The Wreck Of The Catterthun 1895

Date: 8 Aug 1895
Location: Seal Rocks, New South Wales, Australia
Surnames/tags: Loring Frazer Matthias

Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 About the Catterthun 2 The Melbourne Argus Aug 9th, 1895 3 The Sidney Mail Aug 17th, 1895 3.1 NEAR THE SEAL ROCKS 3.2 A PILOT'S OFFICIAL ACCOUNT 3.3 LIST OF PASSENGERS 3.4 OFFICERS AND CREW 4 Sources

Introduction

In the early hours of the 8th of August 1895 the SS. Catterthun struck Seal Rocks at 02:25 a.m. and sank at 02:45 a.m.

All of the text here, with the exception of the extract from Wikipedia immediately below, is transcribed from newspaper cuttings of the time the originals of which are in my possession.

About the Catterthun

Catterthun was built at the Doxford shipyard in Sunderland, England, and launched in April 1881 for the Eastern and Australian Steamship Company. With an iron hull, it displaced 2,179 long tons (2,214 t) gross and was 92 metres (302 ft) long. Propulsion was supplied by a 250 hp twin cylinder engine powered by two coal-fired boilers.

The Melbourne Argus Aug 9th, 1895

Terrible Marine Tragedy

THE STEAMER CATTERTHUN WRECKED

STRUCK ON THE SEAL ROCKS

CLOSE TO A LIGHTHOUSE

MISSING - EUROPEANS, 14; ASIATICS, 41

SAVED - EUROPEANS 4, ASIATICS, 22

CHINESE RUSH THE BOATS

TWO VICTORIANS MISSING

News of an appalling shipping disaster reached Sydney this afternoon, when from Forster, an outlying station on the north coast, came the intelligence of the fine steamer Catterthun, commanded by Captain Neil Shannon, on the outer reef of the Seal Rocks. The ship only left Sydney late yesterday afternoon after having completed a smart passage from Hong Kong to Sydney and Adelaide, with a cargo of tea and other produce. Although at the time of her departure for China a strong south-westerly gale was blowing still the ship has so often safely faced the typhoons of the Eastern seas that scarcely a shade of apprehension was felt about the wild weather raging outside the Sydney Heads.

To be continued: Work in progress

The Sidney Mail Aug 17th, 1895

Wreck of the Steamship Catterthun

GREAT LOSS OF LIFE

EXCITEMENT IN SIDNEY

FIVE EUROPEAN PASSENGERS

NINE EUROPEAN OFFICERS AND FORTH-ONE CHINESE AND LASCARS PERISH

TWENTY-SIX PERSONS SAVED

"Good-bye ! Good-bye ! A happy voyage !" shouted a crowd of well-dressed people on the E. and A. Wharf on the afternoon of the 7th, as the stately steamer Catterthun sped on her voyage to China. Within 10 hours of the time those words were uttered the noble steamship Catterthun, belonging to the Eastern and Australasia Steamship Company, was lying many fathoms deep of the coast!

She traded to China, and was a vessel of 2000 tons burthen, and left Sydney on Wednesday afternoon with nearly 80 souls on board, including five European passengers. The day was boisterous, the night wild, and the ocean's roar on the Bondi beach was hear miles distant. On North head the sea revelled in its irresistible strength. The Catterthun kept on her course, rollicking along with a grand wind behind her, and the big sea running after her as if it would poop her if it could catch her up.

As night wore on wind and sea increased, but the pent-up waters overhead could hold no longer and fell in blinding sheets. The land was obscured, but the ship was doing beautifully, and was making her 11 to 12 knots. Ports Stephens is distant from Sydney Heads 80 miles, another 20 miles brought her upon the scene of destruction.

NEAR THE SEAL ROCKS

Captain Fawkes, who was a passenger on board, when asked by our reporter respecting the spot where the catastrophe occurred, remarked "As I have just told you, the Seal Rocks are about 2¾ miles from the mainland. Those are the main rocks. I suppose they are called 'Seal' Rocks because, as a matter of fact, there are a number of seals there. Further on to the south, about half a mile, is what is known as the Small Seal; and further on still, about another half mile to the south, or a little closer perhaps, is what is known as the Four Fathom Patch. There are four fathoms^[1] of water upon it at low water spring tides. If there are any rollers at all the sea breaks all over the place. In all probability that is where we struck. It is hardly likely we struck any unknown reef, because the place is well surveyed."

None of the survivors have been able to say with any degree of certainty where the vessel struck or where she went down^[2]; but there is reason to believe that after she struck she steamed three or four miles before sinking.

A PILOT'S OFFICIAL ACCOUNT

The first information received by the Marine Board was contained in the following message from the Pilot at Cape Hawke:- "I have jus towed in a boat with four white men and 16 Chinese, being part of the crew of the steamer Catterthun, which truck on Seal Rocks at 2:25 a.m. and sank at 2:45 a.m. Lanfear (second officer), Captain Fawkes, Mr. Crane and Dr. Copeman were in the boat. Mr. Lanfear could not give me any information in regard to the other boats, but fears great loss of life among passengers and crew. Have sent tug to Seal Rocks to see if assistance can be given, and to search for the missing boats. The Chinese came ashore almost naked. The Europeans are at my house and the Chinese are sheltered in the boat shed. I have given them something to eat."

Immediately on receipt of the message tugs were dispatched from Newcastle and Port Stephens to make search for any survivors.

Nothing having been received from Seal Rocks, a telegram was sent to the lighthouse-keeper there asking for information, and the reply received was as follows:- "No information of the wreck here. If I hear anything I will wire immediately."

In regard to the apparently strange fact of the lighthouse-keeper not knowing a wreck had occurred, Commander Lindeman pointed out that the vessel struck on the outer reef, three miles to seaward from the lighthouse. There would only be one man on duty. He was not supposed to be on watch, but to look after the light, and on a dark, stormy night it was possible for the great steamer to crash ruinously upon the rocks, and founder, without the lighthouse-keeper knowing anything of it.

LIST OF PASSENGERS

The following is a complete list of the passengers who left Sydney in the Catterthun:- Mr. T.C. Crane, Mr Smith, Mrs Mathias (wife of Capt. Mathias, of steamer Cam, which is at present trading in China), Mr Richard Fraser, Mrs Loring, Miss Loring, Captain Fawkes, and 15 Chinese in the steerage. Mrs Mathias is a sister to Mrs. P.E. Quinn, wife of P.E. Quinn, journalist, and a niece of the Hon. D. O'Connor D.L.C.

OFFICERS AND CREW

Neil Shannon. Commander of SS Catterthun

The following is a list of the officers:- Commander, Captain Neil Shannon; W. Digby Pinney (chief officer), age 30 years, native of Kent; A.W. Lanfear (second officer), age 58 years, native of Berkshire; H. Leffler, aged 32 years, native of Hull; J. Harper (chief engineer), aged 27 years, native of Scotland; W.J. Adams (third engineer), age 25 years, native of Victoria; A. Wolstenholme (fourth engineer), age 23 years, native of Sydney; Fred. Wilson (second engineer), age 27 years, native of London; Dr. R.H. Anderson (surgeon), age 24 years, native of Victoria; Richard Manning (chief steward), age 43 years, native of London, and an old officer of the company. The crew comprises 28 Chinese, 17 men from Aden, two men from Singapore, and one Fijiian.

To be continued: Work in progress

Sources

Other sources

• Wrecksite.eu SS Catterthun (+1895)
• New York Times 09 Aug 1895 A PDF of the announcement in the paper.
• The Catterthun Disaster

1. ↑ 1 fathom = 6ft thus 24ft
2. ↑ The wreck site off Seal Rocks, New South Wales in Google Maps