Death at Sea

Background

We seem to have had a battering from Atlantic storms this winter but how many of you remember the great storm of 1987?  That was the one where Michael Fish pronounced, live on television, the now immortal words: “Earlier on today a woman rang the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way. Well, if you’re watching, don’t worry, there isn’t!” [1]

Just over 100 years earlier was another year of violent storms.  1886 saw almost twice as many hurricanes as average over the Caribbean and West Atlantic which in turn spawned a stream of violent storms crossing the Atlantic towards the UK.[2]

The storms were so memorable that several artists depicted them in their works that year. Some are included here to give an impression of the storm[3].

The Storm Strikes

Storm off the Coast of Belle-Ile, Monet 1886

It was on 8^th December that year that such a storm struck Teignmouth with tragic consequences.  The first recorded sign of it was off the coast of Northern Ireland where the barometric pressure dropped to 927.2 mbar, a value that still stands as the British Isles December record.  In places, wind strengths reached 11-12 on the Beaufort scale – i.e. between ‘violent storm’ strength and hurricane.[4]

In Devon there were reports [5] of roofs being lifted, chimneys blown over, windows blown out, buildings collapsing, trees being uprooted, roads blocked, rivers overflowing, telegraph wires coming down, lightning strikes, people being killed. And, of course, the coasts were battered.  Ships sought shelter as best they could but inevitably there were collisions and ships grounded as their moorings gave way or were simply swept ashore.  Trawling gear was lost – “The Jeffery Drew lost all her trawling gear, and many other boats broke their trawl beams and tore their trawls, while others lost them”.

The story of the Teignmouth tragedy starts at about 12.30pm on the 7^th of December, as related in the Inquest which was convened about five weeks later[6].

The Gathering Storm

Walter George Horn Hooper, a crew hand on board a 26ft ‘dandy’ rig boat owned by a Capt Andrews, was called out at that time to go to sea.  His father George remembered him lying on the sofa and looking very depressed when the message came in.  George himself felt a sense of foreboding since there was no reason for his son’s mood.  His unease may have been the reason for his accompanying him down to the Custom House Corner at about 2.30pm to see the boat off.  Walter joined the skipper Walter Haynes there and the other crew hand, Haynes’s son.

At that time there was no sign of a storm and the sea was very calm.  About 15-20 other boats set sail at the same time, most of the herring fishery fleet of Teignmouth.  It was at 2am the following morning that the hurricane suddenly arrived, forcing the fleet to slip their nets.  Most headed for cover under the headland at Babbacombe.  One, belonging to Robert Ruddall, was sunk but fortunately the crew was all quickly picked up.  The yawl Florinda just made it to Dawlish cove having lost almost all her canvas.[7]

Storm by the Coast, Rudolf Jordan, 1886

Meanwhile, back in Teignmouth, George Hooper had gone to bed at about 10pm but was wakened at one o’clock by the noise of the storm which had arisen.  By 2am it was ’raging fiercely’.  George’s son had not returned and he felt so alarmed that he went down to the beach to see if his son was there.  A few boats had managed to return to port before the worst of the storm but not Walter’s.  He waited there throughout the night.  Then, with no sign of Walter by 9am and no information, he contacted the boat’s owner, Capt Andrews, who telegrammed along the coast for news.  A message came back later that the boat and crew had sheltered safely at Babbacombe and the crew were now on their way home.  There was hope.  Sadly, though, the boat had been mistaken for another from Paignton[8] and George’s hope was shattered.

The Search

Antique Nautical Print of A Lifeboat, A Morlon, 1886

Once the storm had abated the following morning, Mr J. Dawe made his steam launch available to start the search.  He and Capt Andrews made their way up the coast to Babbacombe but saw no signs of the boat.  They turned back heading towards Exmouth and subsequently found the boat’s ‘wink’ (winch) floating in the water off Straight (Sprey?) Point.  The search continued the following morning and more wreckage – oars and bottom boards of the boat’s punt – was discovered off Budleigh Salterton.  There was no sign of any crew.

A relief fund for the crew’s families was started.

First Body Found

It was over a month until the first body, that of Walter Hooper, was found.  The Express and Echo described the grim discovery on Wednesday 12^th January in full:

“Yesterday morning, about 9.30, Mr. Pratt, farmer, of Littleham, was walking near Watershute (on the coast between Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton), when he came across a human body on the rocks. It is not an exaggerated term to use when we say that the condition in which he found the poor fellow’s body was frightful. Mr. Pratt came across it jammed between two rocks. That on the top of the body was moveable, but it took no less than twelve men to shift it from off the remains. It was then seen that the effect of the body being buffeted about by the waves and thrown upon the rocks had been to dreadfully shatter it. In addition, the crabs and other denizens of the watery element had been at work, and eaten the body in a shocking manner in all parts. His left leg was entirely gone, and his head and face had been eaten away. In more than one instance the flesh has been consumed, and articles of attire were hanging simply by the ‘cords’ of the limbs. The task of having to view the remains was a shocking and thankless one.

News of the finding of the body was given to the Coastguard authorities and Chief Officer Blackler ordered its removal to the coastguard station. The fact that part of deceased’s clothes are missing has led some people to favour the idea that he partially divested himself of his attire in order to save himself by swimming. This is, however, improbable, as the man would certainly have taken off his boots, had he had any such intention. It is more likely that the clothes had been washed off whilst the body was in the sea. Information of the discovery was conveyed to the widow of Hooper. She came to Exmouth as soon as possible.

There were no features left by which to identify her husband, but this she did by means of tattoo marks on the arm that was not destroyed by the fish. An imitation bracelet was tattooed on the wrist, and the name of a woman on the arm. The grief of the poor widow on seeing her husband’s body, and in such a shocking condition, is described as heart-rending. Deceased was twenty-five years of age; his widow has been left with one child.”

An inquest was held the following day at the Beach Hotel before Mr Coroner Cox.  The verdict was simple – ‘Accidentally drowned off the coast’.

In Memory

Unmarked grave of Walter Hooper

Walter Hooper’s remains were taken back to Teignmouth where he was buried three days later in an unmarked grave, Q68.  The Rev. J. Metcalfe, vicar of West Teignmouth, officiated at the grave where a large number of fishermen attended as a token of respect.[9]

Walter Hayne’s body was discovered the next day, followed by that of his son on the 20^th January[10].  There was no inquest.  It was believed that the boat lay in deep water about two miles off Exmouth.  Walter and his son were not buried in Teignmouth cemetery.

Christ calming the storm, James Ensor, 1886

Sources and References

Extracts from contemporary newspapers are referenced directly in the text and are derived from British Newspaper Archives.

Wikipedia for general background information

Other sources, with hyperlinks as appropriate, are as follows.

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[1]     https://www.history.co.uk/articles/-deadliest-uk-storms

[2]      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1886_Atlantic_hurricane_season

[3]      Storm off the Coast of Belle-Ile, Monet 1886;
https://www.wikiart.org/en/claude-monet/storm-off-the-coast-of-belle-ile-1886

Storm by the Coast, Rudolf Jordan, 1886
https://www.wikiart.org/en/rudolf-jordan/storm-by-the-coast-1886
Antique Nautical Print of A Lifeboat, A Morlon, 1886
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/12/b1/9c/12b19c015b3a7d32563ee2eb5c4bbe51–antique-prints-vintage-prints.jpg
Etching of Christ calming the storm, James Ensor, 1886,
www.art-prints-on-demand.com

[4]      https://premium.weatherweb.net/weather-in-history-1850-to-1899-ad/

[5]      There were many newspaper reports of the storm’s effects throughout the county.  The Express and Echo of Thursday 9^th December 1886 gives a full flavour

[6]      Express and Echo, Thursday 13^th January 1887 – The Drowning of Teignmouth Fishermen

[7]      Teignmouth Post and Gazette, Friday 10^th December 1886 – The Gale

[8]       Western Times, Saturday 11^th December – Suppose Loss of a Teignmouth Fishing Boat and Three Hands

[9]      Express and Echo, Monday 17^th January 1887 – The Drowning of Teignmouth Fishermen

[10]      Teignmouth Post and Gazette, Friday 21^st January 1887 – The Fishing Boat Disaster off Exmouth