Boating Accident - Conway - 20th August 1890

[Paulakelsall]

Found this article in Llandudno Library (on a side note I thought the Librarian was joking at first when she wouldn't stamp the slip at the front of my library book so I'd know when to return it - apparently she didn't want the ink stamp to mess up the front of the book!)

Weekly News and Visitors’ Chronicle - 21st August 1890

Late News

Sad Accident to a Conway Pilot Boat
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Supposed loss of 8 Lives

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GREAT EXCITEMENT.

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Yesterday (Wednesday), about 2.30 in the afternoon, a large Norwegian vessel was taken out of Conway river, in tow of a Liverpool tug, in charge of four Conway pilotmen, viz: William Jones, senior, (Stoney), William Evans, Swan terrace, Edward Polin, Lowergate street, and Robert Evans, son of Mr E. Evans, Habour master. The boat which the men had with them, also carried some visitors who went out for a pleasure trip to the bay. In the ordinary course, the boat and its occupants should have arrived back at Conway between 5 and 6 p.m. Seeing no signs of the boat’s return, relatives and friends became anxious as to its whereabouts. Later on telegrams were despatched to Llandudno and various other places on the coast to ascertain if anything had been seen of them but without avail. Boats were also sent out to search the bay, but returned this (Thursday) morning without any clue whatever of the missing boat or its occupants.

The two young gentlemen visitors have been staying at Conway for the last few weeks, and were accompanied by two young ladies from Deganwy. About seven o’clock this morning (Thursday) news was received that the boat was found bottom upwards on the shore near the Great Orme’s Head, and in close proximity to the home, in former years of William Evans, whose body was found in the boat. It is doubtless that all the other occupants have met with the same sad fate.
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The names of the visitors were Mr Humphrey James Thompson, Mr Greene, Miss Beatrice Varcoe & Miss Fanny Varcoe. All with the exception of Mr Greene are buried in St Agnes Cemetery.

[Pendragon]

I'm going up to St Agnes today so I'll look out for those graves.

[Paulakelsall]

Hi Pendragon.

Did you manage to get to St Agnes Cemetery? I was just wondering if it remains in an overgrown state. There are some graves, in the older sections, I want to photograph but I've never been able to get through the brambles etc 

Thanks

Paula

[Pendragon]

Unfortunately St Agnes has become even more overgrown than my last visit.  In pic 1 you can get a rough guide of how tall and dense the brambles have become, pic 2 shows graves almost completely buried in ivy and brambles.  It's not right seriously this is just wrong    Pic 3 is a grave that has in recent months been maintained and repainted, these relatives must have been gutted when they realised the last resting place for their relatives had been left in such a state of neglect.

[Paulakelsall]

Thanks for the photos, there seems little point in my attempting another wander round.

The place is in a terrible mess. I did contact the Community Payback Workers Unit sometime ago but they never got back to me . In contrast I was at Caerhun Church/Cemetery at the weekend and the grass was cut with no sign of brambles. Considering the out of the way remote location of the Church and, I would imagine, limited congregation it looked so well kept.

It may be worth contacting the above scheme - the more requests they get .... you never know! ££$