The Greenockian
Sunday 22 June 2014
Tuesday 17 June 2014
Sinking of the Pomona 1859
It was (and probably still
is) every emigrants dream - to succeed and create a new life in a distant
land. Greenock mill worker William
Caldwell formerly of Duncan Street, emigrated to America and found employment
in New York. By the beginning of 1859 he
had saved enough money to send home to Greenock so that his wife and four young
children, two sons and two daughters, could travel out to be with him. Arrangements were made and his brother
travelled with the young family to help on the journey to Liverpool where they
would board the emigrant ship Pomona. At 5am, as she waved goodbye to her brother
in law, I wonder how Mrs Caldwell felt as she stood at the ship's rail with her
little children and the prospect of a long voyage ahead.
The New York based clipper Pomona (1500 tons) owned by the D L
Line, sailed from Liverpool on 27 April 1859 with a crew of 36 under Captain
Merrihew. There were 380
passengers. The mood on board was happy
as this newspaper clipping shows - there was music and dancing on deck.
However, later that night the
weather changed, high winds got up and the ship was slightly off course. The winds drove the ship onto the Blackwater
Bank - a notorious sandbank in Co Wexford, Ireland.
Attempts to launch the lifeboats failed and several crew died in the attempt. All night the pumps were manned and eventually, the next day a small boat was launched. In it were the 3rd mate, Stephen Kelly, along with 18 crewmen and 3 male passengers. As the howling gale continued, the ship slipped off the sandbank and immediately filled with water and sank. Captain Merrihew, his 1st and 2nd mates and the rest of the crew, went down with the ship as did all the passengers.
The only survivors were those in the boat, who immediately on reaching shore raised the alarm (although it is said that they all, with the exception of Stephen Kelly removed themselves from the scene). But by the time the lifeboat reached the stricken ship, only the mizzen mast was visible. Almost 400 lives had been lost.
Attempts to launch the lifeboats failed and several crew died in the attempt. All night the pumps were manned and eventually, the next day a small boat was launched. In it were the 3rd mate, Stephen Kelly, along with 18 crewmen and 3 male passengers. As the howling gale continued, the ship slipped off the sandbank and immediately filled with water and sank. Captain Merrihew, his 1st and 2nd mates and the rest of the crew, went down with the ship as did all the passengers.
The only survivors were those in the boat, who immediately on reaching shore raised the alarm (although it is said that they all, with the exception of Stephen Kelly removed themselves from the scene). But by the time the lifeboat reached the stricken ship, only the mizzen mast was visible. Almost 400 lives had been lost.
Men, women and children, many
of whom, like the Caldwell family from Greenock, would have been looking
forward to being reunited with loved ones and starting new lives in America. As the long day wore on, bodies began to wash
ashore at Ballyconigar beach and along the coast. Unfortunately some locals stripped the
clothes from the bodies. They were
eventually caught and severely punished.
A sad tale, but not uncommon
in those days when the winds and weather could dramatically alter the fate of
a voyage.
Interestingly, another victim of the sinking was Irishman Henry Lavery, a Belfast publican on his way to New York to find work. He left behind a wife who died of grief three months later and a young son who went on to become the acclaimed Glasgow trained artist Sir John Lavery.
Interestingly, another victim of the sinking was Irishman Henry Lavery, a Belfast publican on his way to New York to find work. He left behind a wife who died of grief three months later and a young son who went on to become the acclaimed Glasgow trained artist Sir John Lavery.
The Greenockian
Monday 16 June 2014
Stanley Spencer in Port Glasgow
This unusual sculpture is dedicated to Sir Stanley Spencer
and can be found outside Port Glasgow's new B&Q store in a nice little
landscaped area with seating. This is
the site of the former Lithgow shipbuilding yard.
Spencer was fascinated by Port Glasgow cemetery and based
his work "The Resurrection" there.
It is an enormous painting showing people climbing out of their graves,
in their everyday clothes, looking as if they had just woken up. It is held by the Tate Gallery and you can
see it here.
This is a very fitting tribute to a prolific painter who
immortalised the ordinary men and women who worked tirelessly in local
shipyards filling the endless demand for ships which would play an important part
in the war effort.
The final paragraph on the tribute reads -
These panels have been commissioned to celebrate the life and works of the Wartime Artist Sir Stanley Spencer CBE.
More of Sir Stanley Spencer's work can be seen at the
Stanley Spencer Gallery in Cookham, Berkshire.
Stanley Spencer spent a lot of time in Port Glasgow during
WWII when he was commissioned to paint scenes in the local shipyards showing
the workers' contribution to the war effort.
These are no idealised representations, but honest, down to earth views
of the shipyard workers going about their tasks.
The final paragraph on the tribute reads -
These panels have been commissioned to celebrate the life and works of the Wartime Artist Sir Stanley Spencer CBE.
The steel plates represent both the work of the Artist and the Ship
Building Industry of Port Glasgow. Their
shapes take inspiration from one of Spencer's most significant works entitled
'Burners' painted in 1940. It depicts
Ship Workers 'burning' or cutting steel plates before they are rivetted
together.
The Greenockian
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