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.
This blog is an extract from the excellent book simply entitled The Lovemore Story by Bernard Johnston. Unlike his father, Henry Lovemore, who married four times over his life, Charles only married once, being the norm for the era. Charles’ occupation was that of a farmer and had inherited Bushy Park from his father Henry. In addition, he had acquired a great deal of other farmland and town property in his lifetime. Besides being a Justice of the Peace, he was an active member of the Divisional Council and the Licensing Court.
Harradine describes him as a “kind friend and genial companion” and “his voice and burly form will be missed from the morning market.”
This blog is enlightening as it covers the contemporary social and economic issues. Ironically many of the issues correlate with those under discussion today such as the closing time of drinking establishments.
Instead of Christmas Day 1859 being a day of wonder and joy, presents and over-stuffed bellies, in the Haywood household, it would be a day of tragedy, heart break, sorrow and despair, a day that would be indelibly etched in their minds. They would forever recount every minute of their movements that day for that was the day when the innocent seven-year-old Augusta Ann Hayward would inexplicably disappear.
Most of the records have vanished along with Augusta. What has survived, highlights both grief-stricken parents contrasted with an indifferent uncaring officialdom.This blog has been based upon the excellent blog of Mansell George Upham entitled, “Whatever happened to Augusta Anne…?
Main picture: Watercolour entitled ‘View of Port Elizabeth from upper Russell Road’ by Lester Oliver in 1854 [NMM AM]
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.
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
The saga of how Port Elizabeth acquired an unsuitable dam on a trickle of a river as its first primary water supply in the 1860s, is explained in this blog. Sadly after a decade the water became saline and no longer potable. Perhaps this venture was emblematic of the era where vision was limited by parsimony and where, despite the Council’s laudable motives, was doomed to failure.
For all that, the Town Council did protect the interests of its residents by not financing the project itself. So, when bankruptcy did occur, no losses were borne by the denizens of the town.
Main picture: Opening the valve at the Frames Dam in 1863