Last updated 05:13, Friday, 28 November 2008

News was breaking in February 1877 of “the fate of the missing ship the Ada Iredale of Liverpool”. At first there seemed to be no reason why this should be reported in the Carlisle Journal, but it soon became apparent that there were a number of local associations.

Built in Cumberland: Iron-hulled ships built at shipyards along the Solway coast ,this one at Maryport in 1896.Vessels built locally sailed all over the world and were often wrecked in far away places

“She sailed from Ardrossan on June 20, 1876 with a cargo of coals for San Francisco,” said the Journal, and was last seen on September 27 having “rounded Cape Horn successfully.”

It was estimated that the Ada Iredale would arrive at her destination at the end of November, but when “no further news regarding the vessel had reached this country in December anxious inquiries were made and telegrams sent to San Francisco”.

A reply said the ship had not arrived. At the end of January, the newspaper reported: “The owners learned that on October 15, on account of fire having broken out in her cargo, the ship had been abandoned at sea because all attempts to extinguish the flames had failed.”

All the crew were saved except one drowned, “but the loss of property is very considerable”, said the Journal, “far beyond the cargo, which was only worth about £1,400, the ship herself was of the value of £15,000”. Fortunately the ship was insured to the full amount by the owner, Peter Iredale of Liverpool, being “an iron ship of 997 tons net, 1,032 gross, with two decks and one bulkhead”.

Reports from San Francisco on January 26 said a schooner had arrived there from Tahiti, “having on board Captain Stewart of the ship Ada Iredale and three apprentice boys named William Denwood, William Lightfoot and Frederick Joyce”.

The captain explained that “on October 13 fire was discovered in the lower hold and every effort was made to extinguish it, but it was soon evident that the whole body of coal in that part of the ship was on fire”.

The crew dug down into the cargo until the gas and heat drove them from the hold. “Water was pumped down,” said Captain Stewart, “but without any effect and in less than 36 hours from the time the fire was discovered, the gas generated to such an extent that it exploded and blew up the decks.”

Every effort to save the ship was useless and three boats were lowered. “The captain, cook, steward, fire boys and 12 able seamen entered them.”

A course was set for the Galapagos Islands 1,200 miles away, but a series of mishaps followed.

“The captain’s boat capsized in a heavy sea and all the instruments were lost except a sextant and a greater portion of the provisions,” said the Journal.

With the boat righted again all were able to get aboard but “in a few days Captain Stewart, finding wind and current against him, gave up the design of reaching the Galapagos and steered for the Marquesas 2,4000 miles distant.”

On November 3 another of the boats capsized and the carpenter was drowned. “All the provisions in the boat were lost”, said the newspaper, “and from that time until November 9 when they reached Dominique Island, one of the Marquesas group, all hands were restricted to a wineglassful of water and a biscuit a day.”

Compounding their ordeal, said the Journal, “the weather during the whole time was exceedingly tempestuous and it was with difficulty that the boats kept together”. The report ended by saying that the Ada Iredale was built in Harrington in 1872.

This was not the only local link because when the Journal was praising the heroism and skill of the person in charge, it said: “We are informed that Captain Stewart is a native of this county belonging to Port Carlisle, the third son of the late Captain Stewart, who sailed for many years out of that port in the north American trade.”

But what the newspaper did not say was that the ship’s owner was also a Cumbrian. This was made known when his obituary appeared in the Liverpool Mercury on October 27, 1899: “Peter Iredale of New Ferry Park, Birkenhead, died yesterday in the 77th year of his age, a native of Cumberland and during the last 20 years traded in this city as a ship owner, being well known and widely esteemed.”

On the same day the Daily Post explained that “Mr Iredale, of the firm of Messrs Iredale and Porter, had been for some time in failing health but only retired from the firm about a month ago”. The deceased gentleman, said the newspaper, “was born in the vicinity of Cockermouth” and long before he was a ship owner “was super cargo and coast master on the West African coast on behalf of Messrs Stuart and Douglas”.

While many others perished on that fatal coast, said the Post, “he triumphed over every disease by which he was assailed”.

But what was not known in February 1877 was that the Ada Iredale remarkably survived.

On the ‘mightyseas’ website it states that, after being abandoned in the South Pacific, “the barque drifted westwards for eight months before being taken in tow by a French cruiser and taken to Papeete, Tahiti, with her cargo still burning”.

There the vessel was sold to American owners in 1878 “the fire having stayed alight in her hull until May of that year.” Subsequently she was rebuilt and renamed the Annie Johnson, sailing out of San Francisco.

Sail gave way to a diesel engine in 1923. “By 1927 the vessel was owned by a French firm,” stated the website, “who registered her at Papeete,” changing the name again to Bretagne.

On passage from Vancouver to Suva in the Fiji Islands, “the Bretagne was abandoned off the coast of Oregan on October 5 , 1929, “having filled with water and taken a heavy list. The 17 crew, together with the captain’s wife and daughter, were picked up on the same day from a lifeboat by a steamship 15 miles south of the Umatilla lightship.

Reporting on the danger of the Bretagne to other shipping the New York Times stated, “a coast guard cutter was sent to sink her by gunfire if she was still afloat.”