Dangerous Position of a Dundee Trader

The Newcastle Chronicle says:
—During, Sunday night and Monday morning, a strong gale blew from the N.E., and a heavy sea ran upon the coast.  About half-past five o'clock the inhabitants of Shields were awakened by the report of three guns, denoting that a vessel was drifting ashore on the Herd Sands. The tug steamer Ursa Major was towing the barque, Borelia, of South Shields from, Dundee, when inside the bar the towline broke. A second rope was got out and attached to the steamer, but likewise parted. The captain of the barque let go the anchor, and by the time the vessel was brought to it was riding on the edge of Herd Sand, to the north of the south pier, the sea breaking over her starboard quarter. Some of the South Shields pilots seeing her dangerous positions roused the crew of the lifeboat, and speedily the Tyne lifeboat, under the charge of Andrew Harrison, was manned with eighteen pilots, got under way to render assistance to the barque. About the same time, the members of the South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade, in response to a signal gun fired from the pier, were promptly upon the scene and quickly had the apparatus out and ready to use. In the meantime, however, the tug steamers Ursa  Major and Little John came up, and towlines being attached, Mr George Smith, pilot, one of the crew of the lifeboat, was put on Borelia, and after an effort the barque got and brought safely into Shields harbour. The Borelia, which is the property of Mr March, South Shields, had been discharging timber at Dundee, from Quebec, which place she subsequently left for the Tyne in ballast.

Source: Borelia Dundee-Courier 21 November 1866

Mon Nov 19th at 6 a.m. the barque “Borelia” of Shields from Berwick to the Tyne on tow of a steamer which left her & having anchored drove on the Herd end during a heavy gale of wind from NN the “Tyne” was manned & proceeded down but the crew would not leave and the vessel afterwards got off & came into the Tyne

The boat was manned by 18 hands viz

Andrew Harrison	Ed Tinmouth
George Smith	John Burn
Geo Harrison	Henry Burn
James Purvis	John Blair
Wm Wright	Robt Chambers
Robt Young	Robt Young
Robt Peel	Thos Marshall
John C. Stephenson	George Young

18 men paid @ 10/6  £9 9s 0d
Source: Tyne Lifeboat Institution Service Record