Now! Then! Returning from Bear Island, the trawler Edgar Wallace capsizes in the Humber at Hull, killing 15

9 January 1935: Returning from Bear Island, the trawler Edgar Wallace capsizes in the Humber at Hull, killing 15

Times. 1935/01/11. 15 Lost in Capsized Trawler. London. Get it:

Excerpt

W. Cameron stated that it was dusk when they arrived off the St Andrew’s fish dock at Hull. There were four or five other vessels abreast of the fish dock, and the Edgar Wallace could not get clear of them. “We grounded four times, I believe, before the ship overturned. We had dropped anchor ready for coming alongside, and then got it up again. When we dropped anchor a second time I was down in the fo’c’sle with the deckie learner. The vessel turned over on her port side, but it would be about an hour before she was completely submerged. The deckie learner boy and I were trapped in the fo’c’sle, but we managed to scramble through a porthole. The skipper shouted directions and counted the men and we got on to the whale back. The skipper, mate, and chief engineer were all forward and all went together.” Cameron added that one of the engineers afterwards clung to the wireless mast. He himself followed suit and was rescued a minute or two before the pole snapped.

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To facilitate reading, the spelling and punctuation of elderly excerpts have generally been modernised, and distracting excision scars concealed. My selections, translations, and editions are copyright.
Abbreviations:

ER: East Riding
GM: Greater Manchester
NR: North Riding
NY: North Yorkshire
SY: South Yorkshire
WR: West Riding
WY: West Yorkshire

Comment

A Gaumont newsreel:

British Pathé.

The first inquest report:

An inquest was held at Hessle, near Hull, yesterday on the body of David Martin, 27, the only one recovered after the Hull trawler Edgar Wallace struck a sandbank in the Humber on January 9 and capsized, 15 lives being lost.

William Cameron, one of the three survivors, said that when they reached the Humber they were unable to get into dock because of the state of the tide. After their ship had twice grounded and got free in endeavouring to get up the river she became fast and pulled up nearly athwart of the tide with her bows heading in a north-westerly direction. The skipper was manoeuvring the engines full speed astern to clear the obstruction, and the vessel gave a sudden jump as if it had gone over a hump. There was a crash and the vessel fell over on to its beam ends. The water began to fill the forecastle, and he (Cameron) climbed through a porthole to a skylight which remained above the water, and he reached the high side of the deck. The ship was gradually covered with water and he was just above the water level when he was picked up. The ship was fully equipped with lifeboat, lifebelts, and lifebuoys, but there was no chance of making use of them because the disaster occurred so suddenly and the aft end of the ship was practically submerged immediately. All the crew were on deck before the ship was submerged.

The jury returned a verdict of “Accidental drowning.”
(Times 1935/02/14)

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Original

Fifteen lives were lost when … the Hull trawler Edgar Wallace foundered in the Humber last night. The crew numbered 18. The survivors are:

W. Cameron. of Coleman Street, Hull, a spare hand, who was picked up by the steamship William Cass and taken to Goole;
Clarence Wilcock, of Wellstead Street, Hull, who was picked up by a steamer and taken to Goole; and
Charles Hendrick, who was picked up by a motor-boat and landed at Keadby, in Lincolnshire.

The Edgar Wallace was within sight of home when she foundered, after having steamed nearly 1,400 miles with a cargo of fish from Bear Island in the Arctic.

W. Cameron stated that it was dusk when they arrived off the Fish Dock at Hull. There were four or five other vessels abreast of the Fish Dock, and the Edgar Wallace could not get clear of them. “We grounded four times, I believe, before the ship overturned. We had dropped anchor ready for coming alongside, and then got it up again. When we dropped anchor a second time I was down in the fo’c’sle with the deckie learner. The vessel turned over on her port side, but it would be about an hour before she was completely submerged.

“The deckie learner boy and I,” continued Cameron, “were trapped in the fo’c’sle, but we managed to scramble through a port hole. The skipper shouted directions and counted the men and we got on to the whale back. The skipper, mate, and chief engineer were all forward and all went together.” Cameron added that one of the engineers afterwards clung to the wireless mast. He himself followed suit and was rescued a minute or two before the pole snapped.

302 words.