A BOATMANS TALES 1919

 Boatmans Tales

Part 7


The ‘Piave’ 1919.

The crew of the ‘Charles Dibden’ on the occasion of the rescue of the ‘Piave’ of New Jersey in 1919:~

William Adams (Cox’n.), William Wells, Thomas Adams junior, Frank Adams, Thomas Cribben, John Webb, Frank Budd, Richard Riley, Robert Holbourn, Samuel Trice, Walter Redsull, Mathew Hoile, Alfred Jordan and Ernest May.

The total wreck of the American 5,000 ton steamer was occasioned by an arduous rescue which extended over about fifty hours from the 29th to the 31st of January. It was bitterly cold with snow blowing from the east when at 10 P.M. a gun was fired from the ‘Gull’ Lightship. The ‘Charles Dibden’ had to contend with and struggle against a head on wind to reach and board the stranded vessel. The Dover tug, with Captain Irons, the Harbour Master on board was also present and the boatmen ferried him aboard the ‘Piave’. It was agreed that an attempt should first be made tow the vessel off, to no avail. Only then did the Lifeboat crew begin to assist in the jettisoning of some of the cargo so that at high tide a second attempt could be made, but this too failed to move the great ship. Perhaps with the age old premise of ‘third time lucky’ in mind, more cargo was thrown overboard but before the next tide was up the ‘Piave’ was rendered un seaworthy and with a broken back, revealed to all on board by the noise made with the groaning hull that she was going nowhere, except that the ship heeled over from the starboard to the port side. Then all the electric failed plunging the ship into darkness causing some panic amongst her compliment of ninety~eight.

Despite the reassurance of Will Adams to the frightened men, that he could and would get them all to safety, in the freshening wind and hurried seas, someone amongst the panic stricken crew thought he could do better, and ordered the lowering of one of the vessels starboard Lifeboats upon which some twenty men attempted to save themselves, clambering on board. During the lowering of the lifecraft the aft tackle~fall ran away so that the boat was left hanging ungracefully by the bow, whereupon the men fell into the sea and in considerable danger of being crushed between the ship and the Lifeboat, or simply carried away by the current. Fortunately, with the aid of the Lifeboat’s electric torch they were all eventually located and picked up.

Despite all of this and with total disregard at Cox’n. Will Adams repeated call for the men to jump into his boat as he sheered to, they inadvisably lowered two more of their own on board liferafts. This so complicated matters that one of these, which was overcrowded had to be towed some distance to put the men on board the Dover tug, which had remained standing by outside the broken waters of the sands. So it was that by one means on another, and with great good fortune the rescue continued until all 98 men were safely off the Piave. The ‘Charles Dibden’ took 29 ashore, and the Ramsgate Lifeboat, which had come up during the rescue assisted a further 23 with the tug bringing in the remainder.

On its return the ‘Charles Dibden’ was caught in one of the whirlpools which add so much to the unknown dangers of the Goodwin Sands under certain conditions, and was rapidly turned around in circles at least fifty times before she could be extricated! Nothing could be done during this dizzying moment but to wait for a wave strong enough to dislodge them and sure enough in time one came along to their rescue and knocked them back on Course for home.

The President of the United States presented Cox’n. Adams with a gold watch and chain, and each of the fourteen members of the crew with a gold medal in recognition of their gallant conduct. As usual on these occasions of great ceremony the presentation took place at Deal Town Hall, on this day by Captain W.R. Sexton, the Naval Attaché to the U.S. Embassy, on the 3rd of July 1920. The crew and Captain of the Dover tug were also accorded the same honour.


The ‘Innovation’ 1919

The conditions at sea on the 13th of June 1919 were the usual mixture of heavy winds and rough seas somewhat indicative of a potential shipwreck and when the guns and rockets fired from the ‘Gull’ Lightship at 2 O’clock that morning, it was probably no suprise to those who had to listen out for them. A crew was immediately mustered and with the assistance of the haul~off warp and four Skidmen in the water, the ‘Charles Dibden’ was afloat by 2.30., and proceeded to the ‘Gull’ for information. When underway, however they observed further distress signals directly from the imperiled vessel herself, and so altered their course. In so doing it was necessary to cross the Sands at about half tide, a risky operation with only the slightest margin of water beneath them, with a terrific sea which filled the Lifeboat three times.

Successful in this risky endeavor, and once accomplished they let go the anchor and veered down, when one of the crew, with the aid of a rope passed from the ship managed to get on board. The Captain, only too aware of the danger to his ship was happy to receive the assistance of the Lifeboat in attempting to haul her off the Sands, having for some time been badly aground. The force of the water had in fact dislodged her and moved the ship, a three masted Schooner of Leharve, heavy with cargo, and a compliment of eight, into deeper water at the North Eastern corner of Trinity Bay.

Despite this fortuitous advantage the position was still a dangerous one and it was found to be quite impossible to get the Schooner clear without the assistance of a tug. With the tide turning in their favour it became possible for the Ramsgate tug ‘Aid’ to approach near enough to be able to get a line attached and with the help of the eight Lifeboatmen still aboard the ‘Innovation’ she was pulled clear of her perilous positioned towed into the Downs, to find safe anchorage.

This having been accomplished and the boatmen reassembled on the ‘Charles Dibden’ the Lifeboat escorted the ships Captain ashore to communicate his delay to the owners, they arrived safely at their station at 11.30 A.M., the crew on this occasion consisted of :~

 William Adams (Coxswain), William Marsh (2nd Cox’n.), Thomas Adams (junior), Richard Riley, Walter Redsull, Joshua Mockett, Ernest May, John Wells, Frank Budd, Robert Betts, James Bingham, Henry Hook, John Williams, Robert Holbourn and Matthew Hoile.


The ‘Toogo’ 1919.

The hurricane force storm that raged between 31st October and 2nd November of 1919 stranded three vessels upon the Goodwin Sands, all being reduced to total wrecks. The ‘Toogo’, the ‘Corinthian’ and the ‘Glenavon’ demanded the most persistent and heroic efforts of the local boatmen to come to their assistance. It was on the evening of the 1st of November that the sky was simultaneously lit by the distress rockets of three out of the four Lightships that were then mounting watches on the treacherous waters about the Goodwin Sands. As the ‘East Goodwin’, the ‘North Goodwin’ and the ‘Gull’ Lightships were several miles apart it was clear from the outset that difficult choices had to be made, principally where to begin! Regardless of the problem the ‘Charles Dibden’ Lifeboat was launched at 10.45.P.M. and for three hours beat a windward course in the jaws of that furious gale, to reach the midnight darkened Sands.

With some searching about in the darkness the Lifeboat came upon the Estonians Schooner ‘Toogo’ with her seven hands and the Captain’s wife, in a very dangerous situation on the northern part of the Sands. The Deal boatmen had to then maneuver into a favorable position to let out the anchor before veering toward the stricken Schooner. No sooner had this been accomplished than a large steamer loomed into sight, coming straight toward them, out of the darkness from the south. The boatmen set of flares, their shouting and waving being drowned out by the dreadful storm, was also to no avail. To avoid being cut down in its passing they had to get out of the steamer’s path fast, to a safe distance until it had passed. This most unexpected danger averted, the boatmen resumed their position, whereupon six passengers could be counted in the rigging of the Schooner with two others clinging to another safe part of the ship.

Just as the boatmen were close enough to attempt taking of the crew ~ a maneuver that demanded careful judgment and skilled seamanship, the mighty sea sent a wave upon the doomed vessel that pushed her broadside into the Lifeboat, forcing the Sailors from their precarious grip to the rigging, overboard and further away from any immediate hope of rescue. No one was able to resist the power of that single most devastating moment and all hands were swept into the sea. Neither was the position of the Deal boatmen an altogether happy one, no doubt very frustrated, fatigued and in great danger themselves they were to hear the piercing screams of the Captain’s wife above the roaring wind and waves, a sound that was to haunt them for the rest of their days. It was after so reported by many who were there on that night. From time to time cries from the sea were heard but no one could be found, and so with great resolve the boatmen elected to wait throughout that dreadful storm torn night until daybreak with little hope of finding any of those they had come so close to rescuing. At the first glimmerings of dawn they at last and at some distance spotted two men clinging to the keel of a small upturned boat. Yet even so they were not easily reached. With six sustained attempts to reach them failing and compounded by a mighty wave that engulfed the Lifeboat, swamping her and washing the crew all about, Coxswain Bill Adams was thrown with great force against the after air~box, covered and nearly suffocated by water as several of his crew were thrown on top of him. He sustained an injury to his back, and four further boatmen, not named in the original report received more or less serious injuries, and all, without exception were much shaken~ they were again and again to be swept by such terrific seas.

 By the sheer and ruddy determination born of the boatman’s innate strength of character against such determined natural opposition they made several more attempts until at last, in defiance of all odds they succeeded in getting the two shipwrecked men aboard the boat. As the two men were all but dead to the world, some restorative efforts were undertaken by the Lifeboatmen including persistent artificial respiration and they were at length restored to consciousness. The crew of the ‘Charles Dibden’ then made with all possible haste toward the shore, but were hailed by the Captain of the steamship ‘Woolpack’, which was brought up, and riding out the gale in the Downs, who said he had a shipwrecked man aboard. It was decided that the lives of the two Estonians were at such critical peril that they should get ashore forthwith and reluctantly declined to assist in this matter. The Lifeboat reached her station at 7.15.A.M.,~ the two fortunate seamen were able to make a full recovery and survived. The crew of the ‘Charles Dibden’ on this occasion was as follows :~

 William Adams ( Coxswain), William Marsh (2nd Coxswain), Robert Holbourn, Walter Redsull, Henry Grigg, Frank Budd, William Hoile junior, Richard Riley, George Erridge, William Riley, Thomas Adams, Walter May, Frederick Brown, Thomas Adams (junior), Thomas Cribben, Richard Betts and Alfred Jordan. This included two more men than her ordinary compliment, owing to the extreme severity of the weather. In view of the fact that five of these men were injured this turned out to be a wise precaution.

As soon as they landed the ‘Charles Dibden’ was made ready to go out immediately to the assistance of the other two vessels stranded on the Sands. A fresh crew set of with William Stanton, cox’n. of the Reserve Lifeboat with the gale still at full force. Although with the advantage of daylight it still required a full six hours to reach the ‘Corinthian’ and the ‘Glenavon’. Coxswain Stanton said that he had never had a harder job to get to the Goodwin Sands but the Lifeboat returned with her flag proudly flying, indicating a rescue. William Stanton had gone out on this occasion in a condition described as ‘requiring medical attention’ and at the time of this meritorious service it had been arranged for him to undergo a serious surgical operation, regrettably he shortly thereafter passed away, but left in his wake the fine memory of a supreme devotion to this heroic duty and the great cause of Humanity.

The R.N.L.I. echoed the sentiments of admiration expressed throughout the whole Country, which rang with praise at these splendid efforts, by awarding Chief Coxswain Adams a second service clasp to his silver medal, and a bronze Medal to Coxswain Stanton. The Estonian Government also sent its official thanks, and expressed its deep gratitude. The corporation of the City of London invited Chief Cox’n. Adams and his crew to take part in the Lord Mayor’s Show, which was due to take place on the following Saturday when the thirteen boatmen of Deal formed an interesting aspect in the historical pageant, possibly a unique distinction.

After the struggle of Estonia to win its independence from the Soviet Union, some time later, the new republic awarded Chief Cox’n. Adams and the whole of his crew the silver medal of the Estonian Red Cross, with the unusual diploma and for them to be suitably entertained as the honoured guests of the Estonian Government. The presentation was made by the Mayor at a public meeting in the Deal Town Hall on the 31st of March 1925.


The renowned Author and Journalist of the 19th Century, Charles Dickens had been one of a number commentators on character of the East Kent boatmen, and on the occasion of one of his visits to Deal he wrote :

“These are among the bravest and most skilful mariners that exists. Let a gale rise and swell into a storm, and let a sea run that might appall the stoutest heart that ever beat ; let the light ships on the sands throw up a rocket in the darkness of the night ; or let them hear through the angry roar the signal guns of a ship in distress, and these men spring up with activity so dauntless, so valiant and heroic, that the world cannot surpass it. Cavaliers may object that they chiefly live upon the salvage. So they do, and God knows it is no great living that they get out of the deadly risk they run. But put the hope of gain aside, let those rough fellows be asked in any storm, ‘who volunteers for the Lifeboat?’ to save some perishing souls as poor and empty handed as themselves, whose lives the perfection of human reason does not rate at the value of a farthing each, and that boat will be manned as surely and cheerfully as if a thousand Pounds were told down on the weather beaten beach. For this and the recollection of their comrades, whom we have known, whom the raging sea has engulfed before their children’s eyes in such brave efforts whom the secret sand has buried, let us hold the boatmen in our love and honour, and be tender of the fame they well deserve~”

Regardless of Dickens’s noble sentiment, all his words combined, had they centred upon the boatmen of Deal could still do no justice to the manner in which these same people were treated as recorded in the ‘annual register’ of 1785. For by his time it had been largely forgotten how the government of 1784, under Prime Minister Pitt, whilst staying at Walmer Castle, ensured that the Deal boats were all set ablaze, suspecting some of the Deal Luggers of being engaged in smuggling.74 He had awaited an opportunity during the January of that year and on an infamous day when the boats were all ‘hoved up’ on the beach through the stress of weather. Then sent a Regiment of soldiers to surround them and to smash and burnt them all. A Naval Cutter was positioned off shore to prevent any of the boatmen from escaping. When it is considered that the basis of the action was founded on the merest of suspicions, no boats being caught in any such business, and this against the history of service these men, even at this time, well before any of the above tales occurred had already performed without conjunction, and that the event was given no preliminary for an opportunity of defense or even trail and further that these Luggers, the very property of the boatmen and the only means of their livelihood, let alone for the use of the saving of lives in that wreck strewn neighborhood such brutal and redundant intellect as lay behind this action remains forever to the shame of English Government.

Could anything but the fact of the event itself have made matters worse for the boatmen it would have been in that the very ancestors of these men had the right, under charter, for centuries to freely import goods in return for their services as Cinque Portmen in providing what had been long recognised as the sole naval defense of the realm. That these men themselves continued always to be ready to risk their lives and their boats, thus so wantonly destroyed, in the saving of the lives of whom so ever might occasion to become shipwrecked must have compelled them to ask where might the end be to such shameful episodes in our political history? If any one might have had the ability to lay this ghost to rest it surely would have been Chief Cox’n. Bill Adams in his opinion that ‘The best of ships and boats are but instruments ; it is the unconquerable spirit of the men that is the soul of sea power.’

The truly irrepressible spirit of the Deal boatmen remained undaunted by these unwholesome State events and all through the Napoleonic wars with France they continued to engage in asserting their hard earn right to trade, so maliciously referred to as smuggling at Walmer in 1784. From these activities ready news of the events unfolding across the channel in France would reach English the shore that much more quickly and regularly, with about 400 men making a living of off Deal beach at that time.

The very fact of that war only made the boatmen’s efforts more profitable, so that once the fighting had stopped, that Government immediately turned over a part of its Naval blockade into a coastal blockade, which lasted from 1818 to 1831. A ‘Smugglers gang’ was also operating from Herne Bay, and in 1820 were to become involved with a series of fights, before finally being overpowered by the Prevention Service. The ‘Hawkhurst Gang’, were of course the most notorious of the Eighteenth Century Smugglers. It was on Camber Sands, near Rye that the ‘Battle of Brookland’ started in 1821, when around 250 ‘Smugglers’ of the ‘Blue’, or the ‘Aldington Gang’ were surprised by men from the Coastal Blockade. Most of the fighting, during which four of the gang were killed, and sixteen seriously wounded, and with the death of one midshipman, actually occurring some way inland, the gang having taken the cargo away, thus far.75

William Adams, Coxswain of the ‘Charles Dibden’ and a boatman for over fifty years died in 1926, and to his credit he was to point out that even during his own service the financial rewards of a Lifeboatman were hardly worth a mention as a source of annual income. In his own words often called out only between long intervals “when they are needed they are very much wanted, and at other times not at all.” Still, Deal had more men willing to engage in such activities than were needed to form the crews, who were selected on the judgment of the Coxswain. This was fortunate however in that a number of other hands were often required to help get the boats afloat, having as their task the often indispensable duty of laying the lower woods (or greased skids) well into the water to get the boat off when their was a very heavy sea along the shore. A proper scale of pay nevertheless existed for this vital help.



 74 : With such a short distance to France, the tradition of ‘smuggling’ had become a necessary addition to the boatmen’s income, so much so that in 1737 it was estimated that around 200 open boats were thus engaged between the North and South Forelands.


Notes

‘Seamen of the Downs’, : (1929 : Blackman). :~ This being the title of the rare and remarkable book, by the boatman, George B. Bayley ; ~which contains a full account of the rescues here in outlined, and an extensive history and defense of the maritime rights and traditions of Deal.

James Holbourn is recorded in the ‘Register of Customs Establishments List’ of ‘Out Door Officers (1867/9) as an ordinary 5th class Officer: The main categories of rank in the department for this period (outside the London Headquarters) is described in the ‘customs Manual’ for 1869 as follows; Collector, Assistant Collector, Clerks/Chief Clerk (sometimes a deputy plus subordinates 1st, 2nd & 3rd Class), Surveyor (sometimes an assistant), Examining Officer (1st~6th Class) Outdoor Officers (1st~6th Class), Boatmen, (1st & 2nd Class).

 ‘The role of Collectors and Surveyors amounted to the management of the service in the Port to which they had been appointed. Clerks, Examining Officers and Boatmen’s functions being self explanatory, the task of the Outdoor Officers seems a little unclear. Of the long standing titles of such as Riding Officer, King’s Waiter, Landwaiter, Coastwaiter and Tidewaiter their is no mention in the aforementioned private publication, neither is the Preventative Waterguard which was established in 1809.’ An explanation can however be found in Grahame Smith’s ‘Something to Declare’ as summarized below : ‘ Of the above titles many disappeared as a result of the reorganization of 1861 ~ which was made necessary by the Government’s adoption of a ‘free trade’ policy whereby many of the Duties on imported goods were abolished whilst the remainder were slashed to a minimum; consequently the work of the Department was greatly simplified. Under pressure from the Treasury, the Board of Customs carried out a review which brought about the restructuring of the service and the amalgamation of grades, resulting in a considerable savings on operational costs. The ancient title of Waiter disappeared altogether. King’s Waiters and Landwaiters became Outdoor Officers. Each of these grades consisted of a number of classes, presumably based on experience and/ or length of service.

 The actual functions of the King’s & Landing Waiters changed little with the new titles, but the Tide Waiters job ~ boarding ships on arrival at the entrance to the port and remaining thereon until all cargo was discharged ~ largely disappeared. Ships discharging within the enclosed docks no longer required a Tide Waiter aboard during discharges although outside the docks the requirement still existed. The Tide Waiter within the dock was reduced to patrolling duties, but from that and their duties outside the dock grew the modern preventative and anti smuggling service.. JJ Holbourn was thus probably a Tidewaiter in 1861, but what his subsequent duties were still remains something of a mystery. : Ivor J. Davis.


A William Wellard was drowned, along with a George Hopper in 1869 when the galley punt they were on sank, without rescue.

In 1867 John Sutton died from exertion after he and the crew of the lugger ‘Victoria’ had experienced difficulty in reaching the shore during rough weather with an enormous catch of fish. (Arnold)

Two Kingsdown Lifeboats, one in succession of the other were named after Charles Hargrave, the sponsor of both. The first served for eight years and was replaced in 1890 by its namesake, at a cost of £650 and had a length of 40 ft. She was stationed at Kingsdown until 1926. (Tony Arnold)

Jarvist Arnold was to retire in 1889 after 23 years serving as 1st Cox’n of the Kingsdown lifeboat ; His successor was James Laming, whom held the position for 21 years, he was officially succeeded by James Pay in 1910. Pay was to serve until 1921 when he was succeeded by the last of the Kingsdown Coxswains, William Sutton.

Note ; Richard ‘Foss’ Roberts, and Edward Hanger were for many years Coxswain and 2nd Cox’n. of the North Deal Lifeboat ‘Mary Somerville’, as was Robert Holbourn in 1917. William Adams became Cox’n. about 1907 when the ‘Charles Dibden’ replaced the ‘Mary Somerville’

 

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