Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Spontaneous Combustion of the Mariposa

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 0 Comment

In 1900, during the Anglo-Boer War, the steamer Mariposa entered the roadstead with a load of hay as fodder for the British cavalry. Probably due to spontaneously combustion this fodder caught fire on the 20th May 1900 and attempts to quench it were in vain. The ship was towed out to sea where the cargo smouldered for weeks. She was later beached and declared unseaworthy.

This blog is based almost exclusively upon the autobiography of seaman Bisset and an article from the Port Elizabeth Advertiser

Main picture: The Mariposa beached on North End beach

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Port Elizabeth of Yore: The Great Gale of 1902 -The Southeaster’s last Hurrah

By Dean McCleland in Port Elizabeth of Yore 7 Comments

Port Elizabeth is renowned for its shipwrecks. The most calamitous ones were as a consequence of south-easterly gales in Algoa Bay. They are a poignant reminder that in the face of on-shore winds, sailing vessels in the roadstead and at the mercy of the elements, frequently lost their anchors and were driven ashore. An additional problem was that some ships were in poor condition with rusted cables and other defects. 

The most disastrous gale in South African maritime history was the gale of 1902 resulting in the destruction of 21 ships, numerous lighters and other small craft and the loss of 38 lives. The curve of the Bay towards North End is often referred to as the “bight”, an old English word. The North End bight was a notorious graveyard for wrecked ships. And 1902 was no different.

Main picture: On the morning of 2nd September 1902, North End beach was strewn with ships

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