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After the wreck of the "Dispatch"
and "Primrose" the parish registers are
comparatively silent for forty six years and only
scattered entries of the burials of drowned
individuals intermingle with those of the local
inhabitants.
Commander Lory however affirmed in 1855 that he
believed that 25-30 vessels had been wrecked
during the interim on the same rocks, that seven
to eight hundred lives had 'been lost and
that the destruction to property had amounted to
between three and four thousand pounds.
But of these there are no entries, until the
wreck of The John" appears in all its
singular mysterious horror.
No gale ravaged the coast when Edwin Rawle
(Captain) and his crew of eighteen steered the
barque from Plymouth to the Lizard, on its
outward bound journey to Quebec. The weather was
fine, a NNW wind filled her sails - the moon was
one day past her full - the month of May had
begun the emigrants were hopeful - everything
indicated a pleasant voyage. When without any
warning the "John" struck on one of the
eastern rocks of the Manacles.
The "John" however beat over this
obstacle and did not become stationary until she
received an impact from another rock nearer the
shore. Then her fate was sealed, and slowly she
began to fill with water. Her upper deck was
never-the-less dry half an hour later and her
passengers and crew might have been saved had
proper means been taken for their
preservation.
But all that the Captain did in this terrible
crisis was to assure his charge that there was no
danger, and to forbid the lowering of the large
boats. Help, he said, would come from the shore
before the tide commenced to flow. His knowledge
of the tides was inaccurate, and through his
ignorance one hundred and ninety six beings were
hurled into eternity.
The "John" was lost through stupidity,
ignorance, carelessness and muzzy bewilderment,
and the fearful loss of life accompanying it may
principally be attributed to the same cause. That
this incapacity did not hinder the Captain and
crew from taking care of themselves was
demonstrated by the fact that when the boats
arrived from the shore they were ready to step
into them with their bags, and that every seaman
was saved, while women and children and the other
men cried in vain for help.
The shore, says an old inhabitant of
Porthoustock, was a sight never to be forgotten.
One hundred children had sailed in the
"John" and side by side in a long row
numbers of these little ones were laid awaiting
identification. Parents too were there, sisters,
brothers, struggling hard-working men and women
(as a list of their occupations showed them to
be). Such men were fitted to build up our
colonies, and Canada had need of them, but the
negligence of one man intervened, the unreclaimed
land remained untilled and the would be labourers
were borne to St.Keverne churchyard.
A verdict of manslaughter was passed on Captain
Rawle at the Inquest and he was removed to Bodmin
to undergo another examination at the Cornwall
Assizes.
The story of the "John" however is not
entirely devoid of heroism, and self sacrifice.
After midnight the wind sprang up and the tide
began to flow, never-the-less the men of Coverack
collected by the old Inn in order to put out the
boats if possible. It was not considered possible
so they despatched a messenger to Porthoustock to
see what could be done by the fishermen there and
went themselves to that cove to help in the work
of rescue. What followed is best described in
evidence given by Thomas Clear, Coastguardman of
Coverack at the Inquest.
"We proceeded to Porthoustock, which was a
weather port, to see if we could reach the wreck
from thence. We divided ourselves into three
parties. On reaching Porthoustock we found the
Coastguard there knew nothing of the wreck. This
was between 12 and half past. We got a boat from
one of the cellars, and launched two other boats,
but the boat I was in was over manned, and the
sea was so rough we were obliged to put back. We
tried a second time with fewer men, but with no
better result. After about an hour we tried
again. The crew consisted of Townsend Mark
Daniel, Baker and John George -coastguardmen, and
John Matthews a fisherman of Porthoustock and
myself. We made three trips at great risk and
saved about 35 from the wreck."
James Hill, another witness, tells a story of
indomitable perseverance and unostentatious
bravery. He says
"I went to Porthoustock half dressed, and
got two boats out. Finding we could not clear the
point we returned, and all got out except two men
and myself. We started again on our way we met
the other boat return ing and were told it was
impossible to reach the wreck. An hour after we
launched the boats again and succeeded in
reaching the wreck. We took one man from a boat
which was floating and we also took one woman and
9 men from a raft and landed them at Tom's
Cove from whence they were handed up the over the
cliff by some of the neighbours and coast-
guards. We made three other trips to the wreck
and saved about 50 lives in all. our crew
consisted of myself, my son James, William
Matthews, Thomas Pearce, Henry Tripconey and
James Connor, a coast guard. There was a heavy
sea running and the crews of each boat went out
at great risk of themselves."
With such records it is little wonder that the
conduct of these gallant rescuers was highly
commended at the Inquest. A piece of slate
inscribed with the following marks the burial
place of the victims in St.Keverne churchyard,
erected by one of the survivors. "Sacred to
the memory of 120 persons here interred who were
drowned in the wreck of the "John" May
3 1855.
The next wreck of importance was in 1869 when
the "Aurora" steamed on the Manacles
and became a total wreck, on the spot where the
"Mohegan" now lies. A year previous to
this catastrophe the Life Boat Institution had
placed the "Mary Ann Storey" in
Porthoustock Cove.
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