The Struggle to Raise the Eurydice Continues
The Struggle to Raise the Eurydice Continues#
Throughout May and June, attempts to float the Eurydice were hampered by the weather.
As estimates regarding the lifting power required kept increasing, so too were better estimates being made regarding the number of families that would require support from the relief fund.
The first body to be recovered from the wreck was taken to Haslar hospital, albeit in an advanced state of decomposition and minus a hand, for identification by its clothing and tattoo markings on the chest.
And questions were starting to be asked about how to pronounce “Eurydice”, with the answer being supplemented with a reference to the original myth.
THE WRECK OF THE EURYDICE. - Saturday, May 11th, 1878
Isle of Wight Observer, 1878-05-11, p. 6
It is now more than six weeks since the Eurydice sank, and, so far from the wreck being nearer the surface, it has become embedded still deeper in sand and clay. Three hundred tons was the strain estimated at the last attempt to raise the vessel, but experience has been gained by the failure, and the authorities are providing a lifting power of 1,000 tons for the next attempt. Toggles are to be inserted in each porthole, and hawsers attached to them as weil as passed uuder the ship. The lifting power thus obtained will be tremendous, and, unless some parts of the vessel are carried away by the enormous strain, the wreck is almost certain to be lifted. Large steel hawsers are to be used, and in consequence of the increased amount of lift, additional lighters are being prepared. It is proposed to take out the fore and mizen masts before lifting the ship. Although the extent of the requirements of the relief cannot even now be fully known, it has been proved that 43 widows and 50 children have been rendered destitute, and appeals for help have come from 57 mothers, six sisters, and five other relatives.
On Wednesday a body was found floating close to the wreck. It was placed in a boat, and towed by a tug into Portsmouth Harbour. From the description of the clothing it was evident that the body was that of one of the crew of the Eurydice. It was in an advanced state of decomposition, and therefore perfectly unrecognisable, except by tattoo marks on the breast, or by the clothes. A diver encountered a body in the fore channel, but in attempting to raise it the hand came off, and this is missing from the body. This is the first body recovered out of the more than 300 persons who went down with the ill-fated craft more than five weeks since. The corpse was taken to Haslar Hospital.
A correspondent writing to a contemporary says : How are we to pronounce the name of the ill-fated vessel which went down in the snow-storm of the 24th ult. ? Classical readers will have no difficulty in deciding on what ought to be the pronunciation, but nine persons out of ten persist in dividing the word into only three syllables, laying the accent on the ultimate, thus— Eu-ry-dice. The “correct thing,” however, is to call the wrecked vessel Eu-ryd-i-ce making it sound as four syllables and accenting the ante-penultimate, or second syllable. In heathen mythology Eurydice was the wife of the poet Orpheus. As she fled before Aristaeus, who wished to do her violence, she was bitten by a serpent in the grass and died of the wound. Orpheus was so disconsolate that he ventured to go to Hades, where, by the melody of his lyre, he obtained from Pluto the restoration of his wife to life provided he did not look behind him before he came upon earth. He violated the condition; his eagerness to see his wife rendered him forgetful, he looked behind and Eurydice was for ever taken from him. Will the attempt to recover the unfortunate vessel be any more successful?
Meanwhile, correspondents were suggesting that the recovery of the wreck was amateurish and mismanaged.
CORRESPONDENCE. THE WRECK THE EURYDICE. - Tuesday, May 14th, 1878
Portsmouth Evening News, 1878-05-14, p. 3
To the Editor of the Evening News.
Sir, —Some three weeks or more ago, it was freely published in various papers throughout the country, that the public were becoming greatly dissatisfied with the fact that the Eurydice, with probably over 150 bodies on board, had not been raised. On Sunday, March 24th, the Eurydice foundered with her living freight off Dunnose, and freely state is a national disgrace that, close proximity to our greatest naval port, the ship should be in far worse state now than when she foundered. Prior to my entering the dockyard service, had some knowledge wrecks, which is thoroughly implanted on my memory. In the present case, there has been employed a Master Attendant, an Assistant Master Attendant, the Chief and Assistant Constructors of Portsmouth Dockyard, and the Master Attendant and Chief Constructor of Chatham Dockyard but with all their superior knowledge (because superior knowledge it must be) the Eurydice still lays where she foundered. What practical man in wrecking, would have thought of employing such vessels as the Pearl, Rinaldo, two dockyard lighters, and now, the Swan and Wave, both old gunboats. I certainly should not have done so. I should have designed certain camels and placed them in such positions that I am certain, barring all casualties, the Eurydice would long ere this have been safe in Portsmouth Harbour. Nearly a fortnight ago I was talking to Capt. Coppin on other matters, when asked my opinion of the Eurydice, which I gave him. The plan of this country is, unfortunately, to take the advice of the man receiving the largest salary.
I am, Sir, yours obediently,
Southsea, May 11. A Practical Shipwright.
In the pages of the Isle of Wight Times, the editor was once again taking a wry stance, this time in his selection of articles quoted from other periodicals.
At the wreck, the toggles had been put in place.
THE EURYDICE. - Thursday, May 16th, 1878
Isle of Wight Times, 1878-05-16, p. 5
[EXCERPTED : BODIES]
The proper pronunciation of the name of the ill-fated ship is Eu-ryd-i-ce, making it sound as four syllables, accenting the second.
Operations at the wreck were resumed yesterday (Tuesday). Five toggles have been got in. Both the Pearl and the Rinaldo have been fitted with Merryweather’s fire engines, so that, if considered desirable, resort may be had to water ballast. As the lift at the utmost at high water will not exceed 11ft., eight lifts will probably be required to float the sunken vessel into the shallow water in Sandown Bay. The beaching of the vessel has been found to be absolutely necessary, as there is insufficient water in the harbour and fairway at high water to enable the Eurydice to be towed in and docked in much below her normal load-line. It has been proposed to dispense with the lighters altogether. In their stead, and to secure additional buoyancy, two old gunboats, the Wave and the Swan, are to be employed.
Iron. – Our prophecy that the “scientific officers” in her Majesty’s service would find the Eurydice too much for them, has, we regret to say, been realised in the most complete manner. There is no doubt that the ” fighting officers” in the Royal Navy are, so far as pluck, English grammar, and good manners are concerned, as exeellent gentlemen as any in the service of Britannia. Vicariously they rule the waves for her, but when submarine operations are to the fore they are woefully at fault. The Eurydice affair is a catalogue of melancholy failure. Setting aside the vexed question of seamanship as to her loss, her subaqueous record is full of blundering. The Admiralty very naturally opined that there ought to be somebody about Portsmouth Dockyard who could raise a sunken ship, and orders were forthwith sent to Portsmouth to lift the Eurydice. As it turned out, this decision was unfortunate. Perhaps it might have been as well to employ practical people. Fighting officers always fight well, but they know nothing about raising ships.
British Medical Journal. – Both the Royal George and the Eurydice sank in tideways, with very strong currents, which, from the first instant, swept constantly through the hatchways and open ports with searching effect ; so it may be surmised that many unattached floating masses lying in their course would be carried away and rolled into deeper waters or on to the shore. It is a remarkable feature in the Eurydice that so few of the watch on deck floated away from her, and that so very few corpses have been anywhere found. This may perhaps be explained on the suddenness of the struggle for life in the water, and the vortex created by the sinking ship taking them with her to the bottom ; and the same reasons will apply á fortiori to the watch off duty and between decks. We think that, by calmly reflecting on such ideas, the minds of those who are now in eager expectation may he brought to a tone conducive to submission to many disappointments on clearance of the vessel.
Review. — It was asserted that the frigate had drifted of her own accord from the position in which she lay. The dockyard authorities published a notice, in which they pointed out the incorrectness of this assertion, and naively protested that the ship had not altered her position since she foundered. That protest is also the general complaint of the public. She ought to have altered position so much as to be now safe in port. We can safely assert that if the Eurydice had been a trading vessel insured in England, she would have been afloat about three weeks ago. Possibly no cable would have been passed round her longitudinally ; probably none would have been passed under her keel. She is so buoyant that hawsers would merely have been passed through her open ports and firmly fixed, and this done she would have been lifted to the surface on the first fine day. We think underwriters may congratulate themmselves on possessing a staff of practical experts who have qualified themselves better than the engineers in Portsmouth dockyard to accomplish the task of raising a sunken vessel.
With another storm setting in, the Rinaldo returned to harbour. The plan was also found lacking in another in another respect; the iron toggles that had been used rather than wooden ones weren’t strong enough, and were bending.
Out at sea, the body of one of the crew was spotted three miles out to sea by coastguardsmen and immediately retrieved.
THE EURYDICE DISASTER. - Saturday, May 18th, 1878
Isle of Wight Observer, 1878-05-18, p. 6
Late on Friday night a storm set in, and the Rinaldo and the lumps, which were moored near the wreck of the Eurydice, had to slip their cables and make for port, in tow of the Griuder. The iron toggles which the divers succeeded in dropping into the ports will have to be removed, and their places supplied by wooden toggles of greater bearing area, as the former have been found to bend and come cut under the strain of thirteen tons. The Rinaldo was taken back to her moorings on the following day, and the mauly was out at the wreck on Sunday, when two additional toggles were put into position. Shortly after mid-day two coastguardsmen who were on duty at St. Lawrence observed a body floating about three miles out to sea. They at once launched a boat, and succeeded in bringing the body in tow to Ventnor, where it was found to be that of a marine, evidently from the wreck of the Eurydice. The features were beyond identification, but it was found that the body is George Falconer. The body was landed that of on the Isle of Wight, and the Coroner, considering an inquest unnecessary, gave an order for the burial which took place on Tuesday afternoon. The body was interred in Ventnor Cemetery with military honours and a large number of the townspeople attended. The Government tugs and divers resumed operations on Monday, but the boisterous weather prevented much progress being made. On Tuesday morning, however, they again proceeded out of harbour to the wreck. As many as a dozen or 16 toggles will be used if they can be successfully introduced into the ports , the hawsers still remain rouud the Eurydice, with buoys to pick them up. The Pearl was finished for service on Monday, and can be brought into requisition on whatever day it is thought advisable. A telegraphic statement of the exact rise and fall of the tide is daily sent from the wreck to the dockyard authorities, so that they may know when the tide is likely to serve, and they are putting their plans into execution with as much dispatch as is practicable, considering the difficulties which have to be encountered, and the unfavourable turn of the weather. These difficulties are increasing every day, the wreck having within the last week or ten days sunk further in the mud by several feet.
[EXCERPT : BODIES]
THE “EURYDICE” FATALITY. - Monday, May 27th, 1878
Magnet (London), 1878-05-27, p. 2
Republishes a Hampshire Advertiser article of Saturday 25 May 1878, describing the number of bodies recovered to date, but ends short and slightly differently:
During the recent gales the Eurydice has sunk two feet and a half further into the mud, and the misgivings as to the possibility of her being raised are now materially strengthened.
Two months on, and more bodies were starting to be picked up along both the mainland and Island coast. People were also starting to doubt whether the wreck could ever be raised at all, or would have to be blown up once all the bodies had floated free.
THE EURYDICE - Thursday, May 30th, 1878
Isle of Wight Times, 1878-05-30, p. 5
Exactly two months had elapsed last Sunday since the capsizing of the Eurydice, which lies buried still deeper in the sandy bottom, defying the ingenuity of the officials and the vast store of appliances which have been brought into requsition for the purpose of raising the wreck. Anxiety as to the lifting of the ill-fated ship continues, and doubts are expressed as to whether it will ever to come to the surface unless blown up— an idea most repugnant to those having friends on board. Work was attempted again on Sunday, but the tugs had to return in consequence of the high wind blowing. The divers succeeded on Saturday in inserting a toggle into the lee side of the ship. Several more bodies have been picked up on the Sussex coast.
A portion of the wreckage of this vessel has been washed ashore at Rottingdean, and on Friday the bodies of two of the seamen were discovered in the sea near Saltdean. They had evidently been in the water for a considerable time, the feet and hands being eaten away, and they presented altogether a terribly decomposed and shocking appearance. The clothing on the bodies were respectivel) marked “G. Gordon” and “A. Barnes. On Friday evening the body of another seaman was picked up at Lancing. The body was in a very decomposed state, especially about the extremities. The name “J. Appledore” was marked on the guernsey under the collar.
Another body was picked up at Selsey on Monday, but identification was impossible in consequence of the state in which it was discovered.
The Army and Navy Gazette remarks :— The statement made by a weekly contemporary that ” the efforts made by the Admiralty to raise the Eurydice are nothing more than what is in theatrical parlance termed ‘gag’— that in fact, they have never seriously intended to raise her”— is nothing less than fiction. The Admiralty fully intended to raise the ship, and the fault of the whole work has been that those entrusted with the preparations under-estimated the difficulties, and apparently did not take pains to ascertain what kind of bottom she was resting on. That she may never be raised is not now at all beyond belief, but it will be owing to error and not design if she never floats again.
We are inclined to the opinion of many who ought to know something of the matter, that the Eurydice will never be raised. She would, doubtless, have been blown up long ago, but for the effect this would have had on the feelings of the relatives of the unfortunate men, for the attempt to raise has cost perhaps as much as two or three Eurydices would ; and even if she were got up she would not be worth anything. We believe she will remain till all the bodies have disappeared, and then a charge of dynamite will cause their temporary coffin to disappear also.
THE CHIEF CONSTRUCTOR ON THE EURYDICE, &c.— - Thursday, May 30th, 1878
Isle of Wight Times, 1878-05-30, p. 5
The chief constructor of the Dockyard (Mr. W. B. Robinson), addressing the members of the Literary and Scientific Society, lat week, said that non-attention to science was sure to lead to failure, and sometimes to catastrophe. The capsising of H.M.S. Captain would have been prevented had the officer in command read an article previously written by the present member for Pembroke. That article would have taught him the folly of carrying sail on the ship under the circumstances it was carried when she went down. There was a more recent catastrophe which he would not discuss, but he very much regretted— and it was common enough to regret— that science had not been called in for more than four weeks to devise the best means of raising the Eurydice. It was essential that a man should know enough of ordinary things in a scientific manner, in order to foresee what was likely to happen. The President (Mr. J. Douglas) remarked that it was a disgrace to engineering men that that vessel should remain unraised, and the scandal was the greater that Captain Coppin, of the Steam Salvage Company, offered to raise the Eurydice immediately after the disaster, but received no reply for nearly a fortnight, when his offer was declined with thanks. As he understood, Captain Coppin had afterwards offered to bring up the bodies from the ship, but this offer was also declined.
THE ROYAL NAVY - Friday, May 31st, 1878
Shipping and Mercantile Gazette, 1878-05-31, p. 6
PORTSMOUTH, MAY 30.—
The steamers went to the wreck of the Eurydice this morning, taking out an eight-inch steel hawser to be passed round the ship from stem to stern. The weather being more moderate they succeeded in placing a number of toggles in the wreck and recovered two anchors.
Yet more bad weather a fortnight later required the divers’ boats to be taken back into harbour, but even that operation failed to go smoothly, with the boats suffering damage that would require repair and two men sustaining injuries.
THE EURYDICE. - Thursday, June 13th, 1878
Isle of Wight Times, 1878-06-13, p. 5
The gale on Monday night and Tuesday has led to a suspension of the operations at the wreck of the Eurydice. W. H. Smith, rigger diver, and three London divers slept on board the Rinaldo on Monday night, being ordered to commence the work of shackling the toggles immediately the tide answered. The high winds and a rough sea, however, rendered it advisable to return into harbour, and three Government tags were dispatched to bring in the four lighters and the divers’ boats. For some time it was impossible to get the tug alongside the Rinaldo for the purpose of taking on board the men employed at the wreck, and one of a tug’s crew got overboard and narrowly escaped drowning. After the divers’ boats had been taken in tow and were being brought by Bembridge Ledge, where the full force of the gale was felt, one broke adrift, and the three others were considerably damaged, the rigger divers’ boat losing its port bow, another most of its after-part, and the other its stern and gunwhale, as well having its diving apparatus disabled. It was not expected that the boats could be floated into harbour, but this difficulty being overcome they were at once put into the dockyard hands for immediate repair, the divers to be supplied with others till they have been rendered serviceable. During the gale, two men were disabled, the engineer of the lighter having his leg broken, and a lighter-keeper sustaining injuries to his face. The Rinaldo being secured to strong moorings was able to ride out the storm. If the weather does not at once abate it will become impossible to take advantage of the high tides of this month. The wreck has already been swept with four 8 inch wire hawsers, and all the toggles intended to be used, numbering about 18, have been introduced into the ports, so that only the toggles have to be shackled, the hawsers jewelled, and the fore and mizen masts removed preparatory to the attempt to float the Eurydice, which, with favourable weather, has been fixed for Sunday or Monday.
With the weather improving, Eurydice’s masts had started being removed. Meanwhile, a satirical take in Punch, and at least one correspondent felt confident enough to recommend how the vessel might be lifted based on another example he could describe.
WIT AND HUMOUR (from Punch.) - Thursday, June 20th, 1878
Isle of Wight Times, 1878-06-20, p. 8
BY THE ADMIRALTY. – WANTED, an Orpheus to go down and try to raise the Eurydice.
THE EURYDICE. - Thursday, June 20th, 1878
Isle of Wight Times, 1878-06-20, p. 5
[EXCERPT : BODIES]
During the last few days of fine weather considerable progress has been made at the wreck, both the mizen and fore masts having been pulled out by the tugs and a space cleared for the attachment of the lifting ships. On Tuesday morning the last of the four lighters was towed out of harbour to the wreck, and should present weather continue, an attempt to raise the Eurydice will be made today.
The loss of the Eurydice has set thousands of pens agoing, and many thousands of tongues. Many and varied are the opinions as to the cause of the melancholy disaster, and it is some satisfaction— mournful it is true— to know that in the opinion of the jury which has enquired into the loss of the Eurydice, the disaster was the result of an accident and no blame can be attached to the captain or any of the officers or men under him. It was the first thought that the vessel was under too great a press of canvas, seeing what the weather was before the squall came on; but the evidence showed that there were two watches, with at least a hundred men in each, that the watch on the deck at the time was plenty to manage the ship, and that had there been more men they would have been in each other’s way. Too often disasters of this kind are caused because “some has blundered,” but in this instance everything was done that human foresight and judgment could direct, and the collision must be attributed solely to a meet direful “freak ” of Nature, for which the unfortunate victims cannot be held responsible. The only consolation is that no one can be blamed but Nature herself, who cannot he held amenable to the British laws and constitution.
HOW TO RAISE SUNKEN VESSELS. — Writing with regard to the unsuccessful attempts to raise the Eurydice, a correspondent says :—A few yours ago, the Workington, a full-rigged ship of 2,000 tons, laden with coals, and on fire, was scuttled in the roads, and settled into soft mud, so that her topsail yards were only visible above the water. She was bought by a French man. He at once secured all her top-hamper for staging on which to erect purchases (and did not strip her, as the Eurydice was stripped) to discharge her cargo with and work his divers’ pumps from. He had strong Pampero winds, and three or four knot currents to contend against ; however, by working both day and night, and in as bad and exposed position as though the ship had been off the Isle of Wight, he discharged all the cargo of coals, then commenced to fill the hold with wine casks, which were stored below by six divers. The casks had an inch hole bored in each head, then filled with water and a long spigot placed in the holes, then slung in a chain lowered to the divers (the chains helping to sink the cask) and placed into position by them ; when there they had only to take out both plugs, insert the end of the air nozzle into one hole and blow the water out by the other, then plugg them both up, when the cask would be filled with air. Upon one calm day they thus placed 250 casks. They stuck to the job for nine weeks, and brought the ship out of her bed in which she had settled 13 feet deep into the harbour. The tremendous force of the united efforts of the casks had burst her upper deck and so strained her deck beams that they had to be taken out and repaired. The ship, under the name of Perteno, is now afloat, and has made many profitable voyages for her owner. Now, the divers told no they experienced no difficulty while working in the hold from current or rough water, but were only troubled by the darkness and the slippery settlements left on all footing by the sand delimits, of which the hold had at least fifty tons, and this had to be lifted with the iron hull of the ship, iron lower masts, bowsprit, lower yards, and all deckgear. In another case a wooden brig was cut down by a steamer to the water’s edge, and was treated in a like manner, only that the immense hole in her aide had to le planked and covered with canvas. She was succeessfully brought into harbour, although seven miles outside when she went down, and in the channel where the whole force of the river is constantly running at four to four and a-half knots, and not three days without a blow more or less severe.
As a body freed from the wreck was picked up, folk were wondering whether the cost of the work so far, without apparent success, was worth it…
The Eurydice. - Saturday, June 22nd, 1878
Somerset County Gazette, 1878-06-22, p. 3
The Grinder, tug, went into Portsmouth Harbour Thursday morning from the Eurydice with the body of the seaman which had been picked up floating near the wreck. The dockyard authorities are now very sanguine with respect to the ultimate success of the lifting operations, but considerably more money than the value of the ship has been expended in wages and material alone, not to mention the wear and tear of tugs and lighters, very grave doubts are being expressed as to whether the game is worth the candle.
With the good weather continuing, work progressed on clearing the ship of obstacles that would hamper her raising, as well as items of note, including the Captain’s inkstand and several ensigns.
It seemed as if things were now well in place for the Pearl and the Rinaldo to be able to raise the Eurydice when the tides were next most favourable.
THE EURYDICE. - Thursday, June 27th, 1878
Isle of Wight Times, 1878-06-27, p. 5
[EXCERPT : PARLIAMENT]
The salvage operations at the wreck have made considerable progress, favored by a continuance of fine weather, and from Monday till Friday the divers will only be engaged in cutting away such running gear as would be likely to drag on the ground when the ship is raised. The Eurydice has now been swept with four 8-inch steel hawsers, and heavy toggles, with double wire strops, have been introduced into the ports. To these strops 1? inch chain pendants have been shackled on, and when the lift is given the ends of these will be in the mooring lighters. In addition to the 8-inch wire ropes, the bight of an 8-inch wire rope has been dropped before the mainmast into the gangway ports, and the ends poised aft under each quarter have been centred or feilddled under the stern, and will be taken in by the Pearl. In addition to her 8-inch hawsers, the Rinaldo will have the two fore ends of the inch hawser. The Wave and Swan are ready for their work. These two ships will take in as many of the toggle pendants as the ships will ride ever, and all the ships will previously have been sunk three or four feet by allowing that amount of water in them, which will be discharged by powerful steam pumps so soon as the ships have been hove down to the wreck. The Popoff air bag has been placed on the weather side in the gangway and successfully inflated, and the divers have carefully inspected all the toggles and hawsers now they are in position, and report them to be fixed satisfactorily. On Saturday a beautiful inkstand belonging to Captain Hare was recovered by one of the divers, and also a signal log, two white ensigns, and an Italian ensign, all four being unserviceable. On Saturday evening the whole of the divers, riggers and camber men were brought in from the wreck, having succeeded in completing the necessary preliminary arrangements. On Saturday next 400 hands will be taken out to the wreck for the purpose of tightening up the gear and fixing the purchases, and on Monday and Tuesday next, when the tides will have increased upwards of two feet in rise, the first lift will be made. Should the operators succeed in getting the ship out of the hole in which she lies embedded, the lifting vessels, which will be in the first instance placed across the wreck and immersed some two feet, so as to secure an additional rise as the water is pumped out, will then be fastened alongside, and the process repeated until the ports of the Eurydice have been brought above the water level.