While looking through the now-derelict graveyard at the rear of the old Barton Wesleyan Chapel on Barton Road, I was intrigued to see an ornamental gravestone dedicated to the Blears family of Eccles.
One of the family inscriptions reads: “Edward Blears, Engineer of Eccles who was lost at sea by the wreck of the SS Clan McDuff [sic] in the Irish Sea, October 20th 1881, aged 28 years. Thy will be Done.”
32 people drowned in this terrible seafaring tragedy: 12 passengers and 20 crew.
The sinking of the SS Clan Macduff
The Clan Macduff was last seen at 9pm on 21 October with her decks awash, about 40 miles south of Roche Point, on the south coast of Ireland.
An official enquiry into the sinking of the SS Clan Macduff was held and the full story unfolded, leaving in no doubt that Captain Webster did actually abandon his sinking ship fearing for his own skin and leaving passengers and crew still on the stricken boat.
The ocean-going liner, formerly known as The City of Oxford, had Captain William Webster at the helm and left Liverpool for Bombay on Tuesday 18 October 1881 with 19 passengers and 46 crew.
Off Holyhead, the weather took a turn for the worse and the craft sprung a leak, with all 46 crew members drafted into to bail water from the swamped decks.
By the next day, the Captain gave the order to abandon ship with six lifeboats to set sail.
The largest lifeboat was smashed when sailors tried to lower it into the water but luckily eight people were able to escape still.
Two more boats were smashed to pieces by the choppy sea, leaving only one which could hold 30 at the most.
There were still 28 people aboard when the Captain leapt overboard to save himself – hardly doing his heroic duty.
Captain William Webster was castigated for jumping into the last available lifeboat leaving many of his crew stranded on the sinking deck.
By the time the lifeboats had gone there were still 16 crew plus the first officer aboard the sinking ship.
During the night these men made desperate efforts to keep the ship afloat and by 4pm on 21 October they were rescued in the nick of time by the steamship ‘Upupa’ which was transporting good from the City of Cork Steam Packet Company.
The lifeboat taken prematurely by the Captain had capsized, and only five fleeing passengers survived when they were picked up by a passing vessel.
History records that the yellow-bellied Captain was not one of those who was pulled to safety and he is assumed drowned.
Another with seven passengers (including four crewmen) was sighted by the steamship Palestine, which took them aboard.
One small craft which contained only the body of an unnamed young lady drifted ashore at Clonkilty, Ireland.
In all, 23 crew, seven passengers and one stowaway were saved.
Below is an extract from the Board of Trade Wreck Report held at Liverpool that year.
“There can be no doubt that it was to his defaults – Captain Webster – that the loss of this vessel is mainly due, in abandoning his ship as he did, he shewed a lamentable want of those qualities which ought to distinguish the master of a British vessel.”
Because of Captain Webster’s actions, the sinking of the Clan Macduff was notorious in its day.
When Captain Webster jumped into the water and was hauled aboard the lifeboat, his crew watching from above must have despaired.
However, after eight hours, the lifeboat was capsized by a large wave, and although the boat righted itself, Captain Webster was not one of those who managed to survive the sea and clamber aboard.
Captain Webster would appear to be fully responsible for this tragedy and for the loss of 32 lives, including poor William Blears from Eccles.
Main image (composite): Barton Wesleyan Chapel by Eric Heaton/Wiliam Blears grave by Tony Flynn
