TOTAL LOSS OF THE BRIG MINERVA, OF BRIDLINGTON.

This tells of my 3X great grandfather James Doeg Sawden and the wrecking of his Snow Brig Minerva, plus the loss of life of its crew, plus what happened after.
Also attached a letter dating from 1829, it was this letter handed to me by my late mother, that started on my quest to learn more of the wrecking and the build of Minerva. My mother a 2X great granddaughter of James Doeg Sawden.
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TOTAL LOSS OF THE BRIG MINERVA, OF BRIDLINGTON
The Hull Packet and Humber Mercury (Hull, England), Tuesday, September 15, 1829; Issue 2339.
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TOTAL LOSS OF THE BRIG MINERVA,
OF BRIDLINGTON.
...

On Saturday, August 22, the brig Minerva, of Bridlington, under the command of James Doeg Sawden, sailed from Liverpool laden with salt for Wyburg. The wind being unfavourable for getting out of the channel, on Monday the 24th they put into harbour in the Isle of Man, and remained there until Wednesday morning, when she made sail down the channel, with a fair wind, which continued, with thick rainy weather, until twelve at night, when the wind came round WNW blowing very hard, and varying to northward, with thick weather and rain. This continued all Thursday, the vessel often tacking to keep the channel; but the seamen were unable to distinguish any land so as to know it.- About half past-ten on Thursday night, the brig standing from the NE. Three lights were observed, which the master mistook for a harbour, and stood for about SE.; the lights disappeared about a quarter before twelve, and about twelve the brig struck upon rocks near Fairhead, on the north coast of Ireland. At first much danger was not apprehended, and the master would not consent to quit the ship, but after some time the sea rose higher, the vessel was torn to pieces, and the master and seven others of the company were lost!
George Sinclair, mate; Robert Collier, second mate; and John Rounding, an apprentice were saved. The vessel quickly became a total wreck.
The bodies of Henry Bott, the carpenter; Ralph Baron, an apprentice, and three more of the unfortunate sufferers have been washed ashore. Captain Sawden has left a wife and three children.
The above is from private accounts of the dreadful event, received in Bridlington.
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The Liverpool Mercury, of Sept 4, gives the following account of this dreadful calamity:-

Shipwreck.- Extracted from a letter received from Ballycastle yesterday- “ Thursday night last was one of the most dreadful we have experienced for a long time. About eleven o’clock a fine brig laden with salt, from Liverpool to Wyburg, was driven on shore at Fairhead, one of the highest promontories on the coast of Ireland, and the captain and seven poor fellows perished. She had, during the day, been to the westward of the island of Raflin, but at night was driven back by the violence of the storm; three of the crew saved themselves-God alone knows how; for to be cast, on such a shore, and in such a night, it is most miraculous how a soul was saved. The survivors crawled through the uneven fragments of rocks to where there was light, from a few coals which the watchmen belonging to a colliery, on shore, had left burning.
Six of the bodies have been washed up, but the captain and another are still missing.
The survivors were most kindly treated by Mrs Cunningham of Bath Lodge, and they will be supplied with money to bring them to Liverpool. As the vessel had not been seen during the day, there was not a human being to render the unfortunate suffers assistance.”
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Further particulars have been received from Geo. Sinclair, late mate of the Minerva, dated August 29, 1829.

“TO THE OWNERS OF THE MINERVA.

“Sirs-I beg to inform you of our dreadful shipwreck. We were wrecked on Thursday night, on the north coast of Ireland, after toiling two days in a heavy gale of wind, when we expected every hour that our ship would founder with us at sea, but, on Thursday night, our ship struck on the rocks, off the Colliery Bay, with a tremendous high sea, at half past 12 o’clock at midnight; fortunately, two men, with myself, were miraculously preserved. Sorry I am to say, that the master and seven of the crew found a watery grave. I got on shore in the jolly-boat, and all the rest were standing upon the deck, when the boat was washed off. I fortunately hove myself into her, and reached the shore. It was a dreadful sight to see. I never expected to see any on my shipmates any more; but thanks be to God, that Collier and Rounding reached the shore about half an hour after me. It was the most dreadful shipwreck ever known on this coast.
The ship was not two hours before she was broken up, and nothing but the wreck floating about the sea. We have lost all our clothes, but are thankful that we have saved our lives.
Five of the unfortunate sufferers have been picked up, and every means will be used to find the rest.
“We left the Isle of Man on Wednesday morning, with a favourable wind, until 12 o’clock on Wednesday night, when the wind shifted to the N. W., and blew a tremendous gale, with thick and rainy weather; which continued until the ship was no more.
A coroner’s inquest will be held on the bodies of the five individuals. I remain, &c.
“George Sinclair,”
“N.B. The survivors are truly thankful for the hospitable treatment they met with from several of the inhabitants of the coast.”
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In consequence of the loss of the Minerva, a subscription has been entered into by the ladies and gentlemen of Bridlington and the Quay, for the following distressing cases; James Doeg Sawden, was highly esteemed by the owners of the Minerva, and by all who knew him; whose death is deeply lamented. He has left a widow and three children, who are deprived of the means of support.
A case of equal distress, is that of the widow of John Burrell, mate of the Hannah; an account of whose death at sea, on his passage home from St. Petersburgh, was received a day or two before the tidings of the loss of the Minerva. This poor woman is also left with three children in very indigent circumstances.
The third case is that of an aged widow, whose son, Henry Burton, the carpenter of the Minerva, perished with the wreck of that vessel. In him, she has lost an affectionate and dutiful son, the stay of her declining years. It is proposed to raise a fund, by the contributions of the benevolent, which will be place in the hands of respectable persons, and a weekly allowance be made to the two families and aged widow, in proportion to their respective necessities.

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The Hull Packet (Hull, England), Friday, January 6,
1837; Issue 2720.

WRECK OF THE LORD SIDMOUTH

On the Monday, following Christmas Day, in consequence of several planks being washed up at St Margaret’s Bay, the Coast Guard under the orders of Mr Hatch, at that station, were ordered to keep a good look out. Towards evening the attention of the men on duty, was arrested by voices hailing from the sea, and shortly afterwards a piece of wreck, to which two men were lashed, was driven on shore. They were immediately released and home to the station; but one of them, who had become deranged and attempted to bite his unfortunate companion, died not withstanding every means were used for his preservation.
The survivor, the only one as he believed out of sixteen, the crew of the ship Lord Sidmouth, W. Todd, master, from New Brunswick, with timber, for Hull, states that their vessel, which had been driven by the gale of Sunday from Yarmouth roads, struck on the Goodwin sands at two o’clock on Monday morning, and went to pieces at nine.
The master, second mate, and three of the crew then fastened themselves to the piece of wreck, on which the former died and were let go. The third seaman was washed off, and the two who reached the shore had been eight hours suffering among the beating waves when they were released by Mr. Hatch and his boatmen.
Mr George Sinclair and ---- Varley, both of Bridlington, were among the sufferers. The former has left a widow and the latter a widow and two children.
Sinclair was one of the survivors who escaped from the wreck of the Minerva, of Bridlington, which occurred a few years ago between Rathlin Island and Ballycastle, on the N.E. coast of Ireland. On that occasion Captain Sawden and most of his crew perished.

Was tall was handsome was long ago!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/04/2011 01:29PM by Garry Fudge.

Image of page 1-4 of the letter dated 1829

Pages 2-3.

Was tall was handsome was long ago!

Not Minerva but how she would have looked, with this ship of the same design (Snow) built just a few years earlier.

Was tall was handsome was long ago!