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A GALE (1921)
It was the screaming wind which caused the weekend of 25 - 26
June 1921 to be one of disaster, for a south westerly gale was building
up and along this particular section of the coastline had built up some wild and
dangerous seas.
Unfortunately, several ships were in the vicinity and two
were lost with considerable loss of life.
THE 'FITZROY' SINKS
First a steel steamship, the 'Fitzroy', a ship of
623 tons bound from Coff's Harbour to Sydney with passengers and general
cargo, including cattle penned on the deck and a load of poles.
She had a crew of 21 under Captain
Colvin and carried 13 passengers. She had travelled down the coast
and after passing the Tuncurry / Forster entrance came around Cape Hawke
turning into the full force of the gale. Huge seas washed across her, sweeping
the deck cargo overboard and the poles part overboard. Lashings were
immediately cut, but the ship had listed sufficiently to throw the hold cargo
to one side and with the resulting list she began shipping water.
The boats were swung out in an effort to
abandon ship, but she rolled crushing one boat and her human cargo, whilst the
other was swamped with two or three clinging to the hull. Two members of the
crew, Karl Jansen, a Danish A.B., and Peter Hansen another A.B.,
tried to maneuver the boat and picked up several others but to no avail for
their efforts were in vain. The bodies they found were of drowned men.
However, they did manage to pick up a
passenger, one Herbert Ramsey, a railworker from Coff's Harbour, and
carried by the wind and waves the boat drifted on to Tuncurry Beach some four
miles above the channel. One of the men got across to the Prison Farm at the
Pines and alert the officers there, who brought the survivors up to the Farm
and Cared for them, notifying the authorities of their whereabouts.
A fourth man, Olaf Johansen, an A.B.,
when he found himself in the water started swimming and finally after
fourteen hours was washed up on Tuncurry Beach near Blackhead. he slept
with exhaustion for a time, then finally made the effort to reach Tuncurry,
and there reached 'Valhalla', the home of Cloud Wright, who gave
him help. Mr. Wright, son of John Wright, was manager of the Rural
Co-operative Factory in Tuncurry.
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Cloud
Wright of 'Valhalla' |
Of the thirty four crew and passengers of
the 'Fitzroy', only those four were saved despite a search made
of the scene; a ship of the navy, HMAS 'Marguerite' came from
Sydney and made a search of the area, as well as searches along the beaches by
local people.
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The four survivors
from the 'Fitzroy' |
THE 'OUR JACK' SINKS
A little further north, almost opposite the
Harrington entrance of the Manning River, a local ship - 'Our Jack' - a
twin screw wooden hulled ship of 272 tons, which had been built and launched
by John Wright in 1907, was battling her way southward from Nambucca
Heads. Her cargo was generally of railway sleepers bound for Sydney. She was
originally working for Wright but had been sold in 1914 to Allen
Taylor and Company, but in 1919 had passed on to North Coast
Steam Navigation Co., when Taylor and that company had merged.
Well known Captain Forbes, her
master, was a sailor both skilled and well liked on the coast, and when he saw
that the further south he came the worse conditions became, he apparently
decided to turn and run with the weather. However, an extra large sea swamped
the battling ship and when she began to wallow and roll with no control of her
course, he ordered the crew to abandon ship.
This was around seven a.m. and fortunately
the 884 ton S.S. 'Brundah' was but a mile or so away and spotted
the trouble. She rushed to the scene and managed to save nine of the crew -
the Captain and four crew were lost.
WORST LOSSES
This shocking loss of two fine ships and their complement of
crew and passengers caused considerable publicity at the time. In fact, the 'Fitzroy'
is said to have been the worst loss on this section of cost, excepting only one
- the 'Catterthun' which went down in August 1885.
As we have said before, this section of the east coast of Australia, whilst a
delightful place to reside, was no place to conduct a shipping line because of
the treachery of the currents and winds at times.
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