Download - WRECKOF THE JOSEPH SCAMMELL - Torquay history

Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 16 May 1891, page 19

National Library of Australia http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article221189176

WRECK OF THE JOSEPHH.SCAMMELL

ALL HANDS SAVED.

GEELONG,Friday,MAY 8.This morninga fishermannamed Felix

Ross,residingat SpringCreek,despatched,

newsof a shipon the coastnearSpringCreek.

When daylightbrokethoseon theshorecouldsee a largewoodenfour-mastedvesselfirm and fast on the reef

about400 yardsfrom PointDanger,whichis nearlya milefromthe mouth

of SpringCreek.The denserain stormspreventedthe signalsfrom the vesselbeingdistinguished

and it was some time before

anyintelligence

was conveyedas to thenameof the ship.The seaswerebreaking

rightover the doomedvesseland fearswere

entertained

that she wouldbreak

up beforeassistancecould be obtained.

Manywillinghandsweresoonin attend

ance,anxiousto renderaid,and thecrewwas broughtsaflyashoreat 7o'clockthis morning.Therewere altog

Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), Saturday 16 May 1891, page 19 (2)


gether21 personson board,comprisingseamen,the

stewardess,

the captain,his wifeand child.The vesselprovesto be the JosephH.

Scammellownedbe a firmin St John,

New Brunswick.

THE CAPTAIN'SSTATEMENT,CaptainChapmanstatedthatthe shipwas

the JosephH. Scammell,1,410tons register,

ownedby ScammellBrothers,of St. John,New

Brunswick, Canada,and a sharebeingheldIn the vesselby

himself.Thiswas hisfirstvoyagein the ship,whichwas six years

old.She leftNew Yorkon 12thJanuary,being

thus114 daysout,withageneral cargo,from

a box ofblacking

to organsandmachinery.

Thereis a largequantityof tobaccoonboard,but no spirits.Contrarywindswereexperienced

fromNewYorkto theCapeof GoodHope,and afterthatfine weatherfavoured

the vesseluntilit was within1,000milesofMelbourne.Then, remarkedthe captain,

"We had 'cussed'weather,blacksquallsanddrivingrain, which obscured everythingwithina ship'slengthfromthe vessel.WemadeCapeOtwayon

Thursday,

and beatupoff the SpringCreekcoastduringthe

evening.

Afterseeinglandwe stoodoff to the S.E.until4

o'clock,as the weatherhad becomeso



thickthat everythingwas obscured.Thehazyrainthenblewofffora littletime,andwe thoughtit advisableto keep head-reaching

or beatingoff shorein ordertoawaitthe nextmorninglightbeforegoingonto the Heads.We thenjudgedthe vessel

about15 milesfrom the shoreand per-fectlysafe.The firstofficer,Mr.V.

Bellanger,

and myselfwere on deckabout10 o'clock,when we went below,

as Ithought

it wellto showhimwhereIreckonedwe were located,feelingthat weweresnugand safe.Havinglookedat thechart,the matethenwentout by the fore-cabin,and I,

delayinga few

moments,fol

lowedby wayof thesalooncabin.Justas Igot upondeckI heardthe firstofficergivethe orders,"Putyourwheelhardup, andsquarecrotchetyards.''The matesaidtome, "See the breakersahead."Lookingshorewards I saw a dark volume,whichlookedmorelikea squallthanland.I didnot thinkit was the "darnedland."

Mrs.Chapman(whowaspresent):

I thinkit was verygood"darned"landwhenwegot on shorethismorning,

for I neverlanded

on shorewith greaterpleasurewhenI found

our darling littleone and all the crewweresafe.I justcallit

blessedland.

The captain,smilingat his wife'ssenti



right;but it wouldhavebeenbetterif hehad had the shipinsured,as every"blessed

dollar" hepossessed

in the worldwas investedin it.

Then we found ourselvesaground.Shefirststruckas any ship wouldstrike,and a littleswellcomingshe was lifted,andcomingdown remainedhardand fast.It justmademe mad to findat thismomentthatthe

wind droppedquitecalm;for if therehadbeena windfromoff shore,I thinkthe shipwouldhavecomeoff.I tellyou whentheswellset her down,it justdid makethings

kinder rattle round.

At the firstglimpseof daylightwe sawthatthe shorewas about400 yardsaway,

and thattherewerepeoplearounda big fireon the land.Soon afterthis we lowered ourboats,and sent the ladiesashore.By 7o'clockall the peoplehad leftthe vesselexceptingmyself,the firstofficer,and carpenter,who remaineduntilabout10 o'clock.

GEELONG, Saturday.At 4 o'clockthis morningthe

policeand fishermenwho were watching on the shorehearda load crashamidstthe howlingwind and roaringbreakers,and it was correctly surmisedthatat leastthe timbersof the vesselhad given.

It was verydarkat the time,and the



watcherscouldnot see what damagehadreallybeen done. When daylightapproachedit was

discoveredthat the after

part of the vesselhadcompletely

disappeared,leavingthe midhouseand forecastle

standingon the reef.Cargowas floating

about everywhere,and the whole coastline for a mile or two was strewnwith

cases of merchandiseand other portions

of the ship'shold.

Download - WRECKOF THE JOSEPH SCAMMELL - Torquay history

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