NEWRY SHIPS STEAM TURBINE SAIL

Newry Fatal Shipwreck
(Friday 23rd April 1830)

It was a fatal Friday night for the ship 'Newry',which had Captain Crosbie, from the port of Newry, it's self at her helm. She was bound for Quebec, a very long and scary trip for such a small ship and I should know because i have sailed on ships of a similar size, never so far but when you go through the Irish sea in a gale fore 11, you soon learn how to pray, any way there were approxmimately four hundred passengers on board from all different religons and divides, children women husbands farmers and all sorts all looking forward to what ever was at the end of the journey, little did anyone of them know that she would soon,be on top of the sharp edged rocks at Portinclineon, a wee bit away from Bardsey,at Carnarvon Bay, In Wales. There wasnt a thougth in a mind of one aboard that lumps of this black hulk called Newry, would be strewn for miles along the rugged coast and that tiny little bit's of it would be spat high into the air like little pieces of a jig saw. Not many of those on board had time to think of escape or perhaps even taking that hopefull plunge into the dark sparkling glassy sheet which was all around them, thoughts had no time to mature, It was said two hundred of the passengers perished in the wreck. The weather wasnt the best but again it wasnt stormy force it was just one of those hard to see into days where a very light misty drizzle which was caressing the dawn od a foggy, enough really to make the helms man peer deep through the brass edged window of the steering cabin.this being the case the man must have nodded off at stages for there is no answer to a ship drifting on its own In such weather, the course according to the compass wasnt a hard one to hold, perhaps he had tied the wheel with these thoughts in mind and went off to do something, she must have slipped free for she ran slightly off course & and appeared through holes in the foggy mist of Carnarvon Bay, & before the helms man could muster his suddenly alerted mind which must have been woken by the sound of the breakers on the rocks it was too late to change the heavy deep rudder's mind. It was about nine o'clock on Friday night. The passengers,as said were principally Irish emigrants, & most were below but the poorest when the ship struck. The stark rasping and tearing of the teeth of the reef at the hull of the vessel as they it tore it to pieces in what was only minutes bore a violence of noise into the air like the fall out of an atom bomb to all on board, the shock of the impact wrenched pulling and granling the bow & fored end deep into the balast and hold chasims of darkness & ripped through the passanger hold. The ladders between decks were wrenched away as though they we simply stuck to the bulk heads with very bad glue, those that didnt die immediately, perished struggling against a pityless foe. The Captain, wih the small crew and about half the passengers, who had no time to think about how they got there succeeded in reaching the shore, in what ever manner no written or spoken word has recorded. They were all in the most wretched condition, many of them having lost everything that they possessed in the world. The greatest part of them were cared for by those kind people of Carnarvon who were In awe and sorrow at the pityfull scenes they had seen that evening. They treated the dead and the alive with great kindness, and respect. The alarm was raised by a passenger who arrived from Portinclineon at Carnarvon, a short time before the last accounts were sent away, the passanger stated in shock and of dismal appearence that the ship had gone to pieces, and that the shore was covered with dozens of dead bodies. People rushed to the place of sorrow and expected the worst & like all such things the story spread like woild fire and expanded with every pair of lips. Finally it was said Among those who perished, were several respectable families.

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The Chester Chronicle Edited the sad story, which they entitled
A Most Calamitous Shipwreck

In our last account, we gave such particulars as had then reached us of the melancholy loss in Carnarvon Bay of the 'Newry', who was under the comand of Captain Crosbie,& was outward bound from Ireland to Quebec, with 400 passengers, mostly Irish emigrants on board.   The number of lives lost was stated to be two hundred, but we are glad to see that the North Wales Chronicle estimates it at between 40 and 50 and this statement is corroborated by a letter in the Liverpool papers from the Captain to his owners, giving the particulars of this melancholy catastrophe.

After the vessel had struck, by the most fatiguing and dangerous exertion, nearly 300 of the passengers were enabled to land, many of them in a state of nudity and others with blankets round them, having been in their berths and most of them sea-sick at the time the vessel struck. "At this trying moment (says the Liverpool Journal, on the authority of Captain Crosby) we regret that the crew acted in a manner derogatory to the character of British Sailors. With selfish and cowardly inhumanity, they quitted the wreck and refused to lend the Captain any further assistance.   The first and second mate (the latter is Captain Crosbie's son) and the carpenter, however, stood by him in this emergency and the two last, having got onto a rock, they made preparations for getting the passengers ashore." In a state of exposure and exhaustion, they continued their exertions for the preservation of the passengers until four o'clock in the morning when David Griffiths, a seaman in the neighbourhood, assisted by Owen Jones and other persons, succeeded in rescuing between forty and fifty men, women and children, from their perilous situation on the wreck.

            The vessel broke up on Sunday, and what remained of the wreck was sold by auction on Monday. Fourteen dead bodies were found amongst the broken timber and on the rocks, all of which were decently interred. The conduct of the inhabitants towards the destitute survivors (says the North Wales Chronicle) has been beyond all praise. They were furnished with clothing , food and many of the poor cottages actually burned part of their household furniture in order to warm their destitute and shivering guests. As the sufferers came along the road to Carnarvon, all ranks of the inhabitants came forward with meat, clothing and money. Upon the arrival of the main body of the unfortunates at Carnarvon, Captain Beileau, an Irish gentleman resident in that town, informs us that a public meeting was called by the Deputy Mayor, Wm. Roberts, Esq. and the bailiffs and a most liberal subscription made for their relief, from which each individual received a hearty meal and 4 shillings in money, besides medical assistance being given to the sick and wounded, wagons provided for the lame and infirm, and clothing for such were still un-provided.

'Never' says Captain Beileau 'was there a more imperative call on humanity and never was it more promptly or efficiently answered than by the benevolent inhabitants of Carnarvon. By the above named benevolent gentleman, we are desired on behalf of his shipwrecked countrymen, to return their grateful thanks to the inhabitants of that part of Carnarvonshire through which they have travelled on their way homewards, 'for the assistance they have received from the humane and kind-hearted Welsh' and we feel both pride and pleasure in complying with his request. The sufferers, one and all, declared that from the moment of their leaving the wreck to their arrival at Carnarvon, throughout a journey of thirty-five miles, they saw not one door closed, while every hand had something to offer them. At Bangor, through which these unfortunates passed on Monday and Tuesday, the inhabitants followed the example set them by their neighbours at Carnarvon and in a few hours, upwards of �37 as collected from the inhabitants by our humane and active overseer, Mr. Holford, assisted by other gentlemen and distributed amongst the sufferers who have since proceeded to Holyhead where we have, no doubt, a similar reception awaits them.