The Opinion Pieces are an eclectic bunch on current affairs & history often with a human interest aspect. The Movie/DVDs reviews are mainly on documentaries with a smattering of movie reviews.
It is a testament to the young John Owen Smith’s tenacity and self-belief that he embarked on a ship en route to the Cape Colony without his parents at the age of 15. Yet by the age of 27, he was well-established in auctioneering, finance, bonded warehousing, construction, merchanting and later shipping in Port Elizabeth. Before returning to his homeland, his later ventures were in mining in Namaqualand and the northern Cape.
Was
this a case of the ship’s master being too well-meaning or does this episode cast
aspersions on Owen’s ability after his narrow escape en route to Port Elizabeth?
Being a cynic, I believe that Cox possibly consented to assist a fellow ship in
trouble not for altruistic motives but rather so that he could pocket the £200
offered by Mr. Hume, the Mauritana’s agent.
You make up your mind.
Main
picture:The Gambia lies wrecked on the rocks at the bottom of
Kemp Road after attempting to tow the Mauritania out to sea.
Precursor
incident
The
Gambia’s first problem arose before the steamship arrived in Algoa Bay. This incident
happened while sailing between London and Cape Town during May 1871. One night,
for some inexplicable reason, the vessel ended up some 77kms off course from
where she should have been. As a result, she hit a sandbank on the Northern
Cape coast. Below deck the impact had strained her plating and frames so badly that
she was leaking profusely. The pumps were swiftly brought into action and fortunately
the steamer reached Cape Town safely but required immediate repairs.
At
the subsequent Court of Enquiry, the Master, Captain James Cox, was found
guilty of negligence and his master’s Certificate was suspended for six months.
As is often the case in such events, even the pointed questions at the Enquiry
had not uncovered the underlying cause of this mishap. As Cox could ill-afford
to run any risks which might raise any questions regarding insurance, he
requested that the ship’s First Mate, Albert Studdy Owen, rather than a
stranger, be appointed sailing master of the Gambia in his stead. As Owen was
certified to act as master of the steamship, the ship’s agent, William Dickson,
sent a letter to Owen explaining the situation under which Owen is offered the
position as sailing master.
Journey resumed
The Gambia sailed for Port Elizabeth with Owen navigating. As the Gambia approached Port Elizabeth in the early hours of the 27th May 1871, a significant exchange of differing opinions occurred on the bridge. Together with Cox and Owen on the bridge was the ship’s surgeon, Alfred Carter. At the enquiry, Carter recalled that when the depth readings were between seven and eight fathoms (13m to 15m), Owen asked Cox, “Don’t you think, sir, we had better let the anchor go here? Almost petulantly, Cox replied, “No. No. We are yet two miles off. The cargo boats will not come out so far”. Owen submitted to Cox’s statement as they sailed closer to the shore. Ultimately the Gambia dropped anchor in 5½ to 6 fathoms (11m) of water. After 55 minutes the barrel of the windlass broke off and the cable parted 20 minutes later. The Gambia steamed slowly beyond the other ships in the area until daylight when it anchored in eight or nine fathoms (about 16 metres) of water.
The
Mauritana arrives
When
the Mauritana arrived in the Bay there was a thick haze and visibility was
reduced to a minimum. Her captain, Lawrence Macdonald, slowly approached the
shore in his vain attempt to spot the light from the Donkin lighthouse. When he
suddenly heard waves breaking, he immediately dropped anchor in seven fathoms (13
metres) of water. His vessel was only 60 metres from the breakers.
Alfred Carrington Wylde, the Resident Magistrate
The
Mauritana’s local agent, Mr. Hume, boarded the Gambia the following morning. He
offered Captain Cox £200 to pull the Mauritana into deeper water. I attempting
to do so, Cox experienced severe difficulties in getting his ship in a position
to pass a hawser – a thick rope or cable for mooring or towing a ship –
across to the Mauritana. At the Enquiry, Cox claimed that he had remarked that “I
am not going to lose the ship for the sake of the Mauritana”, to which Cox
replied, “Oh! Let us have another trial”.Eventually the hawser was
passed. Mr. Owen maneuvered the ship in a very proper manner”.
The
arrangement with Macdonald was that as soon as the tow rope was attached, they
would release the anchor. However, Macdonald claimed that they did not slip the
anchor “as the steamer’s head inclined inshore and the warp was not taut and
had we shipped, the vessel would have gone onshore”.
As
the three-mastered screw steamer Gambia swung its bow towards a rocky strip of
North End beach. Captain James Cox cried out, “By Jingo, we shall lose the
ship if we do not mind what we are about. We must cut the hawser”. As the
Gambia headed for disaster on Saturday the 27th May 1871,the
carpenter chopped the tow rope and it dropped into the sea. As it did so, it
wrapped itself around the propeller and caused it to jam. Left powerless, the
Gambia drifted like a hobbled pony towards its final resting place at the bottom
of Kemp Street.
In
the ensuing court of enquiry, Cox and Owen each claimed that he was not master
of the vessel, but the Resident Magistrate, Alfred Wylde, ruled that the loss
of the Gambia was attributable to Cox. The court suspended his master’s
certificate for 12 months, a derisory period considering that his actions had
resulted in the complete loss of the steamer.
Mr.
C. W. Frames made attempts to refloat her, but without success, and her
wreckage was eventually blown up. The Gambia remained a feature of the
foreshore for many years opposite the railway station.
Sources
Ship
the Victim of bid to rescue another vessel, by
Ivor Markman in The Herald dated 5th February 2009
With the imminent arrival of spring, the whole of St. George’s Park will be blossoming.
Perhaps we should spare a thought
for the man who was originally employed to create a park out of a stretch
of veld in the face of
winds, drought
and, for a long
time, no reliable water supply. Established
in 1860, St George’s Park is spread over 73 ha. Today it comprises pristine
wooded parkland and extensive plant collections and specimen trees as well as
various other amenities.
The creator of this splendid
park was a Scot by the name of John Wilson.
Main picture: Pathways in St George’s Park in 1910
Many of Port Elizabeth’s sons and fathers have served with distinction in the Prince Alfred’s Guards including many of my uncles. This blog shines a spotlight onto one of the remnants of that once proud unit, its historic Drill Hall.
Main picture: Prince Alfred Guard’s Drill Hall or Shed in PAG parlance
From the outset, Park
Drive was envisaged as having large erven so as to accommodate “villa sites”. Many of the initial homes could be classified
as mansions owned by the haute monde but the succeeding generations
could either no longer afford such luxurious accommodation or they cashed in
their inheritance.
In the manner, the
original inhabitants of Sundridge strode the same path: from manor house to
nursing home.
Main picture: The original Sundridge mansion at 58 Park Drive
Not all vessels lost in
Algoa Bay up till 1847 were as a result of high winds and rough seas. HMS
Thunderbolt was one of those exceptions. This is the saga of that catastrophe
and how this treacherous reef off Cape Recife obtained its name.
Main picture: HMS Thunderbolt en route to beaching at the mouth of
the Baakens River
The Horse
Memorial has been a feature of Port Elizabeth since the 11th February
1905 yet very few people are aware of the story of why the citizens
deemed it necessary to erect it.
This blog sets this to rights as told by Tennyson S. Bodill
Main picture: The Horse Remount Depot in North End during the Boer War catered for over 30 000 horses
Knockfierna (Hill of Fairies or Truth) was originally built in 1899 as an opulent grand Victorian Mansion by John Daverin, from Ireland, who was a successful Wool Merchant. John and his wife, Clothilda, brought up their seven children in the grand style befitting this era. It was then owned by Harry James Harraway and then Raymond Whitworth Hutchinson before becoming St. George’s Preparatory School.
This is the story of this mansion and its first three owners as told by Tennyson S. Bodill.
Among many of unique
aspects of Port Elizabeth, is the fact that the location of many schools has
varied over the years as many have been relocated. One such school which
followed this trend was the Grey Junior School.
Main picture:
The first home of the Grey Junior School at the corner of Belmont Terrace and
Western Road
