A tragedy at sea

 

Islands attract ships and some of those ships are lost. There have been many shipwrecks in the seas surrounding Australia and today's blog relates to one of New South Wales' worst peace time maritime disasters – during a terrible year of such disasters - with a link to Rookwood.

THE KEILAWARRA DISASTER OF 1886

In December 1886 the 784-ton steamship the Keilawarra, built in Scotland eight years prior, was heading from Sydney to Brisbane loaded with food stocks, casks of various alcoholic beverages, tobacco, paint and special cargo including two bulls and a heifer, a box of bees and two racing horses. There were also passengers and crew totalling about 80 under the command of Captain Buttrey, a man with some twenty years' service with the Australian Seam Navigation Company. Heading in the other direction was the smaller steamer the Helen Nicoll under the direction of Captain Fraser carrying far fewer passengers and crew.

SS Keilawarra - NSW Department of Environment - with thanks

As the Keilawarra steamed north all went well until near Coffs Harbour in the vicinity of the North Solitary Islands on the night of 8th December 1886.

In the darkness, the smoke from the funnel of the Helen Nicoll obscured the view northbound. A light emitted from that vessel, and it was assumed at first that the larger vessel had seen the Helen Nicoll. As the Keilawarra headed at speed straight toward the smaller vessel, the Captain of the Helen Nicoll finally sounded a warning blast from the whistle, turned his smaller steam ship towards the open sea and ordered the engines "slowed" then put into reverse. His actions actually drove the Keilawarra across the smaller ship’s bow. The impact was horrendous with the side of the Keilawarra sliced open, pushing the vessel momentarily on its side with both steamers entwined.

Image of collision of the Keilawarra and Helen Nicoll - Australian Maritime Museum with thanks

With the bow shattered many aboard the Helen Nicoll jumped onto the deck of the larger Keilawarra believing that the smaller vessel would sink. Four of the eleven people who leaped overboard drowned. The Keilawarra's bow went underwater and many rushed for the port boat with chaotic scenes with many men beating off women and children for a seat upon it. Others were seen to leap overboard with lifebelts.

The Keilawarra rose almost vertically, its propeller broke the surface and then plunged into the sea. It took all of seven minutes.

Captain Buttrey went down with his ship, after earlier refusing a lifebelt which he gave to a female passenger. Much debris from the steamer littered the surface of the sea and together with the darkness made it difficult for boats from the Helen Nicoll to find survivors.

Captain Buttrey of the Keilawarra - NSW Department of Environment with thanks 

The captain managed to steer the Helen Nicoll into nearby Trial Bay and the survivors were transferred to another ship sailing to Sydney. Upon arrival there were scenes of jubilation as well as despair. Only two bodies and two of the Keilawarra's lifeboats were ever located ashore.

Helen Nicoll after the collision - State Library of NSW with thanks 

Mrs. Alice Wilson was the only adult woman on the Keilawarra to Survive. Waves had knocked her and her husband overboard. She attempted to hold on to her injured spouse but had to let him go and he drowned. She managed to reach a floating box. The only child who survived was 12-year-old Alice Cornwell. She was washed overboard but managed to cling to a bag of chaff intended for the horses. The worst family loss was Mr. Schepper, his wife and six children, last seen clinging together. The only lifeboat successfully launched contained about twenty men with a least another five clinging to its side.

In the old Presbyterian section of the cemetery there is a tablet on the family monument commemorating Major John Macdonald a highly respected resident of the inner Sydney suburb of Balmain. Major Macdonald was one of the Highland Society and had recently been one of the promoters of the newly formed Sydney Scottish Rifles. The first NSW Military Unit with a Scottish Association was The Duke of Edinburgh's Highlanders formed in 1868. The Unit became known as the Highland Brigade before it was disbanded in 1878. After the death of General Gordon in Khartoum in 1885, the NSW Government sent a special force to the Sudan which led to the formation of a new unit called the Scottish Volunteer Rifle Corps, later abbreviated to the Scottish Rifles and first paraded in November of that year. John Macdonald left a widow to mourn his loss, as well as a host of friends with added sorrow due to the circumstances surrounding his death. All stated that the Major would have shown great strength of character to the very end.

Major John Macdonald tablet on family monument - author's own

His tablet states:-

In Memoriam, John Macdonald, eldest son of the abovenamed who was drowned on the floundering of a steamship on 8th December 1886. Etat 54

An affectionate husband, a dutiful son and brother. A true friend and an earnest Christian. Loved most by those who knew him best.

The Marine Board held an inquiry into the disaster and blamed Captain Buttrey for "recklessly navigating his vessel" in not slowing when lights had been seen ahead and for cutting across the Helen Nicoll's path. The court also severely censured Mr. Knowles, First Mate of the Helen Nicoll for proceeding at full speed.

Research shows that 37 drowned from the Keilawarra (14 crew and 24 passengers) together with 4 from the Helen Nicoll.

New regulations were introduced for all coastal steamers to carry sufficient lifebelts for every person aboard, specifically stowed for easy release when needed.

The wreck of the Keilawarra was found on 18 September 2000, located in 74 metres of water. The site was found to have been plundered in 2010 of one of its safes contents, thought to have occurred in 2007. None of the alleged plunder has come to light. The site is protected under the Historic Shipwrecks Act.

The South Solitary Island lighthouse was built in 1880 and designed by the Colonial Architect James Barnet (who calls Rookwood "home") due to the number of serious shipwrecks in the seas. At the inquest, following the disaster, it was recommended that the Lighthouse have telegraphic communication with the mainland, that the proposed Coffs Harbour Jetty be immediately constructed and thirdly that a Coroner be appointed to the Coffs Harbour area.

Even with these recommendations being taken up, there were still serious shipwrecks in the area, the most recent being in 1950.

It seems that the sea is a beast that will never be tamed.

May they all RIP

I have reference information from the NSW Heritage Office, the NSW Environment, Energy and Science Department and many newspaper reports gleaned from Trove a division of the National Library.

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until next week