, and when seen gives a ship her immediate position. It is therefore exceedingly probable that the dense snow which fell during the night entirely shut out these beacons from view, and that Captain M'Hardy was not aware of his situation. It is thought that she was lost either on the Varne or the Ridge, two shoals which stand in the centre of the Channel almost in a line with Folkestone and Cape Grinez. The Varne extends some four or live miles in length, extremely narrow, and has not more than a fathom and a-half upon it at low water, while all around it are soundings at 12 and 17 fathoms. The Eidge is near to the French coast, a long and narrow shoal, and, like the Varne, has deep water round it. The general impression is that the ship struck upon one of these shoals, and, after heavy beating, went to pieces 5 and sliding off sunk in deep water. It may be stated that she was fitted with ample boats to save all .hands, but in such a sea as prevailed that night it is very doubtful whether they could have outlived it. Since the communications that have come to hand from Calais and Dunkirk it has been ascertained that several luggers have reached Ramsgate, Dover, and Folkestone with portions of the cargo of the Blervie Castle ; some of it was picked up in the course of Thursday as far to the eastward as the Galloper Light off Harwich. The following are the names of the passengers who went on board in the river and have perished : — " Ist Class. — Mr. and Mrs. Daniel and family, consisting of four sons and one daughter — Henry, Arthur, Edmund, William, and Elizabeth, late of Upper Belgrave-place, Belgrave-scmare ; Master Stone, aged 16. " 2nd Cabin Passengers. — James Young, Catherine Young, his wife, and their children — Jas., John, Isabella, and Margaret ; Joseph Saunders, James White, Mr. and Mrs. Denham, Mr. and Mrs. Cameron, Duncan M'Coll, and Edw. Chard. " List of the Crew. — Captain George M'Hardy, commander, London ; Mr. Thomas Hosie M'Anderson, 38 years, chief officer, London ; Mr. Alexander Eraser, 22, second officer, London ; Mr. Edwin Walker, 23, third officer, London ; Charles Damorell, 31, boatswain, Exeter ; John Sutherland, 31, steward, Shetland ; George Wildradge, 21, carpenter, Wick; David Finlayson, 20, sailmaker, Dundee ; Edwin Wordley, 31, cook, Exeter ; James Hatt, 25, butcher, London ; Eobert Deslate, 25, able seaman, London ; William Sydlander, 25, able seaman, Sweden ; Henry Cook, 20, able seaman, Milford ; Thomas Elvin, 23, able seaman, London ; John Jones, 19, able seaman, Cardiff; William M'lntosh, 24, able seaman, London ; John Lewis, 23, able seaman, Bordeaux ; John Swainson, 23, able seaman, Sweden ; Louis Leguenne, 26, able seaman, Havre ; John Charle, 24, able seaman, Caen ; William Anderson, - 22, ordinary seaman, Kirkcaldy; — Grisby 17, ordinary seaman, Dover ; Herbert Rawlinson, 18, cuddy servant, London. Midshipmen (apprentices) : — William Pittman, of London ; James Shaw Davis, of London ; Albert Langdon Dramond, of London ; Walter Pearson, of London." There are nine other seamen on board whose names have not as yet been correctly ascertained. The value of the ship and cargo is estimated at £30,000 at least.