The Late Gale - Nineteen lives lost
The Stonehaven Journal, Thursday April 29, 1880

It has now transpired that the storm of Wednesday last has been more disastrous than was anticipated when we went to press last week. Four boats were overwhelmed by the gale, and of the 22 men forming the crews only three have been saved. The disaster has been confined to the smallest class of fishing boats - small open yawls - which are quite unfitted, except by the merest chance, to stand out against a gale such as was blowing on Wednesday morning, and which was accompanied by a sharp cross sea that made the danger more imminent. During the two previous days the weather had been very fine, and shortly after midnight, when the boats left for the fishing ground, there was no indication of a change, and even on land during the whole day it could scarcely be imagined that the gale was sufficient to work such damage as has fallen to be reported. The fishermen were quite taken by surprise, and as the boats were far from land at the time - from 16 to 30 miles - the fight with the elements was long and arduous, and running, as they were bound to do, side on to a nasty cross sea, with a chance of every roller coming aboard and swamping the boat, the wonder is that so many reached land in safety.


On Thursday last in the absence of intelligence regarding the yawl Isabella, of Downies, it was looked upon as a certainty that she had shared the fate of the other two boats belonging to the same district - The Brothers of Skaterow and the Twilight of Downies - and that the six men forming her crew had perished and, unfortunately, this supposition has only been too fully confirmed. Wreckage was descried in the bay in the afternoon, and one of the large boats went off to make an examination, when it was found to be the missing Isabella, full of water and not a trace of the crew. She was taken in charge by the steamer Hayle, of Aberdeen, and landed there the same evening. The fishing boat Guiding Star, A 468 (james Blair, skipper) arrived on Friday morning from the fishing ground, and the crew fursnish additional particulars regarding the wreck, which show that the men had made a hard struggle for their lives. They came up to the wreck about six miles off Fowlesheugh an hour before the steamer took her in charge. The yawl was submerged, and the mainmast and jigger mast and sail were floating in the water about yards off. The masts appear to have been lashed together after the boat had been swamped, and a small line was found attached to the halyards by a loose knot as if someone in dire distress had attempted to lashhimself to the floating timber. Two buoys were also found tied to the mast; but all the efforts of the poor fellows proved unavailing, and they had gradually succumbed to exhaustion and been swept away and drowned. From the position of the wreckage it is believed that the boat had been overwhelmed within a very few miles of Downies. The names of the unfortunate men are as follows: - Moses Wood, sen. (skipper), Moses Wood, jun., James Wood (father and two sons), James Wood (brother of the skipper), James Wood and George Wood (nephews of the skipper). The skipper and his brother were both married, and the latter leaves seven of a family. George Wood was married about a fortnight ago.

The most intense anxiety prevailed among the fishing population at Footdee on Wednesday and Thursday as to the fate of the yawl Alexander Duthie, which went to sea previous to the storm commencing. No tidings of the yawl were got until late on Friday night, when she was sighted by a Torry boat 12 miles off Aberdeen. She was three parts sunk, only the bow being visible. Five fishermen were on board, whose names are: - Forbes Allan and John Allan (father and son), Alex Allan (nephew of the former), John Noble and A Guyan. They were all married and leave families to mourn them.

This brings the total number lost by Wednesday's gale up to 19, and it is a melancholy fact that the number of dependants on these is somewhat over 70 (including wives and children).

From Stonehaven to Aberdeen the whole of the fishing population have been plunged into the deepest grief at the calamity which has befallen so many of their relatives and friends.