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Clara | Official Number
54544 |
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Clara | Official Number
54544 |
The Clara was a barque, built in August 1866 by Duncan at Garmouth.
She was bought new by James Fisher, of Barrow, and was owned by him until
her sale in 1882 to W.Woodside, of Lancaster. The vessel disappeared from the shipping registers in 1884.
On the 15th June 1870 the Barrow Times reported that the Clara
had loaded a cargo of steel rails from the Barrow Haematite Co. and was
bound for New York. Her encounter with a hurricane on the return voyage was reported as follows:
The Barrow Times, 15th October 1870;
" The
barque Clara of Barrow in an Atlantic Hurricane
The following
is an extract from the log of the barque ‘Clara’ showing the fearful character
of the storm she encountered in the Atlantic, and which she fortunately
survived, owing to the exertions of her captain, officers and crew - Sept
3rd 1870:
1pm - commenced
with a strong gale and very heavy rain, furled the foresail and foretopmast
stay sail and hove the ship to under close reefed topsails;
2pm - gale
still increasing, furled the foretopsail;
4pm - blowing
a hurricane with heavy rain and heavy sea running, the ship laying on her
beam ends, washing away bulwarks and everything moveable from the decks.
5pm - gale
still increasing, forced to cut away the maintop-gallant mast and foretop
mast for safety of ship, cargo and lives;
5.30pm - gale
still increasing, forced to let fly maintop sail sheets to ease the ship,
and it was blown to pieces, set the mizen staysail to try and keep the
ship to sea and wind, but before it was set it also went to pieces, loosed
the spanker, but before it was set it also went to pieces, got a new gaff
topsail sent down and bent it on to the mizenmast to keep the ship head
to wind and sea;
6pm - and still
blowing terrific, ship still lying on her side, all hands employed cutting
away the wreck;
6.30pm - the
wreck being clear of the ships side, carried away jib-boom and sprung the
bowsprit, all hands to the pumps and it took 2 hours pumping before she
could be made to suck, the ship labouring very heavily and carrying away
much of the bulwarks;
8pm - gale
at its height;
10pm - gale
decreasing a little, got the mizen topmast staysail sent down and got it
set;
midnight -
gale decreasing fast and the sea going down. Wind went from ENE to NNW lat 40º2 N long 70º W "
Note: The position is about 50 nm S of Nantucket Island, and the ship was
probably a day or so out of New York.
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