King Road (General)

by robdavis , Saturday, February 07, 2009, 00:55 (5564 days ago) @ slowhands

I have access to 'C19th newspapers online' and from the Bristol Mercury and Daily Post dated Saturday 15th October 1881 I found the following article regarding the death during the Great Storm which I thought may be of interest.

"WRECKS AND LOSS OF LIFE AT AVONMOUTH"

Our Avonmouth correspondent states:- "The sloop Ada Maria was swamped in Kingroad this morning. With the exception of one man, the crew got to shore safely. One poor fellow, who was left, took to the rigging. The captain of the SS Seaham Harbour, a steamer neaped in the roads for Gloucester, sent his life-boat to take him off. The boat reached the wreck safely, and the crew flung the life-line to the man, but he failed to secure himself, and was washed away and drowned. The Seaham boats crew had a narrow escape in beaching their boat abreast Battery Point, but they got safely to shore.

From another source we learn that a passing steamer took off the three men during the height of the gale. The Ada Maria was a sloop of 44 tons, and belonged to Mr Galbraith, of St Vincent's Parade, Hotwells. There was no little excitement at the mouth of the river owing to small craft being driven ashore one after another, till at one time there were five or six vessels on the banks on the Severn side, and one was swamped off Nelson Point, near the Lighthouse. The smack Victoria, bound from Lydney to Ilfracombe with coals, foundered below the Swash, but the crew were saved.

The article continues referring to other vessels and the whole page had news of the storm in the surrounding areas.

I hope this is of interest. The tying together of the inquest and the news report of the day makes it so much more real doesn't it?