Title
Earl of Lonsdale
Subject
Steam/Sail
Shipwreck
Wreck
Description
The Earl of Lonsdale, a steamer, was carrying beans and cotton seed from Alexandria to Portishead. . Owned by Thomas G. Dunford of Newcastle. The vessel was 1,543 tons gross and was built in North Shields, North Tyneside in 1872
The Earl of Lonsdale became stranded at 3am on June 8th 1885, as the vessel had been recklessly at full-speed in dense fog, the lookout on her forecastle sighted breakers ahead but no sooner had course been altered to clear them than she struck a submerged rock and remained fast, water pouring into the engine room. Shortly after, the fog lifted and no one was more surprised to see the Troy Town maze and St Agnes Lighthouse close abeam.
The captain, Llewellin Davis, had thought his ship to have been west and at least ten miles south of the Bishop Rock when she struck, whereas in fact she had entered the Western Rocks and got into Smith Sound, heading straight for St. Agnes.
With her hull pierced in several pieces, salvage was out of the question had to be abandoned as a total loss. Four days later the wreck was sold by Mr J. Hooper for £6 to a London purchaser, whilst 900 tonnes of her bean cargo went to Mr W. Rogers for twenty-two shillings, who in turn sold them to local farmers. Within the month the wreck changed hands, being bought by Vasey and Co of Newcastle, who were able to remove such of the machinery as was worth salvage before the vessel broke in two on 27 August.
Description written from Richard Larn, Cornish Shipwrecks: The Isles of Scilly ( Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1971), p. 74-75.
The Earl of Lonsdale became stranded at 3am on June 8th 1885, as the vessel had been recklessly at full-speed in dense fog, the lookout on her forecastle sighted breakers ahead but no sooner had course been altered to clear them than she struck a submerged rock and remained fast, water pouring into the engine room. Shortly after, the fog lifted and no one was more surprised to see the Troy Town maze and St Agnes Lighthouse close abeam.
The captain, Llewellin Davis, had thought his ship to have been west and at least ten miles south of the Bishop Rock when she struck, whereas in fact she had entered the Western Rocks and got into Smith Sound, heading straight for St. Agnes.
With her hull pierced in several pieces, salvage was out of the question had to be abandoned as a total loss. Four days later the wreck was sold by Mr J. Hooper for £6 to a London purchaser, whilst 900 tonnes of her bean cargo went to Mr W. Rogers for twenty-two shillings, who in turn sold them to local farmers. Within the month the wreck changed hands, being bought by Vasey and Co of Newcastle, who were able to remove such of the machinery as was worth salvage before the vessel broke in two on 27 August.
Description written from Richard Larn, Cornish Shipwrecks: The Isles of Scilly ( Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1971), p. 74-75.
Date
00-00-1885
Rights
Morrab Library
Identifier
COLLINS.055
Coverage
St Agnes, Isles of Scilly