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Official
Number
56783 |
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Official
Number
56783 |
The James Ewing was a
brigantine built at the Williamson shipyard at Harrington, and was
launched in April 1867.
From the Cumberland Pacquet newspaper, 11th March, 1873, page 2 :
" MELANCHOLY DISASTER TO A HARRINGTON VESSEL.—The bold headland stretching out to the Atlantic at the north-west extremity of Cornwall was early on Tuesday morning the scene of a melancholy disaster, resulting in loss of life. The schooner, James Ewing, Captain Coulthard master, 118 tons register, from Harrington, Cumberland, for Rotterdam, with a cargo of pig iron, left Harrington on Thursday. She had heavy weather on the way down the Irish Channel, and on Saturday sighted the South Stack, but since that date the crew had been unable, owing to thick fog, to make out their position. On Sunday morning she passed close to a dismasted bark, with its mizenmast standing, sailing under jury masts up Channel, the master of which, although she was thus disabled, refused assistance. The James Ewing steered southwest, but sighted no land until about two o'clock or Tuesday morning, when breakers were heard, and immediately the ship struck heavily on the cliffs, directly under Levant Mine. The crew tried to get out the boat, but the seas swamped it. The vessel was rolling broadside on the rocks, and Captain Coulthard, thinking to save himself by that means, went up into the main rigging, and, as the vessel rolled towards the shore, jumped on to the rocks. In the darkness he had been unable to see, and being unacquainted with the coast, he did not know how precipitous the cliffs at that spot are. When he sprang he could not make good his foothold, and falling backwards with a fearful plunge, disappeared in the breakers, and was not afterwards seen. John M'Almauney, a seaman of Belfast, was more fortunate, and succeeded in getting ashore ; and with cat-like agility, but with the utmost difficulty, he climbed the cliffs, and on reaching the grass saw lights in the engine-house of Levant Mine. He made his way thither, and gave the alarm. The coastguards at Pendean Cove, under their chief officer, Mr. W.S.Forward, with great promtitude got out the rocket apparatus, and hastened with it to the spot. To fire from the summit of the cliffs would have been useless; but, at considerable risk, as those who know the locality can well appreciate, the rockets and apparatus were lowered over the cliffs to a ridge of rocks below, and thence a rocket was fired, which went across the wrecked vessel, and a hawser being carried across and made fast, two men (James Close, of Belfast, and David Thwaites, of Harrington) were drawn in the basket across the intervening chasm, and thus saved. Unhappily, the mate, named Blackley, of Torbay, lost his life by not remaining on deck. Fearing that the mast would fall, he had gone into the cabin, and while there the cabin filled rapidly, and before he could get out he was drowned. "
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