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BA Thursday 23rd November 1893
LOSS OF BF 1560 COMELY
The most serious calamity occurring to the Buckie fishing fleet was undoubtedly the lamentable loss of the new fishing boat BF 1560 Comely which was cast away at Scarborough early on Sunday morning, coming home from Yarmouth fishing, the crew of nine all hailing from Buckie.
On Sunday, great numbers of people lined the piers & foreshore at Scarborough, when about three-quarters a mile distant, a coastguardsman perceived a Scottish boat of considerable dimensions floating towards the bay, bottom upwards. She came in a NE direction, drifting along at a rapid pace, & revolving continually. A heavy squall suddenly struck her. About 1-30 she appeared to turn a somersault. It was exceedingly improbable that any of her crew could be in her. Seen through the glass previously, her white bottom appeared quite distinct. Everybody interpreted the sudden movement as the capsizing of the vessel with all hands. Coastguards are distinctly of this opinion. Afterwards she drifted along to the south west in the direction of Cornelian Bay, where she went ashore. The main mast was thrown up at Cayton, showing that she must have been beating along the rocks for some distance before grounding. The hull of the BF 1560 Comely was washed ashore on Monday morning, a little to the North of Filey Brigg.
Chief Officer Lewis formed a salvage corps and took charge of the wreckage. The men had to be let down the perpendicular face of a cliff, 40 feet high, and the task of rescuing the effects of the crew not washed away was most arduous, the gale blowing directly on shore. In the pockets of one mans apparel were letters and a purse containing 4s 8d in silver and copper, also a receipted bill by a Great Yarmouth tradesman to James Murray Burd. One letter from his wife was addressed Dear husband and I have received your kind and welcome letter. It also conveyed love of herself and little boy, For he is always crying daddy concluding with may God bless you. In one clothes bag was a pair of babys socks, evidently bough by one of the crew down Yarmouth way for his child. The Comely belonged to Mr Wm. Murray Gyke, New Street, Buckie. She was 65 feet over all, weighed 36.73 tons and was launched in June last year. When she was swamped she was manned by nine hands, whose names are as follows. James Murray Costie skipper, leaves a widow and a family of seven; William Jappy Jaffray, leaves a widow and a family of one; James Cowie Bullen, leaves a widow and a family of two; James Murray Burd, leaves a widow and a family of one; Charles Murray Costie, leaves a widow and no family; William Murray Gyke, unmarried; George Smith Murray Gyke, boy; James Jappy Jaffray, unmarried; and George Cowie Carrot, unmarried.
The sad affair has cast quite a gloom over the fishin community. Shortly after receipt of the doleful intelligence George Murray Bodge, Peter Murray (his brother), George Murray Barron and Alex. Jappy left Buckie for the scene of the disaster, and have since been in communication with Buckie by telegraph. Up till yesterday at noon none of the bodies had been recovered, but a telegram from Filey yesterday forenoon worded as follows. boats gear, value about £12 salvaged. Coastguard want remuneration besides. On receipt of this a meeting of the directors of the Buckie and District Mutual Insurance Boat Club was held, when it was resolved to wire George Murray Bodge requesting him to do his best, and inquiring the state of the boat, which was insured for three fourths of her value - £345 in the club.
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BA Thursday 23rd November 1893
THE STORM
Far distant may the time be when it shall again be our melancholy duty to chronicle a harrowing tale of ruin and disaster such as our columns today give evidence of as following in the wake of the fierce storm, the brunt of which was experienced generally over the British Isles on Friday and Saturday, and which while we write still rages high, although an interval of comparative calm was experienced between Monday and Tuesday last. While a fair idea of the extent of the general disaster may be gathered from the newspaper yet, when one comes to think of its full extent when the resulting effects of the sudden sweep, in such short space of time, of so many hundreds of bread winners are pondered on. The past few days have been so death-fraught that thousands will have cause to remember them in years to come; and the anxiety undergone in that time on account of friends and relatives at sea will leave long lasting and deep impression of its presence today among us. While we can readily extend sympathy to suffering fellow-countrymen in misfortunes occurring at a distance from our own doors, how much more readily must we extend that sympathy to our fellow-townsmen in their deep bereavement occasioned by the casting away of the Comely at Scarborough? Another disaster, which has occasioned as general lamentation, is the total loss of the steamer Moray, of Burghead, with all hands at Sandend. The greater proportion of the crew were well known in the neighbourhood in which fate had doomed that they should meet their end. Positive intelligence has just been received of the total loss of the Lossiemouth boat Toiler, INS 1358, with all her crew of eight men and a boy. She has been cast ashore at Grimsby on her way home from Yarmouth. As no word has been got of the Glide, of Cullen, up til late last night, the fisherman have given up hope of her; and there is apparently too good reason for supposing that the mournful list is not yet complete, for, in whatever corner any missing crews have been cast ashore, their first action would have been to send home word of their situation. In the case of large ships and steamers, these might have been held at sea, but of fishing boats it is unfortunately, different.
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Among the survivors of the Moray Firth zulus returning from Yarmouth, was the Glide INS 455 of Lossiemouth skippered by John Campbell who recorded the following account.
"When leaving Lowestoft the wind was SSW, not very strong but the glass was exceedingly low. Winterton was reached & the conditions were the same so it was against our better judgement that we were encouraged to continue on our voyage in company with the others. Towards evening a strong frost came down & the wind backed to WNW. The sail which had previously been reduced to three rings, was now increased until at 10pm on Friday we were spanking along at a rattling good pace, carrying the foresail, mizzen & jib. Thus the journey was continued until daylight on Saturday morning.
About 9am with a light breeze from the NE the foresail was tacked. An hour later I was called on deck; approaching us I saw an appalling black mass of wind & sea, mingled with snow, coming from the NE. As soon as my eyes fell on the black, terrifying mass coming toward us like a huge octopus, I ran to the fore halyards, shouting as I went; LET GO THE MIZZEN HALYARDS. Quicker than lightning I let go the fore halyards & as the sails fell on deck with the yards, the black moving mass struck us. Never before or since have I seen anything like it. Sea, wind & blinding snow enveloped us in darkness that was indescribable.The feeling that came upon us, & the atmosphere that surrounded us was such as one would associatewith the Day of Judgement.
Before I had gone to the cabin, I had seen the houses of Bridlington dead ahead, & had concluded that we were eight or ten miles off land.
After the first shock & when we had some measure become accustomed to the darkness, snow, wind & sea; & with much difficulty we managed to hoist two rings of the foresail. Snugging up everything we proceeded towards land. Before raising the sail I recognised that it would require better canvas than we had; even though our sail was quite new: to stand the test which I knew lay before us. To give our sail a better chance I resolved to roll up on the yard all the spare peak. This was done to save the sail the shake which I knew it would have to undergo & which it could never otherwise stand. I confess it was an inspiration of the moment; the indefinable, unaccountable prompting that often comes to men in the hour of danger. I had never seen nor heard of it being done before, although I had heard of cutting off the first two or three rings. In fact I had my knife in my hand to cut when I decided to roll the canvas. We rolled the peak round the yard then lashed it securely with stoppers using the mizzen happer to prevent chafing. How often I look back now & thank for the inspiration of that moment. I have no doubt it was because our sail was thus raised our lives were saved. The sail was hoisted to the least possible degree: the eemost ring, & was secured with two sets of tackle at the aft end by a rope in the bowlin.
In the midst of the prevailing darkness I realised it would be useless to go towards land. Our only hope of weathering it out lay in seeking the open sea. When shall I ever forget that noon-day hour on Saturday 18th November 1893 when the Glide was laid about & we began to go offshore. What tongue will ever tell, what pen will ever describe all those hours of anxiety, suffering & trials until 4am on Sunday when we put about to retrace our steps, if possible for another 18 hours. During the whole of that Saturday afternoon, & the long dreary night, when every lurch almost spelt death, what mountainous seas the Glide had climbed, how often she had risen battered with the fury of the gale, to fall into the wallowing trough of the sea perhaps for the last time. What thoughts filled my breast, as lashed to the wheel I remained there during those terrible, terrifying hours.
The lash of the salt water as it struck one in the face was bad, but the continous flick, flick, flick of the huge snowflakes on the face almost drove one crazy. The ordinary effort to see was not enough, one had to steel oneself to keep staring, & this intensified the affliction of the snowflakes. All those hours, surrounded by the darkness of the pit; with mountainous seas roaring as they approached, struck terror to the heart. --------------
With the coming of daylight, the darkness & snow gone, our hopes revived. With the new power that came to us we were able to set up a fresh battle for our lives. It was then I realised the wisdom of rolling the peak on the fore-yard.
When snugging the boat on Saturday afternoon our hatches were on, I ordered all the oars & wands available to be laid on top of the hatches. On top of these the big mizzen sail was spread, & on that we put chains across the hatches. About 9am on Sunday I saw a steamer on our lee bow bearing about NNW from us. I saw this steamer take a run of seas that turned her right around in the opposite direction. I believe that ship never reached land.
At 3pm on Sunday the wind eased considerably. With two rings of sail, & things much more comfortable, we reached Smethwick Buoy in the darkening. At Smethwick bank we put out two anchors, & although the weather was still bad, it had moderated quite a bit. As daylight made on Monday morning the the lifeboat came out & spoke to us. We lay there until the forenoon & went into Bridlington at dinner-time.
The effects of this voyage never left us. The story is not told with boasting or vain glory, but simply to place on record the experience of one crew in that gale; & in their acknowledgement or thankfulness to God that they escaped the fate that overtook so many on that memorable weekend."
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THE BANFFSHIRE ADVERTISER & BUCKIE & MORAY FIRTH FISHING & GENERAL GAZETTE
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BA 30th November 1893
LOSS OF BF 1560 COMELY
Mr. George Murray "Barron" & three others who went to Scarborough to see after the wreck of the boat Comely, returned on Friday. They reported that none of the bodies of the crew were found, but that they recovered the skipper's box containing the money earned at the fishing, along with some of the material & gear.
A Scarborough correspondent writes that a considerable amount of the shattered timber belonging to the Buckie boat Comely, which foundered on the 19th was washed ashore last week. One article found was the Skippers box, in which was found a considerable sum of money, no doubt the full seasons earnings. The male relatives and friends of the crew arrived at Filey on Tuesday morning, it was pitiable to observe each one as they recognised particular belongings, and it was a sad sight indeed when the Skippers brother, a fine fisherman physically, stood with tears in his eyes on coming on the masters box. The salvage corps constituted by Chief Officer Lewis refused to accept any compensation whatever, except for bare ships tackle. It cannot be stated with assurance that any of the bodies of the drowned men have been washed ashore.
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Sources & acknowledgements
Moray District Library
Buckie District Fishing Heritage Museum
Banffshire Advertiser
George Reid - Lossiemouth
Malcolm Campbell - North Yorkshire
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