Flying Huntsman

South Pier 11 a.m.

The gale continues with unabated fury The wind has veered round from east-south-east to east-north-east, and the sea continues very high. There are hundreds of persons assembled wherever a view of the harbour's mouth can be obtained. The sea has not been boisterous since the terrible gale of the 21st December, 1876, when seven vessels, screwsteamers and sailing ships, came to grief, and in too many instances unfortunately incurring loss of life. There are various alarming rumours afloat. One is to the effect that a large steamer manned with crew of 40 hands has been wrecked at Marsden, and that every soul on board has perished. There can be no truth in this statement, inasmuch as members the South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade are stationed at various points along the coast as far as Marsden, and they have reported no casualty from that neighbourhood. The names of the two steam trawlers lost off the Tyne about nine o'clock this morning have been ascertained. Various rumours were afloat respecting them, but the nameboards have been ashore, and it appears from these that one was the Wonga, a wood vessel, and the other the Flying Huntsman, the largest trawler belonging to the Tyne, and built by J. T. Eltringham, of Stone Quay, East Holborn, South Shields. She was an iron vessel. All hands in both steamers have perished. It is said there were six hands on board each of the trawlers, namely, two fishermen and four steamboatmen. The first vessel that came ashore was a Danish galliot, and only one of the crew was rescued. There would be four or five hands on board. The beach is strewn with wreckage. No vessels have been sighted since the foundering of the trawlers, but a strict look-out is being kept from the tower of the South Shields Volunteer Life Brigade Watch House. The members of the brigade have been duty since between nine and ten o'clock last night. Between midnight and one o'clock this morning two steam trawlers and a small sailing vessel made for and entered the harbour in safety, but from that time no lights were seen and the next vessel to enter was the Danish galliot. There were six trawlers at sea, of which two have arrived safety, two have foundered and the other two are said to have run north for the purpose of keeping their heads to the sea.

Source: Shields Daily Gazette 28th of October 1880