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A family anecdote claims that Albert "Bert" Brew ran away from home and went to sea after the break-up of his home following the death of his father, John George Brew, who went down with his ship SS Castleton in October 1886. (See also SS Castleton... Just Tears in Her Wake).
At the time of his father's death, young Bert was only seven years old; when he went to sea on his first ship, SS Phosphor, on 30 April 1897, he was just 17. He served as an Ordinary Seaman until 3 August, making 2 voyages to the U.S.A., each of approximately six weeks duration. Upon arrival back in the U.K., he joined the barque St. Cuthbert, his first sailing ship. Although Albert couldn't have even imagined it, he was about to have the adventure of his life, and come face to face with death. But it never deterred him from the sea. In fact, it was just the beginning of a love affair with sailing ships, as he went on to spend many years at sea, with only the wind for power.
Unfortunately St. Cuthbert's crew agreements for 1897 no longer exist, so it is impossible to know the exact details of Albert's voyage. However, his application for the examination for his 2nd Mate's Certificate of Competency, states that he joined St. Cuthbert on 13 August 1897 after serving on Phosphor as an Ordinary Seaman.
The family story goes on to say that his mother feared he drowned in the River Tyne in Newcastle and had the local constabulary drag the bottom of the river, but of course to no avail as Bert was at sea. This anecdote has either been proved nor disproved.
His mother was already widowed and ill, and this "loss" probably broke her heart. It is said that Bert always believed that he had done just that, and that her death was his fault. She died at the age of only 42 in September 1897 whilst Albert was away at sea. In actual fact, Bert almost met the same fate as his father when St. Cuthbert sank in a gale shortly afterwards, almost eleven years to the day after his father's ship sank. Bert fortunately survived the experience and arrived home again a short time later to find his mother had died.
The following details of St. Cuthbert's final voyage could be pieced together :
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St. Cuthbert, official number 91163, code lettering JQMK, was an iron barque, classed 100A1, of 1027 gross register tons. She was built in 1884 by Barclay, Curle & Co. of Glasgow, and had a length of 211 feet, a breadth of 33.7 feet, and a depth of 20 feet. She was registered in the port of Liverpool and belonged to the shipping company J. & J. Rae & Co. |
St. Cuthbert sailed from Newcastle on 15 August 1897 for Buenos Aires with 18 crew plus the Master, W. J. Drummond, and a cargo of coal and bricks. As the crew agreements have been lost, it seems there is no way to know the particulars of the crew and what their names were. However, one detail of the journey we do know about is that on 27 August 1897, Lloyd's Weekly Shipping Index stated "St. Cuthbert left Newcastle Aug. 15, passed Dover Aug. 23".
Only a short way from her destination, on 20 October 1897, St. Cuthbert was caught in a severe gale and sank when her load shifted. All hands feverishly shoveled coal while the ship lay over almost on her beam ends, with her keel showing when she rolled. A hopeless task, Drummond called for the ship to be abandoned. It was impossible to launch the lifeboats on the weather side of the ship, so they were run astern. A line was made to each member of the crew who then had to swim to the boats. Fortunately, the entire crew survived, including the skipper's wife and even the ship's dog. The crew was adrift for three days without food and were passed by several steamers before finally being rescued by the steamer SS Condor.
Lloyd's Register records the following telegraph messages at the time, taken from the Shipping Gazette Weekly Summary.
"Montevideo, Oct. 25, 10 a.m. - A sailer, Newcastle for Buenos Ayres [sic], foundered about 80 miles off the coast. All on board saved and landed at Polonio. Will telegraph the name as soon as possible." [SGWS, 29 Oct. 1897, p. 693]
"Montevideo, Oct. 25, 12.15 p.m. - The name of the vessel which foundered about 80 miles off coast is St. Cuthbert." [SGWS, 29 Oct. 1897, p. 693]
"St. Lucia (by Cable, received 12 November) - Steamer Condor reports having spoken 23rd near Montevideo two boats with crew of barque St. Cuthbert. Barque sunk." [SGWS, 19 Nov. 1897, p. 741]
"Montevideo, Oct. 30 - The barque St. Cuthbert, Drummond [Master], from Newcastle to Buenos Ayres [sic], with coals [sic] and bricks, encountered a tremendous hurricane on Oct. 20, in 34 S, 52 W. Next day she was abandoned and three minutes later she sunk; crew saved." [SGWS, 26 Nov. 1897, p. 757]
There are no further references to the St. Cuthbert in the Shipping Gazette, but the Board of Trade Casualty Returns for 1897/1898 add that she was carrying a crew of 19 and that the position where she foundered was "34 20 S., long. 52 W" in the South Atlantic.
Albert was landed home in Newcastle, probably around two months later, to find his mother had passed away in the meantime and that his younger brother, 10-year-old Leonard, had been sent to live with their uncle and aunt Jack and Elizabeth Dall in Liverpool. His older brother, John George jnr., was also away at sea when their mother died, and did not arrive back in South Shields until 27 November. We assume the two young men, now orphaned, saw no reason to stay home, as within a short time they were both back at sea again. Albert joined the barque Albuera on 28 January 1898, whilst John George departed before him aboard SS Milo on 29 December 1897.