Ardrossan - On This Day In History

Published stories from each town's past.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
18 NOVEMBER 1871

GENERAL SHIPPING ITEM

Fayal, October 28 – The MORNING STAR, from Ardrossan for New York (pig Iron), put in here today leaking. Upon being surveyed she was found to be making three inches of water per hour.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
18 NOVEMBER 1872

GENERAL SHIPPING ITEM

On Saturday, the Clyde Shipping Company’s tug FLYING HUNTSMAN left Greenock to tow the barque INGLEBOROUGH from Loch Slapin, Skye, to Ardrossan.

The barque put into the loch with decks swept and other damage sustained while on the homeward voyage from Quebec with a cargo of timber.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
18 NOVEMBER 1872

LAUNCH AT ARDROSSAN

Messrs Barr & Shearer launched a neatly modelled schooner on Saturday. She is owned by Captain McDougall and others, and is intended for the Islay trade.

[Reference to Clydeships.co.uk suggests that the vessel in question was the TEXA.]
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
18 NOVEMBER 1875

THE LOSS OF THE TORNADO

We have received the following interesting story of the wreck of the TORNADO off the coast of Newfoundland on 8 October last: -

“The ship TORNADO left Ardrossan on 27th of July, for Quebec, and we had a very good passage until we came to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Then we had thick and heavy weather and a head wind, and we beat up till we came to the Island of Beck, where we got a pilot and a tugboat, which towed us up the river St. Lawrence to Quebec. We had half a cargo of coals, which we discharged there. We then loaded timber.

While thus engaged, on 25th September, it came to blow from the N.W., the wind being very heavy.

The ship AGAMEMNON broke away from her moorings and came down upon the TORNADO and lay across her bows and carried away her headgear.

On the 26th, it cleared up, and on the 27th September, we set sail for Greenock.

We were six days beating down the river St. Lawrence, and, having got a favourable wind we left the pilot at his station and went on.

Thinking to make a smart passage home, instead of going down the Gulf of St. Lawrence we proposed to go through the Straits of Belle Isle which divide Labrador from Newfoundland.

The ship did not leak much until the sixth day of October. At 12 o’clock on the forenoon of that day the wind became very heavy, and the captain sung out ‘all hands about ship.’ His intention was to keep the ship from drifting down on Newfoundland. Then it was ‘all hands to the pumps,’ to keep the ship free, and as we were pumping a sea knocked in the stern parts. We managed to get them to rights again. The men continued at the pumps still, and at night the carpenter sounded, and there was 12 feet of water in the hold. The wind continued blowing harder, and we kept pumping out all night.

On the morning of 7th October the carpenter sounded the pumps again, and there was 14 feet of water in the hold. Three men were sent to breakfast at a time, and when the first three came back she had gained six inches more of water. Then the men all went aft to the captain and asked him if he would put the ship into some port for shelter, and he told them to continue pumping and keep her free till the wind calmed down a little and then he would put into a place in Newfoundland.

Then the carpenter sounded the pumps again, and there was 16 feet of water in her hold.

The men went to the captain again and told him to put the ship into some port, and the captain told them there was a place called the Islands Bay in Newfoundland, and the men told him to run in there, as the wind kept fair. The captain told them to square the yards and let her go in, and about four in the afternoon, when we got round the first island, the captain sung out ‘let go the anchor,’ without sounding the depth of water there, and the anchor was let go in 90 fathoms of water. When the captain found so much water, he let slip the anchor and chain altogether.

The ship was then so full of water that she was lifting the deck, and we could not manage her, so we let her drift till we found 43 fathoms of water, and then we dropped the other anchor and went for supper at 11 o’clock at night.

After supper, the captain sung out to give the ship more chain, when she struck aft, and a few minutes after the mast and yards came down; and the men said they would not stop on board all night till daylight, in case of anything happening. Some stopped on the forecastle and some lashed themselves under the bowsprit.

On the morning of 8th October there was only one boat left, and the captain and the rest of the officers jumped into the boat and left six hands on board. There were three boys and two old men and the boatswain. When one of the boys was going into the boat the captain told him to stay on board. The boat was the largest on board.

When they got ashore they lighted a fire and sat around it except three seamen, who tried to get the boat off to those who were on board. This they failed to do, as the boat’s bottom was knocked out.

Then we who were left on board made two rafts, and three of us went on each raft. The first raft got ashore safely, but the second one on coming ashore capsized, and we all went into the water.

The boy JAMES RAMSAY swam for shore, but the surf washed him off time after time, and on seeing he could not reach the land he swam back to the raft again, and I caught him and laid him on the raft, and some more seas carried us ashore. The men caught the old man, and the surf washed two of us off again. Ramsay went out with the tide and was drowned, and I was picked up.

We were then all ashore except the boy that drowned.

The captain said we had better get up into the bush, for spring tides prevailed, so we went up in the bush, and were there the whole night.

On the morning of the 9th, we went down to the beach to pick up the small pieces of bread that floated ashore; and about twelve o’clock we saw a schooner, so we said there must be inhabitants here. There was a flag ashore, and one of the men got it and put in on a rock. The schooner saw it, and sent its boat off for us; but it could not land, and it went off to the schooner again, and the schooner went up the river.

At night, two boats manned by fishermen came to us. They had bread and wine, and they took the captain and the five that were saved off the rafts, the boats being small boats.

A large boat was sent for the rest, and we were well looked after, the inhabitants showing us every kindness.

In a week afterwards, the fishermen picked up the body of the boy, which we buried, and three days after that we were all sent away, except the boatswain, who remained to work in the bush. Some were sent to Sydney, Cape Breton, and some to St. John’s, Newfoundland. From Sydney, Cape Breton, we were sent in the steamer to Halifax. We stayed there three days, and the steamer HIBERNIAN brought us to Liverpool, and thence we came in the S.S. OWL to Glasgow.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
18 NOVEMBER 1876

MARRIAGE

At Knockewart, Ardrossan, on the 17th instant, by the Rev. Robert Stevenson, minister of Dalry, Mr John Speir younger of Burn, to Agnes Dunlop, third daughter of John Crawford, Esquire, farmer.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
18 NOVEMBER 1878

MARRIAGE

BORRON – BROWN: At St. George’s Church, Hanover Square, London, on the 14th instant, the Rev. Edward Payne, M.A., W. G. Borron, Esquire, of Seafield Tower, Ardrossan, Ayrshire, formerly Woolden Hall, Lancashire, to Anne Marshall, relict of Matthew Brown, Esquire, of Rio de Janeiro, and late of Monkcastle, Ayrshire.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
18 NOVEMBER 1940

ARDROSSAN WOMAN KILLED BY BUS

ELIZABETH POTTS, (21), clerkess, 11 Young Street, Ardrossan, was knocked down and fatally injured by a bus in Ardrossan Road, Saltcoats, on Saturday night when she was crossing the road.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
19 NOVEMBER 1874

SHIPWRECK ON AILSA CRAIG

During a gale on Sunday forenoon, the JAMES, of Dundalk, with a cargo of hay and sleepers from Dundalk to Ardrossan, was driven ashore on the north-west of the Craig.

The vessel went rapidly to pieces, and the cargo was totally lost, with the exception of some hay.

The captain and owner, Hugh Adair, and three of a crew came ashore at Girvan yesterday in the boat belonging to the lessee of the Craig.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
19 NOVEMBER 1875

SHIPPING CASUALTY

The Greenock-owned ship LEPHENSTRATH, Captain Caan, which sailed from the Tail of the Bank on Saturday last for Trinidad, has put back to Lamlash Bay owing to stress of weather.

A gang of carpenters was despatched from Ardrossan by the steam tug ADMIRAL to make some necessary repairs upon her.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
19 NOVEMBER 1875

ARDROSSAN GRAIN MARKET

There were 30 bolls oats at market on Thursday, 12 of which sold at 22s; and 10 bolls wheat sold at 21s.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
19 NOVEMBER 1879

LAUNCH AT ARDROSSAN

There was launched yesterday from the building-yard of Messrs Barr & Shearer a beautiful clipper schooner of 230 tons, classed A1 at Lloyd’s. The fine vessel will sail under Messrs Boustead & Dunbar’s flag in their French and Spanish trade.

On her leaving the ways she was named “HEATHER BELL” by Miss Haddow.
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Re: Ardrossan - On This Day In History

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GLASGOW HERALD
20 NOVEMBER 1873

ARDROSSAN INDEPENDENT CHURCH

The annual soiree in connection with the Independent Church was held in the church on Tuesday evening. There was a large attendance. The Rev. Alexander Cross, pastor, presided and delivered an interesting address.

Addresses were also delivered by the Rev. Messrs McGilchrist, Ardrossan; Riddell, Glasgow; Denholm, Belfast; and Goodwillie, Dreghorn.

The congregational choir rendered some excellent music.
Nothing is ever really lost to us as long as we remember it.
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