More information : Foundered and lost whilst pleasure cruising when caught by a severe NE squall. (1)
An inquest was held into the Morecambe Disaster on Wednesday, 5th September, 1894, with evidence given by survivors and by the master of another pleasure craft.
James Boothman, spinner, of Burnley, said ‘. . . the yacht MATCHLESS started on her trip just after 10 o’clock on Monday morning, there being about 30 passengers on board. The tide was coming in, but there was not much water in the bay. All went well until they got near Silverdale. Up to that time Houghton was at the rudder, and did not leave it until the boat capsized. He had said he was about to collect fares, but did not do so. Three of the party stood up in the front part of the boat, the sea being calm, but a sudden gust of wind, sufficient to blow off witness’s hat, sprang up, and in a moment the vessel went over. ‘
His testimony was corroborated by Benjamin Robinson, who had been sitting next to him in the boat.
Edward Gardner, ‘who was in charge of the nearest boat’ also noted the fine weather and smooth sea “but he felt a gust of wind about the time of the accident to the MATCHLESS, though perhaps not to the same extent as Houghton did. Witness’s boat was making a direct turn for Grange, when a sudden puff filled the sails the contrary way. He looked to the weather side, and, thinking that the next gust would be an ordinary one, did not alter his course. When it did come it was more like a whirlwind than anything else, and struck his boat on the beam. He was about 100 yards from Houghton’s boat and saw it suddenly heel over. Making all haste to the spot, he rendered aid, and rescued six people alive and picked up one dead body. The MATCHLESS, on heeling over, filled with water, and then settled down and sank, leaving the passengers struggling in the water.†
On cross-examination Gardner stated that Houghton’s boat “was, for size and stability, one of the best in the district†and that Houghton was “a thoroughly experienced man and very competent†and “at his proper place in being at the tiller He saw nothing untoward in the handling of the boat or sails, the boat being skippered single-handed as he himself had done, or the behaviour of the passengers, but the “breeze which struck Houghton’s boat was a very peculiar one and might never recur. It seemed to come all round – from the easterly and westerly points of the compass†without any prior warning gusts.
Joseph Wilson, another boatman, half a mile ahead of the MATCHLESS, saw her going down by the stern and also went to the spot to render assistance. Richard Gardner, another boatman also out with his pleasure yacht, also deposed as to being half a mile away from the MATCHLESS.
Samuel Houghton, the vessel’s owner, stated that she had been built 17 years previously and was “perfectly sound and watertight By his calculations he had a party of “26 adults and a few children “When off Silverdale a gust of wind caught the sail and threw it right over. The water seemed rather dark in front of the bow at the tie, but was so calm that a gentleman remarked just before that the boat seemed to have stopped. Then the jib suddenly came back and the boat went right over. He had no time to let go the ropes or to do anything else before the boat capsized. When the boat heeled over the sails lay flat on the water. A seat came out, and with that he kept himself afloat. He was unable to swim. There were no life-belts or life-buoys on board. The boat could not have capsized if the wind had not struck her broadside, and if he had had time to turn the vessel he could have saved the passengers. The boat was now almost covered with sand, and the mast was broken off.†
Police Inspector Hodgson deposed that 16 bodies had been recovered, 9 people rescued, and 9 were still missing, making a total of 34 persons on board. The Coroner remarked that the lack of life-saving equipment was a concern and that he felt that there should be a change to local legislation insisting on such equipment being carried. The jury returned a verdict of “Accidentally drowned exonerating Houghton. (2)
“A boating disaster, probably unequalled in the annals of the neighbourhood, occurred on Monday to a party of pleasure seekers, who left Morecambe for a sail on the Bay. The delightful weather which had prevailed since early morning, and which was in striking contrast to that recently experienced, tempted more holiday makers than usual to enjoy the pleasure of a sail to Grange-over-Sands and other places of interest, which the calm sea and light breeze appeared to render perfectly safe.‼br />
“On reaching a point two miles from Silverdale, a small watering place on the opposite side of the Bay, the tide was on the flow, but there not being sufficient water to cover the sandbanks, the yacht was driving steadily up Channel, the whole party being in the best possible spirits . . . When near to the estuary of the river Wear [sic]which here enters the bay, about six miles from Morecambe, the water has since been described as being rather choppy owing to the rapidly running tidal current meeting the fresh water from the river – suddenly, without the slightest warning, the boat heeled completely over, and the struggle for life by the unfortunate passengers was distressing in the extreme. “
“The boatman Houghton states that at the time of the disaster, about 12 o’clock, he was going to slack the main sheet and let her go easily up channel while he collected the fares. He had not slackened the sail, but was on the point of doing so when a “bluff†of wind heeled her right over without the slightest warning in about 9ft of water.‼br />
The article continues that a steamer went out to look for bodies left behind by the receding tide, and reiterates the statistics of 16 recovered bodies, 9 missing, and 9 people rescued also given in (2), with the names and identifications in so far as they were known. It was noted that many of the deaths had occurred within families on holiday, which added to the tragedy. A memorial service took place in St. Lawrence, Morecambe. (3)
From the account of the accident and the positions of the witnesses in the other boats relative to the MATCHLESS, it would appear that the vessel was 2 miles off Silverdale in a position also described as "near the estuary of the river Wear", "six miles from Morecambe". Edward Gardner was "making a direct turn for Grange", which suggests that he was at a bend in the channel.
Without knowing the exact position of the Kent Channel from Morecambe towards Grange-over-Sands in 1894, it is difficult to be more precise on the position of loss. Ordnance Survey Epoch 2 1:10,000 data reveals that the course of the Kent Channel was somewhat different from the modern course. It appears that Edward Gardner was approaching a bend in the channel north of the MATCHLESS, which was following in a position approximately 2 to 2.5 miles west of Silverdale. (4)
The story is extensively told from the point of view of the Brierley family and how they came to be in Morecambe in that fateful week on holiday from their home town.
The MATCHLESS was one of 300 local boats converted for the summer season into pleasure craft. The route is examined in detail. Such craft took on their passengers as the tide was coming in, then when enough water had filled the channel, would sail north. As the tide filled the Bay they would then make the crossing from Morecambe to Grange-over-Sands.
At 11.38am the MATCHLESS was just off the land reclamation wall off Jenny Brown's point, near Silverdale, when she was caught by a gust of wind which heeled her over amidships.
The rescue was co-ordinated by three other boats and the survivors landed at Grange-over-Sands. The local newspapers reported the disaster as early as the same afternoon as the police made their enquiries of landladies. 18 of the 33 passengers came from Burnley, of whom all but six were lost.
Figure 13 shows the approximate location of the MATCHLESS and the locations where the bodies were washed up.
There is an analysis of the rapidity with which the first inquest (of six) took place and the evidence which was offered. It was suggested that the ballast shifted, breaking through the middle board of the vessel, but no attempt was made to recover the MATCHLESS to examine her and she was quickly buried in the sand. On the examination of her master and owner at the inquest, a dead-eye was reported as being all that was showing of her.
The regulations were found to be lax with lack of life-saving equipment on board very evident. There were recommendations for bye-laws concerning maximum numbers on board in both good and bad weather, enforcing the presence of a second crew member on trips over 6 miles, and making the carrying of lifebelts and lifelines compulsory. (5)
Built: circa 1877; vessel was 17 years old (2)(5)
Master: S Houghton (1); Samuel Houghton (2)(3)
Crew: 1 (1)(2)(3)(5)
Passengers: 32 (1); 33 (2)(3)(5)
Passengers lost: 25 (1)(2)(3)(5)
Owner: S Houghton, Morecambe (1); Samuel Houghton (2)(3)(5)
Date of Loss Qualifier: Actual date of loss
Additional sources cited in Shipwreck Index of the British Isles:
BOT Wk Rtn 1894 Appx C Table 1 p107(629)
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