Dunholme Technical Specification

Official No. 86973: Code Letters JBNH.

Owners: 1883 John Vincent Burdon & John James Towers, West Hartlepool: 1884 Watts, Ward & Co. West Hartlepool: 1886 Britain S.S. Co (E.H. Watts, Ward & Co.) London

Masters: 1883-90 Wilkinson: 1890 J Matthews: 1891 William Thomas Sherborne.

Shields Daily News, Tuesday, July 7th, 1891:
HARTLEPOOL STEAMER SUNK. SEVENTEEN OF THE CREW MISSING. Dover correspondent telegraphs:—A disastrous collision occurred in the Channel off Dover on Sunday night, resulting in the sinking of a large steamer, the name of which up to the present time has not been ascertained. The vessel is sunk about three miles off Dover, right in the track of trading vessels, and not far from where the Strathclyde lies. She was discovered early yesterday morning by some Deal boatmen, who saw her masts above water, and reported the wreck at Dover, but beyond this no further tidings have been obtained during the day either of the colliding vessel or the crew. There is very little wreckage about, but one of the air tanks of a lifeboat, supposed to belong the vessel, was washed ashore yesterday near Shakespeare’s Cliff. One of the Trinity vessels visited the scene of the wreck last evening and placed a buoy on the spot to prevent other vessels striking the hull. It was too rough to send down a diver, but it was judged that the ship would be about a thousand tons. The yards on the foremast are carried away, indicating that the impact of the collision must have been very violent, the damage being probably received in the bows.
It was reported at Dover last night that vessel had been seen yesterday making for the East Coast with her bows stove in. Lloyd's agent at Gravesend telegraphs:- The steamer Kinloch, of Glasgow, from Zibu, has arrived at Gravesend, and landed part of the crew of the steamer Dunholme, of West Hartlepool, bound from Middlesbrough for Rio Janeiro, with a general cargo, with which vessel she was in collision, about 2.30 yesterday morning, some three miles east by north of Dover, the Dunholme sinking two minutes after the collision.
The names of those saved by the Kinloch are:—Captain Sherborne; Mr Cox, chief officer; donkeyman Joris; C. Bowen; Jacob Schmidt, and Herman Jacobsen. The remainder the crew, seventeen in number, are missing. The Kinloch has her bows stored in. The Dunholme was iron screw-steamer of 1,762 tons, built at West Hartlepool, and owned by the Britain Steamship Co., of West Hartlepool.
The Press Association’s Dover correspondent telegraphs late last night:—No tidings whatever can be obtained of the missing crew of the steamer which sank off Dover, notwithstanding that every inquiry has been made.
The Press Association’s Gravesend correspondent telegraphs:—The seven survivors of the Dunholme are staying at the Sailors' Home, Gravesend. One, being interviewed, stated that the collision occurred at 2.25am., during a thick fog. Mr. Sherborne, the captain, three seamen, the second mate, and the third engineer were on deck. Witness was his bunk, and rushed on deck, but the vessel sank within two minutes He succeeded in extricating himself, and rose to the surface, when the boat of the other ship picked him up. Seven out of the twenty-four hands were saved, including the captain and mate. He believed all hands got on deck.

Dunholme was on a voyage from Middlesbrough for Antwerp & Rio de Janeiro with a general cargo including railway materiel & machinery, 23 hands & a stowaway. At 2am on 6 July 1891 she passed to the east of the South Sand Head lightship off Dover. Their course was WSW magnetic & she was at full speed. The weather became hazy so the speed was slowed & the whistles blown at short intervals. The Kinloch was observed about a ½ mile distant so Dunholme stopped. The Kinloch signalled that she had ported by shutting in her green light. When the two ships were within a few lengths of each other the Kinlochshut in her red light & opened her green light. Dunholme put her engines full speed astern but it was too late & the Kinloch struck Dunholme on her port side near the main rigging. The damage caused her to begin sinking immediately. The Kinloch was a steamer of 1,177 tons which had left Zelu Bay on 21 May bound for London. The bows of the Kinloch were broken in but she threw lifelines & buoys & also lowered a small boat. The master-chief officer & five others were saved by these means & taken to Gravesend. The crew were mainly German & other nationalities & had been shipped at Middlesbrough. The master of the Kinloch was found at fault for failing to blow his whistle & not navigating his vessel with the proper skill. His certificate was suspended for six months. Dunholme sank two miles SE by E ¾ E of the Admiralty Pier, Dover. 17 lives were lost.

Lives lost July 1891:

Beaujeans, Peter, able seaman

Cannon, T, steward

Christensen, A, able seaman

Ellis, W, 2nd engineer

Gale, W, fireman

Hughes, L, able seaman

Lobe, H, fireman

McCallum, F, 2nd mate

McCarthy, D, able seaman

Moje, G, fireman

Peters, C, carpenter

Phillips, H, chief engineer

Smart, Colin, 3rd engineer

Solomon, D, cook

Swenson, P, boatswain

Veritraten, H, mess room steward

Stowaway (name unknown)

Survivors July 1891:

Bowen, C

Cox, chief officer

Jacobsen, Herman

Joris, donkeyman

Schmidt, Jacob

Sherborne, William Thomas, master

John James Towers and John Vincent Burdon went into partnership in 1883 when they purchased the Dunholme from William Gray.

Family History:

John James Towers was born at Stockton-on-Tees in 1855 to parents Andrew (master mariner) and Mary Alice (nee Hunter) Towers. In 1861 the family were living at Rowell Street, Hartlepool. Andrew died in 1864. By 1871 John was a shipbroker’s clerk living at Regent Street, Hartlepool with his mother who had remarried and was now Mary Alice Smith. On the 1881 census John was still living with his mother and siblings at Regent Street and was at this time a coal merchant.

Under Shipping Companies there is a separate entry for Andrew Towers, John’s father, and other Hartlepool citizens who owned and had shares in sailing ships from 1855.

John Vincent Burdon was born at Hartlepool in 1845 to parents Thomas Bailes (shipbroker) and Eleanor (nee Miller) Burdon. He became a shipbroker’s clerk and then a shipbroker. He married Julia Porter at Richmond, Yorkshire in 1876. The couple had nine children. In 1881 the couple were living with three of their children at Stranton Terrace, West Hartlepool. By 1901 the family had moved to 23 Brougham Terrace and by 1911 to 87 Grange Road where John was listed as a merchant broker dealing in coals, loams and building materials.

John died aged 77 on 19^th February 1922 at Ashtrees, Billingham leaving effects of £1,547.