Dear David Good to get your message, sorry not to have replied earlier. You have just raised my favourite non-human research topic - the ship Saffron and the storm on the night of 28th October 1880. My 3 x grandfather Watson CUMPSTON was supposedly the captain of the Saffron that night, when the ship knocked down Withernsea Pier. Initially I heard from a very distant cousin on this list that we were related, and that her side of the family had a painting of the Saffron, together with the oral history involving my CUMPSTON. Next, I received wonderful information about the Saffron from the Mariners-L@rootsweb.com mailing list. There is a contributor there gprovost@webruler.com who is a mine of information about ships and he sent me these details. I suggest you subscribe for a while to see what info he can give you. SAFFRON (1881) Call sign: MTKC Official Number: 54850 Master: J. Morrison Rigging: Snow; sheathed in felt and yellow metal in 1875 Tonnage: 276 tons Dimensions: 107 feet long, 26.1 foot beam and holds 15.7 feet deep Construction: 1866, Denniston in Sunderland; some repairs in 1875 Owners: T. W. Ring Port of registry: Sunderland Next, on this list, Linda Ferguson sent me the following from "A history of Withernsea & other parishes in S. Holderness". "In 1875, a Company known as the Withernsea Improvement Company erected an ornamental iron pier, a quarter of a mile in length, and a concrete sea wall. The pier had but a short existence, as on October 28th, 1880, a coal-laden barge, "the Saffron", was driven through it, and carried away about two hundred feet. This damage was repaired, but in a violent gale on March 25th, 1882, the end of the pier was carried away, and all that now remains are a couple of upright columns and the entrance towers. The sea wall, however, is still in a good state of preservation." MILES, Geo. T.J. & RICHARDSON , William"A history of Withernsea...", Hull: A. Brown & Sons, 1911, p.33 I have a poor photocopy of The Hull News dated 30th October 1880, which start 'Storms and Floods, fearful gale in the North Sea. Shipwrecks and loss of life. Withernsea Pier carried away. Exciting scenes on the coast. Serious inundations.' 'A resident of Withernsea stated that she counted 190 sail of ships pass that place on Thursday afternoon, and none of these vessels, it is thought, would be successful in getting round Flamborough Head'.......There is then a very long narrative by the 'captain of the Saffron' who is unnamed (damn damn damn!) . The article goes on to mention dozens of ships who foundered that night (50 in all), where they had some early evidence of what had happened to them. It goes on to say 'We may state that a life-buoy was washed ashore yesterday afternoon a little to the north of Withernsea, marked ''Jabez, Colchester". On references to the Registrar of Shipping we find that the Jabez of Colchester is a barge of 71 tons, owned by Robert Shead of Hythe". It does not mention more about the ship in that edition though. You might like to look at newspapers throughout the following week, although I regret I don't have them, and Hull is a long journey away or I would go and have a look for you. I am happy to send you what I have, together with a copy of the painting on a postcard of the Saffron having knocked down the pier, if you would let me know your address. If anyone has further information on the Saffron and my CUMPSTON I should be delighted to hear from you! Best wishes Glenys www.bishopdale.demon.co.uk Web site for the Upper Dales Family History Group Seeking CUMPSTONs everywhere ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Lamb" <davidlamb@members.shines.net> To: <ENG-EAST-YORKS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, December 23, 2002 4:35 PM Subject: [ERY] Storm of 1880 > Hello, > > I have recently discovered, through a message forwarded to the Essex-UK list > from the Yorksgen list, that James John LAMB, (who was in all likelihood > related to me) met his death in a storm on 28 October 1880, which caused two > ships to collide with the pier at Withernsea. The more spectacular of the > two was the "Saffron", which "punched an 80 yard gap" in > the pier. The other, in which James John LAMB was killed, was the "Jabez". > This was a fishing-smack which > struck the end of the pier and sank with all four hands, all of whom came > from Colchester, Essex. 3 of them were buried at > Withernsea, but James John LAMB was buried at Holmpton, where his body was > discovered. I am wondering if (when things get back to normal after > Christmas) someone living in that area might be able to do a look-up in the > archives of the local newspaper(s) to see if there was a report of the loss > of the "Jabez" - I would of course repay the cost of postage and > photocopying the article. If you are able to help, please contact me > off-list, and I will let you have my postal address. Also, if anyone has > access to the parish registers for Holmpton, or to the churchyard there, > could they possibly check for the death/burial of James John LAMB? Thank > you very much. > > Happy Christmas to all! > > Regards, > David Lamb (Paignton, Devon, UK) > Interests (Essex): BAXTER, BERRY, EREY, GOLDSTONE, LAMB, MOTT, PARTRIDGE, > SARGENT, TICHBORNE, WEBB, WILLSHER > (Suffolk): BRYNGLOVE, CRISPE, FINCH, PARTRIDGE, PORTER, PRATT > >