Alfred Varnals Hoskins (1852 - abt. 1871)

Born 1852 in England

Ancestors

Died about 1871 at about age 19 in At Sea, Port Esperance, Tasmania

Problems/Questions Profile manager: John Andrewartha [send private message]

Coromandel, 1853

Biography

Drowned returning - Port Cygnet to Port Esperance

Yesterday a regatta took place at Port Esperance, ^[1] according to announcement. Some years have elapsed since the last event of the kind, and then, owing to a variety of circumstances, the regatta was all but a failure. This year, however, the residents cheerfully acted upon a suggestion to revue the regatta, and a liberal subscription was raised to carry it out.
It was originally fixed for the 20th of February, but owing to the untoward event of one of the boats intended for the regatta being lost with its crew, the affair had to be postponed, a sad gloom having been cast over the district by the painful catastrophe the particulars of which we became acquainted with on the spot.

Four weeks ago last Saturday, three young men belonging to Port Esperance -Alfred Hoskins, aged 19, Ebenezer Cane, 17, and Charles Leo, 22- left the port at 10 at night in one of the dingies intended to be used at the regatta, for the purpose of seeing some friends at Port Cygnet. They arrived at Port Cygnet early on the Sunday morning, and left in the boat at 8 on Monday morning. They were seen passing the Oil Butts by the Petrel, Orford, master, coming with a fair wind, but they never reached Port Esperance, and it is presumed the boat capsized at the Point, where there is generally a cross sea when the wind is north-east, and there had been a good deal of unsettled weather. The relatives of the young men, and the inhabitants generally, felt considerable anxiety on the subject, but the first news received was that a bag of clothes had been found belonging to Hoskins on the beach opposite the settlement.
Search was then made and several other things were found, part of a concertina &c, known to belong to the party, and the conclusion was general that the boat had capsised, and the unfortunate crew drowned. The effect of the disaster was not only to produce a general gloom over the place but to split up all the crews, as the young men were all to take part in the regatta. After a brief postponement it was decided, as the arrangements had been so far made, to carry out the affair, although under the circumstances it was hardly to be expected that the survivors would go into it with much spirit. Yesterday was, therefore, the day for the regatta to come off, and it was intimated that it would be under the patronage of the Hon. Mr. Wilson, the Premier.
The programme contained seven events, for which prizes to the amount of £49 were appropriated, including three pulling races, three sailing races, and a duck hunt, the regatta being promoted by Messrs. Andrewartha, Hoskins, Sawers, Allen and other residents of the locality. Captain Green was named as judge, Mr H. J. Allen umpire, Mr Hoskins treasurer, and Mr Sawers hon. secretary. Several Hobart Town boats were taken down, and the competition was expected to be keen. . . . more from Examiner . .

Port Cygnet to Port Esperance is about 30km by sea.

research

Maria Varnals - The middle name of Alfred is named after his grandmother, but the problem is there are four spellings with the vowles a, e, o, and u, therefore which is her last name at birth ?

Find A Grave: Memorial #232445054 - with photos

Sources

1. ↑ PORT ESPERANCE REGATTA. (1871, March 7). The Mercury
   (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954), p. 2. Retrieved December 3, 2021 and
   No Title (1871, March 9). Launceston Examiner
   (Tas. : 1842 - 1899), p. 5. Retrieved April 27, 2023

• from Family History M.S. Notes by A. Macquarie : Sept 1983..