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Hearts of Oak
Wreck of the SS SUFFOLK
Salvage, The Law and Inhumanity
S.S. SUFFOLK
2,924 grt; 1,294 nrt; 300 ft x 40.2ft x 22.25 ft
Built 1881/2 R
& H Green, Blackwall, London
Schooner rigged, three masted iron steamer.
Engine 275 hp twin cylinder. 6 bulkheads ( two watertight
)
194 ft Double bottom.
Owned by Messrs Hooper, Murrell & Williams Co of
London
( The Suffolk Steamship Company, London ).
Sister ship to SURREY and SUSSEX
S.S. Surrey
ON. 82855; 2,949 grt; 330 ft x 40.2 ft; 250 nhp, 10 knots.
Engine Inverted compound; Blair & Co, Stockton on Tees
Built 1881 William Gray & Co, West Hartlepool; Yard Nr 235
1884 Damaged in collision with the URANUS
Later named MICHIGAN; then renamed HARRY LUCKENBACH
6th January 1918: Torpedoed and sunk by German
submarine U-84, in the Bay of Biscay about 6 miles from Ar-Men, 2 miles
north-northwest of Penmarche; 8 killed.
S.S. Sussex
2,795 grt; 330 ft x 40.2 ft; 250 nhp, 10 knots
Built 1882 Wigham Richardson, Newcastle upon Tyne
Engine Inverted compound; Wigham Richardson
17th December 1885 Wrecked Bryher, Isles of
Scilly.
~~~~~o~~~~~
SS SUFFOLK was under command
of Captain W H Williams, and left Baltimore on one of her regular runs to
London, 14th September 1886. Due to bad weather around the Isles of
Scilly, they sustained some damage, and set a course through the fog, which was
calculated to ensure a safe passage past the Lizard. As Captain Williams headed
for the bow lookout he saw the rocks looming ahead. Putting engines full
astern, and the helm at full they hit the rocks at 6 knots. Already they were
taking in water badly.
The rest of the story is told
well in The Times.
SS Suffolk under Lizard Head
SS SUFFOLK
The Times 29th September 1886
A Telegram from Lloyd's signal station at the Lizard,
dated Sept 28, 5.35pm, reports that the SUFFOLK steamer went ashore at the
Lizard Head and would become a total wreck.
A later telegram from the Lizard states that the SUFFOLK
steamer of London from Baltimore for London, with cattle and a general cargo,
lies directly on the rocks under the head abandoned, full of water and with
sails set, deck cattle being washed by the sea, and will probably be dead in
the morning. The crew took to their own boats and three boats were distinctly seen
proceeding seawards. Cadgwith and the Lizard lifeboats and shore craft are
searching. The rocket line from the shore has been successfully fired across
the SUFFOLK, but no communication has as yet been made. The dense fog still
continues with a rough sea, and the steamer will no doubt become a total wreck.
Wind west south west freshening.
A telegram from Lloyd's agent at Falmouth states that
tugs have gone to the wreck. Wind west strong thick. the SUFFOLK is an iron
screw steamer of 2,924 gross tons, built in London in 1882, owned by the
Suffolk Steamship Company, London and classed 100 A1.
A later telegram from Lloyd's signal station timed at 10
pm Sept 28, states that the captain and crew of the SUFFOLK, 42 are all saved,
and landed at the Lizard. the steamer is in a critical position. The vessel
struck right under the lighthouse during a dense fog. The captain and officers
all report that no fog signal was heard.
The Times 30th September 1886
The Shipwreck at the Lizard
As was briefly announced in a telegram in The Times
yesterday morning, the steamship SUFFOLK, of London, bound from Baltimore to
London, with a general cargo and cattle, ran ashore close under the old Lizard
Head at 10 past 4 on Tuesday evening. The steamer, which is about 2,000 register,
left Baltimore about a fortnight since, and all proceeded well until Sunday,
when a lifeboat was carried away in a heavy sea. the Scilly Islands were
sighted about 10 o'clock on Tuesday
morning, but soon after this the weather became very thick and foggy.
The steamer proceeded on her voyage, and all was though
to be well until suddenly, without the slightest warning, the vessel struck the
rocks. The crew at once realised their position, and the captain gave orders to
have the boats lowered, and three were launched, into which the crew, of 41
hands, and two passengers, were taken. The sea at the time was very heavy and
was washing over the fore part of the vessel, where a portion of the cattle
lay. the crew pulled seawards, as the night was intensely thick, and although
soundings were taken they could only find that they were surrounded by rocks.
Meanwhile the disaster had been witnessed from ashore,
and with great promptitude both the Cadgwith and Lizard lifeboats were launched
and pulled to the scene. After much difficulty the three boats were fallen in
with, but it was not until after the shipwrecked men had been knocking about
upwards of two hours in a heavy sea that the lifeboats succeeded in getting
them safe on shore, and before that could be done two of the boats had to be
abandoned and the occupants received into the lifeboats. It was expected that
most of the cattle in the forepart of the vessel would be drowned. The SUFFOLK
is owned by Messrs Hooper Murrell & Co of London.
Telegrams from Lloyd's signal station at the Lizard,
received yesterday morning state:- "Just returned from scene of wreck of
the SUFFOLK, vessel still holding together, and some of the cattle are still
alive, but sea too heavy to go near the ship. About 3,000 bags of flour have
already been saved, having washed ashore. At high tide the spar deck was all
awash. the captain and a portion of the crew have proceeded in Falmouth tugs to
endeavour to save cattle etc., no hope of saving ship. West fresh fog
lifting". The Salvage Association, at the owner's request, have despatched
a special officer to the wreck.
The owners received the following telegram from the
captain at midday yesterday :- "No hope of saving the ship. She opened
during the night through amidships five to six inches. Cattle still standing on
the after deck. the hulks and tugs lying off are waiting a chance to save them.
A heavy surf is running, and the ship is full of water".
A telegram received yesterday afternoon stated that the SUFFOLK
was lying in the same position, and that a large rip was visible in the port
side, just abaft the foremast, from which sacks of flour in great numbers were
floating away. There is sand under her bows and stern, but the centre of the
ship is firm on the rocks. the sea was moderating, and there was reason to hope
that some of the cattle would be saved.
The Times 2nd October 1886
A telegram received yesterday morning from the Lizard
Signal station stated:- "The SUFFOLK is now a complete wreck, with mizzenmast
only standing. At high water the hull is completely covered with water.
Everything movable is washing away, and the coast for miles around is strewn
with sacks of flour, seed, dead cattle, casks of flour, resin, tobacco, and
provisions of all kinds. Salvage operations on the coast are in full progress,
the salvors to receive one third for salvage. About a score of cattle have been
saved alive.
The Times 4th October 1886
A telegram received yesterday morning from the
Lloyd's Signal station at the Lizard,
timed 9 am Oct 2, states:- " The steamer SUFFOLK has entirely disappeared,
the cargo, with dead cattle, floating all around. gangs of men are employed
saving cattle still alive from dangerous places. The cattle have been kept
alive by fodder and water lowered down from the top of the cliff".
However, the following letter was written to The Times.
The Times 5th October 1886
The wreck of the SUFFOLK
To the editor of The Times
Sir, Allow me at the request of many of the spectators of
the wreck of the SUFFOLK to supplement your notice of it in your issue
yesterday. I was an eye witness of it from first to last.
Efforts were made, as stated in your report, by the tugs
and lighter from Falmouth to save the deck cargo of 162 prime fat bullocks, in
perfect condition for the butcher, the pick, as reported, of a herd of 600.
Only seven were thereby saved. then followed a most pitiable scene. the men on
shore, the officers and men of the Coastguard, the crews of the lifeboats who
had just so gallantly the shipwrecked crew and passengers, the skilled
fishermen of the Lizard Coast - all maintained earnestly, again and again, that
they could have rescued and brought on shore every head of cattle in a few
hours. But no, the law forbade it, and so the poor beast were left before our
eyes for hours staggering, falling, struggling on deck, lashed and knocked down
and washed overboard by the waves, to swim and fight with the breakers and
broken wreckage, to be dashed on and off horrible rocks of the Lizard, till all
but twelve were slowly done to death by drowning, by wounds and broken limbs,
or by exhaustion.
This sort of thing went on more or less from noon on the
29th to midnight. On the 30th six still remained alive in the bows, battered
and half drowned by the waves which were now breaking clean over them, and were
washed overboard just before sunset, to struggle on to death amid the breakers.
If 12 could get ashore unaided, surely with the aid of
strong and skilful men, the whole herd might have been rescued?
I submit, Sir, on behalf of those who have asked me to
write to you, that the law to prevent the introduction of cattle diseases could
never have contemplated such an exceptional case as this, which does no credit
to the wisdom or humanity of our law makers.
Under the circumstances, as the law would not allow the
beasts to be landed, and only allowed special officials to attempt rescue, when
these failed surely they should have been obliged to slaughter the cattle as
they stood on deck?
When the few survivors got ashore it seemed nobody's duty
to rescue them from the perilous spots whither they had been washed.
The law forbade any help on the wreck but what came from
officials. But on shore a few were saved on the rocks by the shoremen. A few
were stranded on the rocks, with wounded limbs and bodies, only to be
hopelessly washed to sea again. One poor beast was washed high and dry with two
broken hind legs. Everybody pitied it but none dare offend the law of salvage
by killing it, but one gentleman - believing that humanity was higher than law,
shot it through the head with a rifle.
The whole thing was a legalized case of unparalleled
inhumanity, and surely and Order in Council could provide against the recurrence
of such stupid blundering unintentional cruelty.
Faithfully Yours,
Septimus Hansard
Rector of Bethnal Green
The Lizard Sep 30.
Raymond
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