Perseverance was a three masted barque under the
command of my Great x 4 Granduncle James Marshall, which was lost - with all
hands - in the Arctic around 1901. As a ship's master myself for thirty years,
the more that I read the various reports and in particular the details of the
ship revealed in the Inquiry the more puzzled I am as to why James Marshall
accepted the command of the vessel.
The following are various newspaper reports and extracts from the Board of
Trade Inquiry concerning the loss. These were very kindly researched by Alison
Kennedy of Aberdeen.
Richard Collinson
The Buchan Observer, Tuesday, November 4, 1902
DISASTERS IN THE ARCTIC SEAS
TWO VESSELS WRECKED
FOUNDERING OF WHALER PERSEVERANCE
Peterhead Men Lost
The
Dundee whaler Eclipse, which passed Peterhead on Saturday evening, and arrived
at Dundee on Sunday morning from the Greenland fishing, brings news of terrible
disaster in the Arctic seas; of the whaler Perseverance, formerly belonging to
Peterhead, having been lost in Cumberland Gulf with all hands, and of the wreck
of the whaler Nova Zembla of Dundee, the crew, of which, however, are reported
safe, several of them being brought home with the Eclipse. Captain Milne, of
the Eclipse, reported the disasters on passing Peterhead on Saturday evening.
No details were given of the loss of the Perseverance, save that the disaster
occurred in Cumberland Gulf in the end of the autumn of last year. The
Perseverance, at one time a whaler belonging to Peterhead, but latterly owned
in London, was chartered last year by Mr Charles White, Aberdeen, for the
salmon fishing in the fiords of Cumberland Gulf, an enterprise in which Mr
White had met with considerable success in the ketch Theodora, now owned in
Peterhead.
MrWhite, on this ill-fated voyage, was accompanied by three of his sons and by an
English gentleman named Scott. The vessel was fitted out in London in July of
last year. The Perseverance, which was a barque of 250 tons, was under the
command of Captain James Marshall, belonging to Peterhead, while another
Peterhead man, John Watson, was engaged as mate. When the vessel left London,
the other members of the crew consisted of Englishmen, but on the passage north
a disagreement took place, and when the vessel put into Peterhead Bay, the
whole of the crew, with the exception of the master and the mate, deserted.
Considerable difficulty was experienced in finding another crew, but after
about a fortnight's detention, other seven Peterhead seamen were secured to
take the place of those who had deserted. The vessel finally left Peterhead on
7th August of last year with the intention of returning in the
autumn. The vessel had a protracted voyage of two months going out, and when
the brig Alert of Peterhead returned last autumn after considerable difficulty
in getting through the ice, the Perseverance was still up the gulf, and it was
thought there was little hope of her being able to force her way through,
seeing that she was but a sailing vessel. Her non-return last autumn for a time
occasioned no concern, as it was hoped the vessel had wintered, and that though
the crew must necessarily have been short of provisions, they might have been
able to get supplies, from one or other of Messrs Noble's stations. However, as
time went on and there was no appearance of the return of the missing voyagers,
considerable anxiety has been manifested, though until Saturday all hope of
their return had not been given up. The news of the disaster which had befallen
the crew created the greatest consternation in Peterhead.
THE MISSING CREW
Mr
Charles White, the charterer of the vessel was a son the late Mr James White,
butcher to the Queen, Aberdeen, and brother of Mr James White, flesher, New
Market, and of The Glen, Dyce. After receiving his elementary education, Mr
White attended Aberdeen University with the view of becoming a medical man. The
sea had an attraction for him, and he sailed on board whalers to the northern
seas as ship's doctor. His experience of those northern latitudes led him into
trade, and he found scope for himself in the catching and preserving of salmon
in the rivers which flow into Cumberland Straits. As is well known, the rivers
there are teeming with salmon, which are speared as they swim about the water, being
often so thickly packed that the clear sand in the pools can scarcely be seen
for fish. Mr White joined the vessel from Aberdeen when she was on what has
proved her last voyage to northern regions. Mr White, who would be about 55
years of age, is survived by his widow, who is resident in the south of
England.
Three sons of Mr Whyte (sic). The eldest, Charles, was second mate, and the other two
were named Allan and Duncan.
An Englishman named Scott, a friend of Mr White, went out on a pleasure expedition,
mainly for photography. He was about 30 years of age, and unmarried.
James Marshall, shipmaster, Marischal Street, Peterhead, who was over 60 years of
age, leaves a widow living in Peterhead, and one son who is in Brazil. Captain
Marshall was engaged in the whaling industry practically all his life, and has
had many exciting adventures in the Arctic regions. He was at one time master
of the Peterhead whaler Germania, and was shipwrecked in Cumberland Gulf twelve
years ago.
John Watson, first mate, son of the late David Watson, tailor, Peterhead. He was
considered a most careful and experienced seaman. He was master of the Alert
for two years, and was three years in the whaler Chieftain of Dundee, which was
lost about twenty years ago. For several years he served under Captain Adams,
Dundee, of whaling fame. Deceased latterly resided in Dundee, and leaves a
widow and grown-up family.
Thomas Mitchell, cook, is son of Thomas Mitchell, formerly foreman of Peterhead Bone
Mill. He leaves a widow, but no family.
James Alexander, A.B., cousin of David Alexander, tobacconist, Peterhead, leaves a
wife and child.
John Gibson, Thistle Street, Peterhead, son of the late John Gibson, seaman, leaves
a wife and four of a family.
Alexander Cruden, Seagate, Peterhead, was a young man of 21 years, and unmarried.
Thomas Keith, son of William Keith, crofter, St Fergus, was unmarried.
Robert Grieve, unmarried, also hails from St Fergus, where his father is a crofter.
D.MacWilliam, son of Peter Macwilliam (sic), Peterhead, unmarried.
THE ILL-FATED VESSEL
The Perseverance was built in Sunderland
about sixty years ago, and was purchased by Captain Brown, late of Howe
o'Buchan, Peterhead, for the Greenland fishing. Subsequently she was bought by
Mr John Ewen, Peterhead, for the cryolite trade, which was carried on very
successfully for a time, Captain Simpson, the present Harbourmaster, being
master of the vessel for six years. She next fell into the hands of the Hudson
Bay Company, who employed her principally for taking out provisions to stations
at Cumberland Gulf. Latterly she was owned by a London company, of which it was
understood Mr White was partner, to prosecute salmon fishing at Cumberland
Gulf. The unfortunate craft had a rather protracted voyage going out, which she
could ill afford, as she had only six months' provisions. Under ordinary
circumstances the Perseverance should have returned in November last.
PROBABLE DEATH FROM STARVATION
Mr David Watson, Maiden Street, Peterhead, brother of the first mate, has had some
remarkable experiences in the Arctic regions, being for three years in Hudson
Straits. He states that he considered it was rather fool-hardy to venture up
Cumberland Gulf at so late a period of the year, and advised his brother to
remain at home. The vessel should have been leaving the gulf at the time she
left Peterhead for the outward voyage. He was almost certain that the vessel
would get nipped in the ice, and all along he feared that the crew were doomed,
as they had only provisions for six months. The supplies, he thinks, were far
too scanty, and he fears the crew had perished of hunger, and no doubt had had
a hard struggle. Not one survived, however, to tell the awful tale.
Much sympathy is being expressed for the wives and families who have been deprived
of their breadwinners, and many of whom are not in the best of circumstances.
The Buchan Observer, Tuesday, March 8, 1903
The Missing Whaler
Perseverance
Board of Trade Inquiry
We are indebted to Mr Toohey, Superintendent of Customs, Peterhead, for a report
of a preliminary inquiry into the supposed loss of the British sailing ship
Perseverance, of the port of London, which was held by the Local Marine Board,
consisting of Messrs Howard Smith and A. Wood, in the Caxton Hall, Victoria
Street, London, on 23rd and 24th January, 1903, Mr George
C. Vaux appearing for the Board of Trade. The more important details of the
report are as follows:
The Perseverance was built of wood in Sunderland in 1852. She was rigged as a
barque, and her registered tonnage was 163.53 tons. At the time of her loss she
was the property of the British Columbian Steamship Trading & Agency
Company, Limited, Mr Edmund Wm. Dawson, of 9 and 10 Pancras Lane, London, being
her registered managing owner. The Perseverance left Burnham-on-Crouch on 15th
July, 1901, and arrived at Peterhead on the 28th of the same month,
left that port on the 8th August with a crew of 14 hands all told,
and arrived off Blacklead Island in the Cumberland Gulf on 2nd Oct.
She started on her return voyage to the United Kingdom on 22nd
October, since which date she has not been heard of, and there is no doubt that
she has been lost, with all hands.
The Perseverance was originally used as a whaler, and was double planked to protect
her from ice. In June, 1891, she was purchased by the Hudson's Bay Company, by
whom she was employed to carry stores to their stations within the Arctic
circle, and to bring back valuable cargoes, principally consisting of furs. The
vessels belonging to the Hudson's Bay Company, are, we are informed, overhauled
yearly, and in accordance with that practice the Perseverance was put into dry
dock in the spring of 1901, when she was overhauled by Mr John Edmonds,
shipwright, manager to the Glengall Ironworks Company, Millwall. Mr Edmonds
came to the conclusion that the vessel was not fit for the work of the Hudson's
Bay Company, and was not worth repairing. When she left the dry dock he did not
consider her sea-worthy for a voyage to Cumberland Gulf. On 29th
March, 1901, Captain Inglis, Marine Superintendent of the Hudson's Bay Company,
reported in similar terms, and advised the chartering of another vessel.
In accordance with this advice the Perseverance was sold to Mr Morgan Richards, Shipbroker,
for the sum of Ł220. Mr J.J. Neil, another Shipbroker, who was aware that Mr
Edmond Dawson was contemplating, in conjunction with Mr Chas. White, an
expedition to Cumberland Gulf, thought that the Perseverance would be a
suitable vessel for the expedition, and he therefore bought her from Mr Morgan
Richards for the sum of Ł250, and sold her to Mr Dawson for the sum of Ł260 on
22nd June, 1901. Mr Dawson was then a member of the Salmon Fisheries
Syndicate. In December, 1897, a company under the name of the British Columbian
Steamship Trading and Agency Company, Ltd., had been duly registered with a
capital of Ł7, which capital was increased in 1901 to Ł2000, for the purpose of
taking over the Salmon Fisheries Syndicate. To this company Mr Dawson ultimately
sold the Perseverance for the sum of Ł300, the bill of sale bearing date 12th
December, 1901, Mr Dawson being the registered managing owner. Before the
Perseverance left the dock, the required repairs were effected to the
satisfaction of Mr Penny, who stated that from the manner in which the bolts
held, he was satisfied that there was no weakness in the timbers, and he also
told us that, in his opinion, the vessel was then in a sea-worthy condition.
A crew consisting of 14 hands all told was shipped in London under yacht
articles, which contained, among other terms, "that the crew and officers
were to work on board and on shore, as desired by Mr Charles White, in fishing,
shooting, traveling, and other duties he might require of them." The crew
consisted of Charles White, in charge of the expedition; James Marshall,
master; John Watson, mate; Charles White, second mate; Duncan White, and Allan
White, no rating, all sons of Charles White. There were, in addition, four able
seamen, two ordinary seamen, and a cook, most, if not all of them natives of
Peterhead. The Perseverance, which was insured on a voyage policy for Ł1000, at
a premium of Ł10 10s per cent., was towed to Burnham-on-Crouch, in Essex, which
port she left on 4th July, 1901, in ballast, and carrying 500 empty
casks. She experienced head winds and did not arrive at Peterhead until the 28th
of the same month.
There six of the Peterhead men left the ship and refused to proceed in her. They
complained to the Superintendent of Mercantile Marine at that port of their
advance notes had not been forwarded to their wives, and asked him whether they
were obliged to remain with the ship. On the articles being produced, they were
found to be irregular, and the men did not return to the vessel. Robert Milne,
one of these men, was examined before us, and he complained that during the
voyage to Peterhead the vessel was making too much water, but we must observe
that he did not allege this fact to the Superintendent as a cause for his
desire to quit the ship. His real reasons for so doing, he ultimately stated to
us, were the lateness of the season and his apprehension of being compelled to
pass the winter in the Arctic regions on board a vessel, as he alleged,
insufficiently provided with provisions. Six other men were shipped, under
ordinary articles, in the place of those who had left the ship. Their names
are: Peter McWilliams, James Alexander, Robert Greiver, Thomas Keith, Thomas
Mitchell, all A.B's; and Alex. Cruden, O.S.
No further stores or provisions were taken in at Peterhead, which port the
Perseverance left on 8th August, and after a long voyage arrived in
Niatilik Harbour, Cumberland Gulf, on the 2nd October, from which
place Mr White wrote the following letter to Mr Dawson:
On the 5th October, 1901:
&ldquotWe
dropped anchor here on the night of the 2nd inst - just eight weeks
after leaving Peterhead. It has been an exceedingly trying voyage. Hardly a
fair wind was experienced, and dead calms were frequent. All are agreed that it
has been a record voyage for ill luck. From the middle of September we were
hardly ever free from ice, and often had to lose much ground by turning off to
avoid it. All this meant much additional delay. Bergs were very numerous in
Davis Strait.
A strong wind was blowing down the Gulf as we neared it, and making the mouth of
it was a very slow matter. At the finish a light S.E. breeze came along, and we
came in here comfortably. We are only here for fresh water and to arrange for
the natives I require for working purposes. I shall take the first opportunity
allowed by the state of the wind in getting over to the other side. I am afraid
from what I am told by the natives that nearly all the salmon have gone up to
the lakes. In that case our cargo will be a light one. The land being almost entirely
covered with snow, prospecting is a difficult matter. Mr Scott and Charles have
been ashore here and secured specimens of mica, etc. As the ice will shortly
begin to form, we can stay but a very short time. We should arrive home about
the end of November. Of course if we get shut in by ice here we shall have to
winter, but you may rely upon my using every effort to get out. If unable to
start homeward until the summer, the only consolation will be that we shall
have a splendid cargo. I have two of the best natives come to see me from
Blacklead, and am about to sound them on the concession business. The shortness
of time available is likely to make this a difficult thing to negotiate.
The
Brig "Alert" (the only vessel here this year) will be leaving for
home before us, and is taking this letter."
And on the 6th of October, Mr Marshall wrote the following letter to his
wife:
"Perseverance
I do not know if we will be home this fall, as the ice is making fast, and we
have to go 18 miles further up to take in fresh water and ballast, and that
will take us a fortnight, but the ice makes in one night. I will not risk if
there is ice at the mouth of the Gulf. I will examine it before leaving. If we
are not home don't be alarmed, as we will not have left. I rather fear we will
not get home this year, as it was understood before we sailed that the ship was
to winter out at the Gulf, and as we had not secured anything, it would be very
useless for us to come home instead of wintering.&rdquot;
These
letters were brought home by the store carrier "Alert" which left
Cumberland Bay on 11th October.
Mr
Joseph Mitchell, mate of the whaling steamer "Balaena" of Dundee, who
was then mate of the "Alert," the Rev. Edmund J. Peck, Clerk in Holy
Orders, formerly acting as a missionary at Blacklead Island, and Mr James
Shepherd Mutch, whaling station agent at the same place, gave evidence before
us as to the arrival and stay of the "Perseverance" off Blacklead
Island in the Cumberland Gulf, from which we find that, owing to the lateness
of the season, and to the conditions of the ice, the voyage to the westward, in
pursuit of salmon, was abandoned and Mr White determined to return home. As the
vessel had been rather light on the outward voyage, about two hundred of the
empty barrels were landed and additional stone ballast was shipped by natives,
whose labour was requited with bread from the ship. Mr White obtained from Mr
Mutch one cwt. of beef, 20lbs of sugar, and 20lbs of tobacco from the store,
and on being requested to pay for the same in bread, stated to Mr Mutch that he
was unable to do so as he had only sufficient bread for the return voyage to
the United Kingdom.
We were told that there was some friction between Mr White and Mr Marshall, but we
were unable to ascertain the cause of it. The Perseverance left Blacklead
Island and proceeded to sea on the 22nd October, 1901, and as far as
we were able to ascertain, she was then properly ballasted. Since that date she
has not been seen or heard of. All the witnesses who had experience of the
Arctic regions stated that, having regard to the ice, a sailing vessel leaving
Blacklead Island so late in the year would encounter great difficulty in
reaching the open sea. It does not appear that a stay during the winter at
Blacklead Island was ever contemplated, and Mr Peck stated that it would have
been difficult to procure sufficient food for the crew if they had stayed.
The report continues:
We
do not find that the Perseverance was unseaworthy for her intended voyage as
regards her hull and equipment; although the evidence induces us to believe
that the vessel was making too much water. In this connection we cannot forget
the fact that she was reported to be leaking on her last voyage before she was
sold to Mr Richards, and the statements contained in the letter of Mr Inglis to
the Hudson's Bay Company, but these statements, we believe, were founded on the
report of Mr Edmunds, who was, in our judgment, unable to form an opinion as to
the extent and nature of the leak without more thorough examination than he
subjected the vessel to, and as to her general seaworthiness, we do not think
he could form a definitely trustworthy opinion without having caused her to be
opened out. On the other hand we are impressed by the fact that the vessel did
not make very much water on her voyage to Peterhead, for if she had done so,
the crew would assuredly have alleged this fact to the Superintendent there, as
a reason for leaving the vessel, and after a voyage in her for a period
exceeding three weeks, it is not probable that Mr Marshall, a man of very great
experience, would have consented to have taken her further, or that Mr White,
another gentleman of nautical experiences, would have gone in her and have
allowed his three sons to accompany him if they had found her unseaworthy. We
are of opinion that the "Perseverance" was properly manned, equipped,
and provided with life-saving apparatus required by the statute, and we find
that she was commanded by a master of great competency and experience in navigating
the Arctic seas. In our judges, however, the vessel when purchased by Mr Dawson
should have been placed in dry dock, and her condition definitely ascertained.
We do not forget that after the repairs recommended by Mr Penny had been
effected, that gentleman raised no further objection to her proceeding to sea.
This negative action, however, on his part by no means guaranteed her
seaworthiness, for, as we have already pointed out, his duty was confined to
pointing out such defects as were apparent to him, which duty her performed,
and unless unseaworthiness was apparent, he could not be expected to interfere.
Having very carefully considered the facts that have been proved, and the
proper inferences to be drawn from them, we have come to the conclusion that we
ought to find that, as regards her hull and equipment, the
"Perseverance" was seaworthy for a voyage to the Arctic regions.
Having regard to the probable duration of that voyage, and considering the late
date of her departure from Peterhead, and in consequence the possibility and
even probability of her detention in the Arctic Seas until the next summer by
reason of ice, we are of opinion that the "Perseverance" had not
sufficient provisions on board.
The
report concludes:
It
is impossible for us to assign a definite cause for the loss of this vessel. We
must, however, call attention to the fact that all the witnesses who have had
experience of navigation in high northern latitudes stated that in their
judgment the 22nd of October was too late for a sailing vessel to
leave the Cumberland Gulf with a fair prospect of getting clear of the ice, and
this, on the evidence, we find: Whether the "Perseverance" was frozen
in we are of course unable to decide; but if she was, we find that, with only
about enough food to last the crew during an ordinary voyage to the United
Kingdom, and here we must state that as far as we could ascertain she had been
provided with only two cases of lime juice, there was but little prospect of
her crew being able to survive until the following summer, unless they were
able to obtain some animal food on the ice, which we were told by the
experienced witnesses was very improbable.
The Buchan Observer, Tuesday, May 12, 1903
Births, Marriages and Deaths
MARSHALL - Perished at sea on board the barque Perseverance of
London, after leaving Cumberland Gulf, Davis Straits, in October 1901, James
Marshall, shipmaster, 19 Marischal Street, Peterhead, aged 64 years.
He is gone and never will return
again to his own home,
And though the raging roaring sea be lashed into a foam,
And though the monsters of the deep about him nightly crowd,
He lies in calm and perfect peace, the green seaweed his shroud.
