Wooden barque Pudyona, built Pugwash, Nova Scotia, 1851, 571 tons, owned John Stamp Burrell, registered Lancaster, ON 17790. Voyage Quebec to Lancaster (Glasson) with timber, 18 crew, Captain Foster, aground Morecambe Bay 27 October 1862, wrecked, sank in deep water, crew saved by Fleetwood tug Wyre.
[from Lancaster Guardian - Saturday 01 November 1862]:
Shipwreck and Narrow Escape of the Crew of the Pudyona. On Monday
last the barque Pudyona struck upon a bank called "Danger Patch" on
the north side of the River Lune, about two miles westward of the
Fleetwood screw pile lighthouse, and became an entire wreck. The
Pudyona was the property of J. S. Burrell, Esq, of this town, and was
laden with timber, being on her voyage from Quebec to Glasson Dock.
She left Holyhead harbour in tow of a Liverpool steam tug, and not
having a Fleetwood pilot on board, was conducted so far out of the
proper track that she met with the accident we have just named. The
ground there is rough and stony. So violent was the concussion that
the Pudyona's masts were carried away, and her hull was seriously
damaged. The Wyre steam tug with three of the Fleetwood pilots on
board, fortunately about that time was proceeding to tow a vessel up
the Lune to Glasson Dock, and when outside the lighthouse descried the
Pudyona and observing tbe imminent danger of the crew, gallantly went
to their assistance. The Wyre ran as near as was practicable to the
disabled vessel, and succeeded in rescuing 15 of the crew. Another
effort was made and the remaining two were also recovered from the
wreck. The heroic gallantry of Captain Swarbrick, the crew of the
Wyre, and the pilots, Gerrard, Hornby, and Hesketh, in this exploit,
has been the theme of general and well-merited commendation. The
steamtug that had previously had the vessel in tow was meanwhile
distant about a mile from the scene of the disaster, engaged in
recovering her tow rope. The crew of the Pudyona had barely secured
their footing on the Wyre, when the wreck of their ill-fated vessel,
having driven over the bank into the swashway, immediately filled, and
falling over on her broadside went down in deep water. The escape of
tbe crew was most providential. At the time of the casualty heavy
squalls of wind and rain prevailed, and occasionally shrouded the
occurrence from the view of the spectators on shore. The conduct of
the master of the Liverpool steam tug is criticised by those who
witnessed the occurrence. It was said that immediately on tbe
occurrence of the accident, he put down his helm and proceeded in an
opposite direction, leaving the crew the Pudyona to the chance of
being rescued by the Fleetwood boat, which as we have seen turned out
to be the case. But as even those on board the Pudyona had not an
uninterrupted view of the tug's movements, it quite possible that the
master of the Teaser did the best he could under the circumstances.
According to the statement of the men taken from the wreck, the
steamer remained within a distance of about three quarters of a mile,
until the appearance of the Wyre insured the safety of the crew. It
certainly appears strange however, that the men should have been taken
off by a strange boat, not until another moment's delay would have
rendered destruction inevitable. Several of the crew lost their
clothes and other articles which they would certainly have had an
opportunity of saving had they been rescued before.
[from Fleetwood Chronicle - Friday 19 December 1862]:
Yesterday, a telescope was presented to Captain Swarbrick, of the
steam-tug Wyre, having been sent as recognition of his courageous and
humane conduct, by her Majesty's government, in rescuing from imminent
peril of shipwreck, the crew of the barque Pudyona, stranded in
Morecambe bay, on the 27th of October.
The barque Pudyona, of which I [J. S. Burrell] was the owner, was
on her voyage from Quebec to Glasson Dock, and after a prosperous run,
was obliged to put into Holyhead. I wrote to Captain Foster, telling
him that if he could get a Liverpool tug there, he might tow round; with
a view to saving the spring tides at Glasson Dock. Captain Foster did
so, and sailed on the evening of the 26th of Oct., and on the morning
after he arrived in the bay, but it was so thick that they could not
make out their whereabouts. However, after anxious watching, they made
out the Wyre lighthouse, and Captain Foster, who knows the bay well,
found that he was out of his course. He instantly ordered the ship to
be put about, but it seems it was too late, for almost immediately she
struck on the foul ground, and, whilst I do not wish to speak evil of
any man, I regard the conduct of the Captain of the Liverpool tug, who
abandoned her to her fate, as most inhuman. He did not attempt to
render any assistance, either by getting out ropes or boats, but left
the crew of the Pudyona to their own resources. I now wish to turn to
another subject of a more pleasing character, and whilst we leave the
crew of the Pudyona abandoned to their own devices, we will go on board
the steamer Wyre, which was going out of Fleetwood, to tow the brig
Marys to Glasson Dock. The other steamer Teazer was close by the Marys,
and the Wire asked if they had got the crew of the Pudyona on board, and
were told that they were all drowned [not on board, in another report].
The crew of the Wyre, however, would not take the word of those on board
the Teazer, but after a brief consultation between the Captain and
Robert Gerrard, pilot, the Wyre went to the Pudyona and went close to
her: so near indeed that the crew of the Pudyona were able to jump on
board the Wyre, and when I state that the three masts of the Podyuna had
all gone, and were only kept on board by the rigging, you will agree
with me that a more humane and intrepid act could not have been
rendered, and I take this opportunity of publicly thanking them, on
behalf of the captain and crew of the Pudyona. I think that on an
occasion like this, the names of every one engaged in this transaction
should be mentioned. I will therefore read the names of those on board
the Wyre:- William Swarbrick, master; John Singleton, mate; W.
Morrison, engineer; Robert Gerrard and Thomas Hornby, pilots; R.
Hesketh, R. Bailey, J. Murray, C. Young, E. and R. Ainsworth, R.
Cockburn, and J. Hesketh. To all of these, I beg that they will accept
my grateful thanks; and I also offer my acknowledgements to the owners
of the Wyre, and to Captain Rawstorne [Fleetwood harbour-master]. Mr.
Walker properly represented this conduct to the Board of Trade, who very
promptly sent £30 for the crew, and intimated that a telescope
should be sent in a few days for presentation to the Captain of the
Wyre, and which we have now met to present to him.