The Minerva wreck: Captain Bell's role

Captain William Bell's duties as Port Captain at Durban were very much of the hands-on variety. The most famous shipwreck Bell had to deal with was that of the Minerva. A former East Indiaman of 987 tons, built in Bombay in 1812, this vessel came to grief on the rocks below the Bluff on 4 July 1850 when her cables parted.  

She was the largest ship chartered by Byrne and brought the most emigrants carried by one ship. Each emigrant family had brought the pick of their household treasures, items which in many instances were irreplaceable.

The Minerva dropped anchor in the outer anchorage about 10 a.m. and Byrne’s agent, Moreland, went out in the port boat to welcome his own wife and children who were on board. The passage had taken 67 days.

On July 4th some of the passengers were landed and arrangements were made for trans-shipping heavier goods. After midnight came the sound of a signal gun. It was assumed that another vessel was arriving but when the firing continued it became clear that a ship was in distress. Fires were lit on the Bluff and on the Point, and by this light it could be seen that the ship was the Minerva, stuck fast on a reef at the foot of the Bluff. At 3 a.m. a boat from the barque Henrietta (which had arrived meanwhile and was lying at anchor) bravely attempted to approach but capsized in the surf; 4 crewmen were pulled ashore by rescuers but the fifth man, the 2nd mate of the Henrietta, was swept away and drowned. He was the only casualty.

By now most of Durban’s population were at the scene, with soldiers from the Port garrison, Custom House officials and personages such as W S Field, G C Cato and, of course, the Port Captain.

Donald Moodie, Colonial Secretary, happened to be in Durban, about to travel to Table Bay on the schooner Rosebud. He was an ex Naval lieutenant and understood the situation, so his advice was welcomed; he later paid generous tribute later to various helpers:

‘Poor Captain Bell had just been ordered and taken a hot bath when turned out of his bed to stand all day in the surf.  His coolness and skill were conspicuous.’

Moodie also mentioned that ‘The ship lay so still … it was thought she would last all night and that it was better to leave the residue of people and crew (about 50) on board till the morning. Bell and I did not think so …’ *

They were certainly proved right – the Minerva was dashed to pieces on the rocks during the night, but those on board were by then safely ashore.

Within 24 hours wreckage was strewn for miles along the beaches.  It had been a successful rescue with everyone behaving most courageously. However, scarcely any of the settlers’ possessions were saved – it was estimated that 300 tons of personal effects had been lost. This was a terrible blow for the new settlers, but there was a sympathetic response from the inhabitants of Durban and Pietermaritzburg. A relief fund was established, with donations of money, food and clothing, and other assistance such as accommodation generously given. The remains of the ship were sold on the beach – rigging, sails, spars, planks, beams, barrels of tar etc.

An enquiry was held into the wreck and the Port Captain’s statement taken; Bell’s usual practical thinking and his maritime experience came to the fore:

WILLIAM BELL Port Captain: On the 3rd July, at about 10 a.m., the Minerva came in close round the Bluff, fired a gun and then anchored. Being very unwell at the time, he immediately sent the coxswain (Archer) off to her in the Port boat, and desired him to shift her a little more to the northward, and after shifting her to give the Captain a passage ashore, and bring the Captain to him in order that he might discuss with him the way of getting his passengers landed.

About 2 o'clock the boat returned and brought the Captain ... who was fatigued, having been up the night before and wished to be excused from moving her that day. Told him the vessel was in a very fair berth and it was not particularly necessary to remove her that evening. She was lying in 12 fathoms water, and about 60 fathoms of chain out. Told him that was sufficient, as the vessel would be clear of her anchors with that scope out. He said he had double reefed his top sails ready for going to sea in case the vessel should part. Told him that vessels did not make a practice of slipping and going to sea, as they had rode it out in all weathers and at all seasons of the year, many of them not having to let go the second anchor. Then asked him who his agent was, he replied Mr. Moreland. Told him he had better see him and make arrangements about landing passengers the next morning, and that he could go off with the pilot and get the vessel moved.

Captain Moir went off the next morning in the port boat with the pilot for that purpose but in consequence of light airs from the northward it was not advisable to attempt moving the vessel. About noon the wind freshened and drew more to the eastward and about half-past four the Henrietta came to anchor. About sunset the wind was fresh, but the three vessels appeared to ride easily. At nine the wind abated and drew more to the northward. At about 12 o'clock heard a gun and by the blue lights saw Minerva ashore on the Bluff ... went over to the Bluff but nothing could be done until daylight.

Had he (Captain Moir) been on board the Minerva when the wind freshened at ten and the vessel rode heavy, he should have let go the second anchor and veered out the whole cable on the port anchor. His motive for wishing to move the Minerva from the position she first occupied was to get her into a more convenient berth for landing her passengers and cargo, and not on account of her being in a bad anchoring ground.

Captain Moir argued that the fluke of the anchor had given way. The court of enquiry thought that the anchor cable, of partly new and old chain, had possibly failed at the swivel. No blame was attributed to Moir and the anchor and chain were never recovered from the wreck site.

* Source: Moodie to Pine, 7.7.50 CSO Pt 2 14 (NAB)

Wreck of the Minerva by J Forsyth Ingram

Wreck of the Annabella at Durban 1856

The Annabella, 200 tons, was a British-built barque wrecked on Annabella Bank - named after the ship - on 21 January 1856 at Durban. No lives were lost. 

Her story emphasises the difficulties encountered by ships entering the harbour and having to wait until conditions of wind and weather, and particularly the depth of water over the Bar, were suitable for a safe landing. 

As Port Captain, William Bell was involved in assisting at many such wrecks and their aftermath, reporting on causes of the incidents and sitting at the inquiries held.


By the late 19th c tugs were used to help vessels in and out of the harbour. Also there were various attempts made by marine engineers to improve access to the Bay by dredging, building piers and other schemes, not all of them successful. 

Souvenir Saturday: Bell of the Conch at the Cape 1837

A number of references to Captain William Bell and his schooner Conch occur in the 1830s Cape newspapers, helping to add valuable information to his chronology and to give a picture of his coastal sailing routine. 

 South African Commercial Advertiser 1837

Acknowledgement 

to veteran researcher Sue McKay for all her photography and transcription work, of

which I was one grateful recipient.

Captain William Bell, Port Captain of Durban

Bell, Capt William Douglas, Port Captain of Natal

Captain William Bell with his telescope.
Note the absence of epaulettes on his coat in this photo.
Probably taken ca 1860.

Bell's Dollond telescope showing maker's mark and 'Day or Night' engraved on the side.
(photograph by Caz Collins, a Bell descendant)

DOLLOND

For a time in the eighteenth and nineteenth century the word 'Dollond' was almost a generic term for telescope rather like 'Hoover; is to vacuum cleaner. Genuine Dollond telescopes were considered to be amongst the best although there were several other London makers of the highest quality.

In 1764 Leopold Mozart (father of Wolfgang) bought a Dollond 3-foot achromatic telescope with a double objective lens. Then, in 1766, Frederick the Great instructed his London ambassador to buy two telescopes from Dollond's 'because they magnify extraordinarily the object'. A Dollond telescope sailed with Captain Cook in 1769 on his voyage to observe the Transit of Venus.
   
In 1780 Dollond introduced the Army Telescope (or 'Improved achromatic telescope'). This is the standard type so often found by modern collectors with a mahogany body and brass draw-tubes. They were between 14 and 52 inches long with a lens aperture of between 1 and 2.75 inches. They cost from 2.5 to 12 guineas.

Thomas Jefferson visited P+J Dollond in 1786 and bought a telescope for 10 guineas. Admiral Lord Nelson would also make a special visit to purchase a Dollond. Because Dollond & Co's records were destroyed by fire in the 1920s it is not usually possible to trace the lineage of individual telescopes, even when the serial number is present.  

A Typical 19th c Dollond of brass with leather-covered barrel

'Dollond' is actually spelt with an 'o' as the fifth letter. Many people get this wrong. If a telescope is marked 'Dolland' (with an ‘a’) then it is quite likely a counterfeit product.

Acknowledgements to www.college-optometrists.org/the-college/museum/online-exhibitions/virtual-observatory-gallery/telescopes-part-1-.html

Bell, James Colquhoun, arrives on the Ferdinande Dec 1872

Unexpected and useful nuggets of information arise while browsing local newspapers. Even a tiny snippet such as the one below fills a gap in the Bell family history.

Natal Mercury 12 Dec 1872

The Ferdinande – 'James Colquhoun, son of Mrs Bell, widow of the late Port Captain Bell arrived in the Ferdinande. He is, we believe, anxious to get employment here, so that he may be with his family.

Engraving of the Entrance to Port Natal, showing a ship
entering the channel, the Bluff at right with Signal Station,
and the Point, left.

James may not have been successful in getting employment in Natal. Whatever the case, he fetches up in England a couple of years later, marrying Sarah Clark at St Mary Stratford, Bow in September 1874. Sarah had been born in Blackfriars London ca 1851. By 1891 James and his large family were living in South Shields where he worked as a Marine Enameller (painting done on ships)..

Confusingly, there were three James Colquhoun Bells: (1) Capt. William Bell’s 5th child and 2nd son, born in the Cape in 1847, (2) James Colquhoun Bell jnr born 1880 in Aldgate to James C and his wife Sarah Bell and (3) James Colquhoun Bell b 1890, son of William Caithness Bell.

'The Six Gems':

six of James Colquhoun Bell's children

Acknowledgements:
Gordon Brown, descendant of James Colquhoun Bell

Keeper of the Bluff Light: Thomas Alfred Gadsden in Natal

For a new article, Keeper of the Bluff Light, on a permanent page on this blog, follow the link below:

molegenealogy.blogspot.com/p/keeper-of-bluff-light.html

Opening of the Bluff Lighthouse

A mariner's widow at Totton 1826-1889 1

When James Caithness died suddenly of an asthma attack in 1826, his widow Ann, aged 30, was expecting their fifth child (Charles). The four older children were James Ramsay b 1815, George b 1818 (1817 on his Master's 'ticket'), Mary Ann b 1820 and William b 1824. 

It was a dire situation for any woman but Ann rose to the challenge, making successful application for her two eldest boys to attend the Royal Hospital School, Greenwich, to be trained as mariners and receive an education. 

Ann Caithness, widowed in 1826: number of children 'Four and more per accouchement', i.e. she was then pregnant with her fifth child.This document is among her son James's application papers for the Royal Hospital, Greenwich

Map shows Totton, Eling (and its mill), Redbridge, Millbrook and Marchwood

The first ten, even twenty, years of Ann's widowhood must have been extremely difficult. Whether she would have continued to receive James's naval pension of 20 pounds a year has yet to be established. By 1841 William, then 17, was working as a servant in Redbridge, in the parish of Millbrook, a small village in South Stoneham union. (The entry was hidden under the surname Kaithness.) His mother, aged 45, was living on her own in Totton. Charles was nearby, a baker’s apprentice at 15.

St Mary's, Southampton

James Ramsay had married Elizabeth Watson Ridges at St Mary’s, Southampton, in March 1838 and not long afterwards had left England for the Cape Colony. Mary Ann had gone there, too, on a visit to her uncle, James Scorey, and this led to her meeting William Bell whom she married in Port Elizabeth in June 1838. She was never to return home to Hampshire. 

George was pursuing his career in the mercantile marine, serving as an apprentice, seaman and mate during the decade 1830-1840. Charles was a journeyman baker by the late 1850s and, in keeping with the family's maritime associations, became a ship’s baker; he was with the Peninsular and Oriental line by 1861. They were all making their way and forging their own lives.

There’s a rumour that William visited South Africa in 1853 but documentary evidence of this is lacking. In March 1851 he was with his mother in Millbrook village, working as a labourer. Nothing changed by 1861, other than their ages: Ann was then sixty-five and William thirty-five. It was the last Census in which he would be listed. 

Ann and William at Mousehole, Millbrook, Hampshire: 1861 Census

It’s all very well tracing ancestors using the Census: the entries do provide milestones to hang their story on, giving some indication of where they lived, who was in the household and their occupations, but the important years between could remain invisible history unless other extant records are covered. The possibilities are endless: vestry minutes, churchwardens’ accounts, settlement papers, monumental inscriptions, apprentice bindings, muster rolls, poll books and many more sources.

Equally vital – and just as fascinating - is background and contextual research: the setting in which the ancestors found themselves, their social scene, their neighbourhood, external influences such as economics, politics, epidemics and wars – even the weather – in fact everything that affected their lives, bringing us a closer understanding of their circumstances, actions and experiences. This makes the difference between a grayscale picture and one in glorious colour.

Eling Riverside Walk

To be continued