Barba Evanga

Another Gale On The North East Coast
A Barque Ashore At South Shields

Yesterday afternoon, another storm of great violence burst over the northeast coast. During the forenoon both wind and sea were calm and number of vessels left the Tyne. After one o'clock, however there were occasional showers of drizzling rain and shortly after noon we received a telegram from the Meteorological Department of the Board of Trade intimating that a strong gale was raging in Scotland. From that time the wind continued to freshen, and by two o’clock in the afternoon was blowing a heavy gale from the north. In the meantime the sea had risen very considerably and was breaking heavily across Shields Bar and over the Tyne Piers. During the gale a foreign brig was seen attempting to enter the Tyne but, being unable to round  the  South Pier she stood off to the east, was observed at the mouth the harbour. She succeeded in crossing the Bar in safety and was soon out of sight. Between three and four o'clock, however, a large barque from the north proceeding towards the harbour under canvass, when the maintopsail sheet gave way, and she drove to the south. She came to ground on the Herd Sand, little to the south of the Pier, and struck very heavily. The alarm guns from the Spanish Battery and H.M.S. Castor announced the casualty, and immediately afterwards thousands of persons, male and female, were on their way to the seaside. Four lifeboats were speedily manned and pulled off to the stranded vessel, which proved to be the Austrian barque Barba Gaane, Captain Stanfel, of Trieste, from Montrose for the Tyne in ballast, and having a North Sea pilot belonging to Montrose on board. The salvage boat Noble Institution from North Shields the first to arrive, she being quickly followed the lifeboats Tynemouth, and the Tom Perry and Tyne from South Shields. At first the crew refused to leave the vessel, but when darkness set in, and the storm appeared to be rather increasing rather than otherwise, they were induced to abandon her for the night. The tide was first-quarter flood when the barque grounded, and as it gradually rose the barque “bumped” very heavily and it was feared she would become a total wreck during the night. The crew were landed North Shields about five o'clock, and arrangements were made with the crew of the Noble Institution to get the vessel off if she held together ; otherwise to save rigging, stores, &c.

The weather this morning even more boisterous than it was last night and there has been a heavy fall of snow. The sea still is running very high, and the Austrian barque Barba Ganne which drove ashore at South Shields yesterday afternoon has gone entirely pieces, the fragments being strewn the whole length she beach from the Fish Pier to the South Pier. The scene of the wreck has, this morning, been visited by hundreds of people, but the snow storm which commenced a little, before eleven o'clock has had the effect of dispensing them to various places of shelter.

Source: Shields Daily Gazette 20 November 1875

Role	First name	Middle name	Last name	Wreck Service
Captain	William		Cay
Deputy Captain	Thomas		Houlsby
Brigades’ Man	J		Barratt	Y
Brigades’ Man	I	W	Buckland
Brigades’ Man	D		Cook
Brigades’ Man	William		Clarke
Brigades’ Man	Robert		French
Brigades’ Man	John		Gillie
Brigades’ Man	George		Gray
Brigades’ Man	Joseph		Hopper
Brigades’ Man	Joseph		Heslop
Brigades’ Man	William		Hardy
Brigades’ Man	Benjamin		Herron
Brigades’ Man	I		Heddle
Brigades’ Man	W		Johnson
Brigades’ Man	William		Lowe
Brigades’ Man	S		Malcolm
Brigades’ Man	P	H	Moore
Brigades’ Man	I	J	Peacock
Brigades’ Man	Joshua		Smith	Y
Brigades’ Man	G	R	Potts
Brigades’ Man	John		Wilson

 

Source: S.S.V.L.B First Division Roll Book 1875-1901