Arthur Frederick Wells (1876 - 1894)

Born 2 May 1876 in Woolwich, Kent, England, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Died 29 Jan 1894 at age 17 in At Sea

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Biography

Arthur was born in spring 1876, the fifth son and sixth child of William Pinder Wells and Ann Ottway.^[1]

Arthur was the last child born in the family while his father remained Sergeant in the Army Service Corps at Woolwich. Shortly after his birth the family relocated to the north side of the Thames, living at Bromley-by-Bow, Middlesex. Sisters Gertrude and Jane Louisa (who died in infancy) arrived prior to the 1881 census, which found the family of seven living at 2 Prestwick Road. Father William was listed as (Chelsea Pensioner) Wharf Clerk Unemployed, and uncle Courtenay was also found in the household. Just a few weeks after the census was collected, sister Winifred Kate was born.

The family relocated a modest distance east of the River Lea, to the developing suburb of Forest Gate, Essex, where they lived at 29 Palmerston Road. Here the final three siblings were added to the family: sister Mabel and brothers William Graham and Reginald Leopold.

Following in the footsteps of eldest sibling Pinder Courtenay, Arthur entered the merchant marine as a teenager. Arthur's first trip was as apprentice aboard Port Yarrock, sailing from Cardiff on October 28, 1892, around Cape Horn for Baja California, to take on a load of copper ore.

The Port Yarrock was an impressive sight... an iron-clad three-masted barque, 230 feet long, 36 feet wide, with a depth of hold of 21 feet and a gross tonnage of 1379... By 1886 many ships were powered by steam, or had a steam engine in addition to sail; the Port Yarrock, however, depended on sail alone.^[2]

Outbound for 173 days, the ship encountered several periods of heavy weather. Arthur was among the new apprentices who were lashed in while on deck, "and it knocked all the love of the 'boundless Ocean's freedom' out of them."^[2]

William Pinder Wells, Forest Gate, London, said his son, Arthur Frederick Wells, was an apprentice aboard the Port Yarrock on her last voyage. Witness produced letters received from his son, in which he said he liked the sea, but would like it better if it were not for the skipper. They sailed five men short, and had to rough it a lot.^[3]

The return voyage to Queenstown, Ireland was fraught with further trouble. Port Yarrock cast anchor from Santa Rosalia on July 7, 1893. The week before the ship reached Cape Horn on October 14th, the steward had committed suicide, having sold some of the food and supplies required for the voyage for personal gain. With lime juice among the lost supplies, the lack of vitamin C led the entire crew to develop scurvy. At the new year 1894, Port Yarrock was 400 miles from Queenstown, when heavy gales prevented her from making the English Channel. On January 3: "She was one mass of water from forward aft... At 2 a.m., all hands on deck. Main lower topsail had started [to fail]... crack, crack, crack...".^[2] Seventeen days later the ship perilously entered Brandon Bay on Ireland's west coast. She was brought to anchor, the captain went ashore, but the crew was barred from leaving the heavily-laden ship not yet at its destination port.

Brandon Bay, Sunday, Jan. 21, '94... My dearest Mother and Father... I am now writing you a few lines to let you know that I am still somewhat alive, and that is all. We have had a most miserable and unpleasant voyage as ever I want to see... I have had nothing but coffee and one plate of soup for two days, so am jolly hungry and don't feel like writing... Your loving son, A. F. Wells.^[2]

Arthur Frederick Wells died when Port Yarrock was pounded aground and split in two on January 29. He was four months shy of 18 years old.

Sources

1. ↑ Free UK Genealogy CIO, https://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=tXOZ0RH%2F%2F1lXUxESuek8kQ&scan=1
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Mulcahy, Sheila, A gallant barque: the story of the Port Yarrock, 1999, https://archive.org/embed/gallantbarquesto00
3. ↑ "The Loss Of The Port Yarrock", Shields Daily News, March 22, 1894, page 4