A YEAR'S WRECKS.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2415, 31 December 1881, Page 4

A YEAR'S WRECKS.

TLoudou " Times," October 2"th ]

The disasters caused by tho late gale have fcr-mght tha perils of the sea forcibly home to moat of na, making this an appropriate timo to call attention to tho last issue of tho "Wreck Register." .its pases show that disasters at sea, unfortunately, almost keep pace with the expansion of our bhipping interests, 2519 Wrecks, which are fully and minntely detailed in the Register, havintr occurred on our coasts and peas last year. These 2519 wrecks of 187980 include every kind of maritime disaster. Thus, of the whole number of wrecks, casualties, nud collision?, only 355 eases involved total los3, or about 1 iu 7 of the vessels lost or damaged, while only 81 of tho ca«es were awv;n)V!vil bylo?s of life. Deducting these 355 destructive cases from th<? year's casualties, thn balance cmsista of 1130 mora or loss serious dinsters, and 1031 other wrecks. Taking the !!CKreg'ite number of shipwrecks in tho !.»>• t-Tiisy-tix years, the total is truly startliug HfTB is th« ph.il record:—lßs-1 (last six rawthvl, 453; 1855, 1141; 1856, 1153: 1857. It.S; 1858. 1170; 1859, 1416; 1860, 1879; 1861, 1191; 1862, 148 S ; 1863,1664; 18:;!. 1390 ; 1865, 1056; 1866, I 860; 1817, 2000; iSCS, 1717; 1869. 2114; 1870, 1S0J; IK7I. 1575 1872, 1955: 1873 (nix months) 961 ; 1673-1. 1803; 'B7l-5,3590; 1875-6,3757; 18767, *164; 1877-8, 3611; 1878 9, 3002; and 1h79 81, 25.9; making a total number of in 26 years of 51,811, and. what is still More 1 imentable, a loss from those 6hipwreoks of 3?.5'.0 liv.sa —a total nearly equal to the number of men who man the British E'leet. Distressing as this fearful loss of life undoubtedly ii - apart ontirely from tho vast destruction of proparty recorded—the lo3fl of lifo would have beau truly appalling in the absence of the ceaseless exeitions during the name period of the National Lifeboat Institution, snpplc'n'-nted by those of the Coastguard and the Racket Brigade under the supervision of tho Board of Trade. Tho following is tho number of lives which thn institution has contributed to sive during the period named abovo-viz., ISSI, 355; 1855, 400; 1856, 473; 1857, 374; ISSB, 427; 1859, 499; 1860, 455; 1861, 424; 1842, 574; 1863, 714; lßt>4, 693; 1865, 714; 1856. 921; 1867, 108 S; 1868, 862; 18S0, 1231; 1870, 731; 1871. 882; 1072, 739; 1873 60S; 1874, 713; 1875. 921; 1876, 600; 1877, 1018; IS7B. 616; 1879, 8 5: and 18S0, 697 ; total, 18,736. Such a record of ncble deeds doao aa this statemoat shows needs no comment . It appears that 3133 vessels were involved m tha 2519 wrecks of the year. The number of Bhip3 is in excess of the casualties reported beoauao in cisea of collision two or more ships are of course involved. Thus 6*3 were collisions, 1916 were wrecks and ca-ualties other than collisions. The localities of the wr.icliß excluding collisions, are thus given:—East Coasts of Knglanft ai;d Scotla-id, 573 ; South Coast. 360 ; Weal Coasts of England and Scotland and coast of Ireland, 747 ; Worth Coast of Scotland, 64; and oiher parts, 172 ; total, 1916 The greatest de=trnction of human lifo happened on tho Woct Oe kats of Knglaud and Scotland and East C;ast of Ireland. On the wreck chart which accompanies the register for the year under eonsidera ion tt.e sites of the various shipwrecks are marked. Tho Register gives figures showing that between 1861 and 1880 the number of British and foreign ships wrecked on our coast and from which life waa lost was 3109. resulting in tho loss of 1.4,711 lives—a most distressing fact, showing the urgent necessity of continued and ceaseless effurta to counteract it. Again, we observe with concern that the total number of English ships which appear to hive foundered or been otherwise totally lost on our shores during the year from defects in the ships or their equipments is 30; white 68 wrecks happened through the errors, Ac, cf masters, officers, ers.vs or pilots, 97 through Btress of weather, and 42 from other or unknown causes. Tho nuubec of casualties arising from the same causes during the year and resulting in eerioaa damage is as follows: —Through defects, 45 : crrora, 115; stress of weatber, 213; other causes, 126; and the cases of minor damage wero—through defects. 62; errors, 132; stress of weather, 581; and other causes, 163. It is interesting to observe the sges of the veswla wrecked during the period under consideration. Excluding foreign Bhips and collLaioa cases, 145 wrecks and casualties haopeued to nairly new ships, and 223 to ships Irorn threo to seven yeara of age. Then there are wrecks and casualties to 329 ships from seven to 14 yeara old, and to 58S from 15 to 30 yeara old. Tr.eu follow 232 old Bhips from 30 to 50 yeara old. Haviug passed tho service of halt a rentnry, we come to the vory old shipa —via., 37 between 50 and 60 years old, 20 from 60 to 70, seven from 70 to 80, five from 80 to 90. and two upwards of 100 yeara old, while the ages of 58 of the wrecks are unknown. Nearly all of these, no doubt, were wooden veaseh, now rapidly becoming ships of the past. Excluding collisions, 405 steamships and 1511 Bai'ing vessels wero lost or injarod en our coasts hut year. Of the 1674 British Bhips meeting with disa3t3riu the year, 872 did not exceed 100 tons burden. 459 were from 100 to 300 tons, 107 worn from 300 to 500 tons, and 236 were above 500 tons. Of the 237 Briti»h vessel* totally lout, irrespective of collisions, 23 are known to have bs'.'n "rmiit of iron, and of this number 18 were i?team.'hip3 and five wero sailing vessels. The " Wreck Register" only givaa the winds in 67il out of the 2519 cases Dealing with thi 673 eiaes only, tho windß that have beon most meat fit I!«■•> sbippug on and near the coasts of the United Kingdom during the year were as f silo t?! :—■ North to east inclusive, 107; east by south to south inclusive, 138 ; south by we3t to west inclusive, 310; and west by north to norih b 7 west in-lnsive, 124 ; total, 679. _ On distinguishing those last-named casualties according to tho force of the wind at tho time at which the disaster occurred, 310 baprooned with the wind ut forces 7 and 8, or a moderate to fresh gale, when a ahi'j, if properly found, manned, and navigated, ought to bo able to keep the rea with safety ; while 369 disasters happened when tbi force of the wind tva3 9 to 11—that is to say, from ti ptroug gale to a storm. Happily the c::sr.a!iiina to ships in our rivers and harbors wuro not eo numerous during the year, the numbers having been 729, of which nine were tatal lobois m d 720 partial casualties. Of theae casualties collisions numbered 526, founderiags 3. standings 111, and miscellaneous 56. Of the collisions during (he year, 48 of the 603 ca=<!S v,oTro between two steamships, both under way, 181 bvtween two sailing r ;u?cls both under way, and 161 between a -team vessel and a sailing vessel, both under way. Ton importance of this fe.c» cannot oe overrated, for it is hardly po:.sible to conceive a cn°ualt y more awful in its oonscquouces than a collision between two groat ships at tea. As regards tba loss of lifo, the Wreck Abstract shows that the number was 231 from the various shipwrecks enumerated duricg tho twelve months a number fortunately smaller than ever previously known, notwithstanding the b,'ge number of wrecka of the year and the con-fc ,;.t increase of new ships. In tho midaii of this doUful record of disasters at sti". in one year it is gratifying to observe that by I2cans of the lifeboats, the rocket apparatus and oth n : arrencie?, in conjunction with the sue03?3fi"! (ff.rfca u«el on board the distressed Vi sieb thjjr.-elvns, aa many aB 2923 lives were saved from ihe various wrecks oa our coast last year. Thus Ilia National Lifeboat Institution may contiuun to parsnn its work, and uppeul with renewed assurance for public support.