|
You can also help us to provide you with more resources by making a payment, just click on the PayPal™ button on the left.
The Brisbane Courier, 15th February 1898 :
“SYDNEY, February 14.
“The only casualty known so far as the result of the recent stormy weather is the loss of the brig Amy with all hands, numbering eight. The vessel loaded coal at Wollongong, and left for Sydney at 9 o’clock yesterday morning. The weather got very thick in consequence of the heavy rain, and the wind blew with hurricane force, with the result that at half-past 4 in the afternoon the Amy was driven ashore on Therraul [Thirroul] Beach, two miles from Bulli. A large number of people were on the beach at the time, but as no life-saving apparatus was there, nothing could be done to save life. To launch a boat would have been useless, as it could not have lived in such a sea, and more lives would only have been endangered.
“One boat was launched from the brig, but was immediately smashed to atoms. The crew then took to the rigging. The vessel, which was a regular trader between Wollongong and Sydney, was in charge of Captain M’Kee, who is married and resides at Leichhardt, Sydney. The other members of the crew were the mate, cook, winchman, and four seamen. The captain and three of the crew were seen clinging to the mast, but they afterwards disappeared. The Amy soon smashed up, and there is no doubt that all on board perished.
“The wind appears to have blown itself out to-day. The weather is dull, with occasional showers.
“Later.
“Latest information regarding the wreck of the brig Amy shows that when the vessel struck the beach, which is sandy, she had the main and fore lower topsails set. The sea was running mountains high, and the surf was very heavy, . One man, identified as the winchman, who was known as Alick, was seen to get into the boat, which swamped. He then secured a plank and was washed to and fro for half-an-hour, when he disappeared. The donkeyman was named O. G. Olsen. The beach is strewn with wreckage. No bodies have as yet been discovered.
“The Amy was 220 tons register. She was built in 1872, and was owned by Mr. C. G. Warburton.
“A man named Thomas Birch, employed at Bulli, died on the beach owing to excitement and over-exertion.
“The crew numbered seven, not eight, as at first reported. It has been ascertained that the wife of Captain M’Kee was on board the brig.
“The crew of the wrecked brig Amy was as follows : - James M’Kee, captain (married, with three children); J. H. Ludvigson, mate (married); H. Polson, cook; A. A. Olsen, donkeyman; Carl Olsen, Peter Nagel, and S. Dumphey, seamen. The only body yet recovered is that of Captain M’Kee.”
The West Australian, 16th February 1898 :
“SYDNEY, February 14.
“The brig Amy, which left Wollongong yesterday with a cargo of coal, is a total wreck on the beach at Thirroul, a mile distant from Bulli. She ran ashore about 4. 30 o’clock, and in half an hour was completely broken up. The crew, eight in number, are all lost. When the vessel struck there were about one hundred people on the beach, but no systematic attempt was made to save life as no rocket apparatus was available, and boats could not live in the heavy sea. None of the crew were successful in reaching the shore, but one man, hanging on to a plank, drifted within a few yards of the beach and was then washed away again.
“The Amy had been trading on the coast for about 20 years. She was commanded by Jas. McKee, aged 50, a married man with three children; who had with him a mate named J. H. Lanrigan, aged 44, also married, H. P. Olsen, the cook; and A. A. Olsen, the donkeyman. C. A. Olsen, Peter Nagle, and S. Dunphey, A. B.’s, formed the remainder of the crew. When the vessel was breaking up the crew took to the rigging, and they disappeared when the masts went by the board. Several of the spectators state that they saw a woman and child on the vessel when she struck.
“Later.
“The life boat of the Amy came ashore uninjured this afternoon, together with a lot of wreckage.
“It seems that last night a man named McAuley got within two yards of the winchman, but the current carried the latter away. Had there, however, been any ropes at hand, McAuley could have saved the man’s life.”
“When the Amy struck the beach the crew lowered a man on a plank to try and take a line to shore, but the current was too strong, so they hauled him on board again. The winchman, known as Alick, was the only one of the crew seen alive after the vessel broke up. He swam half way to the shore, but was then carried back again by the current, and was never seen any more. The only body recovered so far is that of Captain McKee, which was washed on the beach this morning.”
The Brisbane Courier, 17th February 1898 :
“WRECK OF THE AMY.
“HEARTRENDING SCENES.
(From Monday’s ‘Australian Star.’)
“The Amy left Wollongong yesterday with a freight of coals for Sydney, and she would just be caught in the thick of the gale blowing dead on shore, with a mountainous sea.
“She was driven ashore at Thiroul Beach, between a mile and a-half and two miles from the Bulli jetty. She struck a reef about 100 yards from the shore, and rapidly became a total wreck under the thundering blows of the fearful sea that was raging at the time.
“At the present time only the bare ribs remain, while the beach is strewn with large quantities of wreckage of every kind, but, strange to say, there is no sign of the coal which formed the cargo of the ill-fated vessel.
“The brig which has been running on the coast for nearly twenty years, and was accounted an excellent neat boat, was under the command of Captain M’Kee, a married man, residing at 23 Julius-street, Leichhardt, who was a well-known character in shipping circles. The crew consisted of seven men, including the mate, cook, , winchman, and five ordinary seamen, whose names at present are difficult to obtain. The winchman’s name is given as O. A. Olsen, who is supposed to be a single man living at 167 Pyrmont-street, Pyrmont. The cook is also supposed to be married.
“Shortly after the vessel struck a crowd began to gather on the beach, but in the absence of any kind of apparatus the spectators were totally unable to render the unfortunate men on the brig any assistance. Captain M’Kee made a supreme effort to reach the shore by swimming, but when within twenty or thirty yards the powerful current which was running off shore took him seaward again, but he was able to regain the vessel. The haven of safety did not exist for long, however, and the skipper, after another desperate attempt to reach the shore, was swept away and lost. Some of the crew, took to the rigging, and swarmed up the masts, but these, owing to the fearful treatment to which the vessel was subjected, did not remain upright for any length of time, but fell into the sea, with the result that all were lost. One sailor came close in shore, and had reached shallow water, while willing hands were held out to grasp him, but to no avail. Again the cruel current claimed its prey, and the sailor was whirled away, and lost to view.
“The Amy went ashore on Cronulla Beach, about eighteen or twenty months ago, but was got off before receiving much damage.
“It was stated that there were heartrending scenes at the wreck, the people being drowned almost within the grasp of the spectators.
“The Amy, about whose wreck there is no dispute, was owned by Mr. C. G. Warburton, of Pyrmont. She was commanded by Captain James M’Kee, 50 years of age, and a native of Belfast. He was married, and lived at Liechhardt. The vessel was employed as a collier. She was built at Terrigal in ‘72, her dimensions being 107ft. 4in. long; beam 25ft.; depth 11ft. 7in. Regarding the mate and crew, their names are not on record. The official papers, a twelve month’s transpire, are date 8th March last, and the changes which have since occurred would only been known on board. Her crew comprised : captain, mate, donkeyman, cook, and four A. B’s.”
The West Australian, 19th February 1898 :
“Portion of a human body was washed ashore at Thirroul to-day, but in so decomposed a condition that it is quite impossible to identify. A small boot worn by a child was also picked up among the wreckage.
“Several people who saw the brig Amy break up allege that a woman and child were aboard at the time, but the boot had apparently been in the water for a considerable period.”
See Also
|
