John Bailey Gard & Elizabeth Grace Ramsey

SOUTH AUSTRALIAN BOAT ACCIDENT, WITH FOUR LIVES LOST.

The Mercury Newspaper, Hobart

Saturday 7 October 1865 Pg3

From the South Australian Register. Sept 24th.

About 9 o'clock on Saturday morning Captain Duff, harbor master at Glenelg, having heard that a ship was aground near the rocks at Marino, telegraphed for a steamer to render assistance, and then manned Mr. Flood's boat, in which he at once sailed to the distressed vessel, making the run of six miles, with a fair wind, in three-quarters of an hour. His boat's crew consisted of Richard Barber, Mark Skull, William Biddle, John Gard, James Burton; and Thomas Shepherd, (coxswain). The vessel, which proved to be the Electric from London, was lying in shallow water, and in dangerous proximity to the rocks half way between Marino and Field's River. The movements of the vessel are fully described in our shipping column, where it is also mentioned that the pilot, Mr. Woolnough, was in charge, and that Captain Douglas had gone ashore in the Secret cutter to obtain steam assistance. He was unaware of course that Captain Duff had already taken the necessary steps for that purpose, and it seems the Secret and the shore boat passed about half way, the occupants of neither knowing who was in the other.

About the same time that Captain Duff left the Glenelg, the lion. Mr. Strangways rode across to Marino for the purpose of ascertaining the name of the vessel, and with a view to forwarding any measures that the exigency of the case might require. He had arranged with the boat's crew that they should give him the earliest possible information, and accordingly, as soon as Captain Duff went aboard, they landed, and communicated with Mr. Strangways, who, as there was no other boat available at Glenelg, recommended them to return to the jetty in order that means should not be wanting of communicating with the Electric, in event of any difficulty arising about a steamer. They pulled off to the ship, and mentioned this to Captain Duff, but he would not allow them to leave before the arrival of the steamer. They therefore hung on with great difficulty, and on the Eleanor's reaching the spot, pulled to her, by Captain Duff's direction, and requested the captain of the steamer to take off the immigrant women and children. At this time the sea was very high, and the position of the boat was becoming dangerous. The men, therefore, as soon as the steamer had the Electric fairly in tow, and was beginning to move with her, determined to seek their own safety by pulling at once for the jetty or the sandy beach, hoping at least to clear the rocks before 'get- ting ashore. They had furled their sail, the wind being contrary, and were pulling five oars and a steer oar. They had made about half a mile from the ship, when "a tremendous sea came rolling in towards them, like a wall", we quote the words of one of the survivors. "It broke into the boat and was too much for her." Evidently this mighty wave cleared away part of the timbers, for the boat filled quickly, defied all attempts at baling, settled down, and then turned bottom upwards. All the men were thrown into the sea, and Shepherd, the coxswain, received a violent blow in the chest from the steer-oar, They all rallied, however, and clung to the keel, but kept their hold with difficulty, and were several times shaken off as the boat "rolled over and over like a cask," They were then about two miles from the shore and opposite the worst part of the rocks, a little below Marino, Burton succeeded at last in somewhat steadying the boat by keeping the mast and one of the oars across it ; but Shepherd, in collecting some other oars, drifted away from the boat, and was unable to regain it. Burton endeavoured to hand him an oar and to tow him back, but could not manage it. The wind was still very high, and the poor fellows saw the ship pass them. They made what efforts they could to hail it, but without effect. Thus hanging on for their lives they drifted for about an hour, and reached within a mile of the rocks, when n heavy sea knocked them off. They all regained the boat, but Barber and Skull dropped off again almost immediately, and both apparently senseless. Skull |had been groaning for some time before, and Barber had shown signs of fatigue. Biddle and Gard held on, but neither of them spoke. At one time Biddle seemed to be losing his hold, mid caught at Burton. Burton begged him to let go, saying that “if he clutched him they would both be drowned." He also endeavoured to encourage him, by directing his attention to a number of people who were collecting on the rocks, and who evidently saw them. Biddle complied with his request, letting him go, and hanging on to the boat: but did not seem able to speak, in this way they still drifted slowly in, the sea continually breaking over them till they ran against the rocks, At that time Burton, Biddle, and Gard were hanging on to the boat, and Shepherd was about 100 yards behind, supported by two or three oars. As the boat ran against the rocks, the mast and the oar which Burton had held across it were unshipped, and he lost the former, Biddle catching at the latter. Burton then struck out, and endeavoured to save himself by swimming. He was driven over one of the rocks, received some injuries on both his legs, and then was thrown back into the sea. "'Meanwhile some twenty or thirty persons were watching on the rocks, anxious but utterly powerless to reader assistance. They had ropes with them, but none had skill or daring to use them to any purpose. At this time it happened that Mr. Phillips, brother-in-law of the Bishop of Adelaide, who had been riding on the beach with one of his nieces, joined the throng. He saw at once that lives might be saved by on act of daring which few men would nave ventured upon. Seizing a rope, and urging those on shore to hold it fast, he rode over the rocks, and dashed into the foaming surf. He first reached Burton to whom he handed the rope, and turning his horse's head landward, succeeded by two desperate plunges in dragging him out of the water. One of the bystanders caught the rescued and almost senseless man in his arms, and the bold rider was instantly again among the waves. He threw the rope to Gard and Biddle, but they were unable to catch it, though one of them was seen to make a vain 'attempt. The next sea must have dashed them on the rocks; M we cannot find that they were seen again. No doubt they were much exhausted, and probably they had already received bodily injuries. Mr. Phillips, seeing that there was still another life to be saved, again urged his horse seaward, and reached Shepherd, who was considerably further from the rocks, supported by the oars. In doing this, the daring horseman very nearly lost his own life, for he was breast deep in the water, and his horse with difficulty retained its footing. But he succeeded in the bold attempt-Shepherd caught the bight of the rope, Mr. Phillips still holding one end, the other being with the person« on shore. Thus the second survivor was rescued, having received no other injury than that at first inflicted by the steer-oar.

In describing this courageous and most noble deed, we feel only one ground of regret, namely, that we cannot claim Mr. Phillips as a fellow colonist. He belongs to Western Australia, and has but lately come to Adelaide on a visit to his sister, Mrs. Short. None but those who know the ragged and sharp rocks below Marino can appreciate the full extent of the risk he ran. It is a story scarcely credible. How any rider, or how any horse could have done what was really done on Saturday afternoon is a wonder. In recording such an act, we feel that the language of compliment would be inappropriate. It is too high, too great a deed to warrant anything beyond the simple narrative. He has saved two lives at the risk of his own ; and in doing so, averted from two women ,the grief of widowhood, and from ten children the calamity of orphanage. But it is sad to remember that there are still four widows, and still ten orphan children. Barber was an elderly man, and an old inhabitant of Glenelg. One of his daughters is approaching womanhood, but the other is a mere child. Gard and Skull were men of about thirty years of age, and each has left three children. Biddle, though under twenty-two, had two children, and his widow is likely to become again a mother. The families are wholly un-provided for. On Satur- day evening, and through the whole of Sunday, Police-constable Badman and numerous others were searching the rocks and the beach for the bodies of the deceased men, but without success. The only trace of them which has yet been found is a cap, said to have belonged to Gard.