Lufra - The Missing West Hartlepool Steamer - 1888

Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, Monday, January 9^th, 1888:
THE MISSING WEST HARTLEPOOL STEAMER. LIST OF THE LUFRA'S CREW. Messrs. Ropner and Co., the owners of the s.s. Lufra, have this morning received a letter from Captain F. Burnitt, of their steamer Elpis, which left the Tyne a day or two previously to the Lufra leaving Cardiff for Genoa.
He states that they encountered no gales in the Channel or the Bay of Biscay, merely strong winds. They had a fine winter's passage to the Gulf of Genoa, where they felt strong easterly and northerly gales, but he did not expect they would extent beyond the Gulf. It was reported at Genoa that the s.s. Lufra had been seen off Cape San Sabastian, and he also heard the same report at Carthagena. He had not, however, been able to find any foundation for the statement.
In the light of Captain Bennett's report of the weather, it seems strange that the s.s. Lufra should be missing. Her crew, which shipped at Cardiff, were as follows, but the owners do not know their various addresses : J. M. Grimstead. captain, of Sunderland; George B. Cooper, first mate; Alfred P. Gurney, second mate; Henry Pederson, steward ; John Shoppo, cook ; William Bowen, boatswain; Christy Eriksen, A.B.; Martin Henning, A.B.; M. Waitiga, A.B.; Fred Colley, A.B.; Carl Ellingsen, A.B.; J.P.H. Geldsetzer, 1st engineer; Thos. Walker, 2nd engineer; James Whetton, 3rd engineer ; Joseph Crocker, donkeyman ; John Chapman, fireman; Wm. Gower, fireman; Wm. Corner, fireman; George Murray, fireman; William Penton, fireman: James Lewis, engineer's steward.

Daily Gazette for Middlesbrough, Monday, January 9^th, 1888:
THE MISSING WEST HARTLEPOOL STEAMER. HOPE ABANDONED. The whereabouts of the West Hartlepool steamer Lufra, which, as already reported in our columns, left Cardiff on the 12th December with a cargo of coals for Genoa, is still shrouded in mystery, and her owners, Messrs. Ropner and Company, are now reluctantly compelled to abandon all hope as to her safety.
Her course was through a much frequented portion of the ocean, and had she become disabled some vessel, it is thought, would have seen and reported her before this. There is therefore, only too much reason to fear that she has been either overwhelmed in a storm or has suffered from an explosion of her cargo. Her owners incline to the latter supposition, as it is known that her cargo consisted largely of inflammable coal. She was a remarkably fine vessel of the well-deck type, and was not likely to succumb to such a storm as might be encountered in the Mediterranean, which there is reason to believe she reached in safety.
The following is a list of her crew: J.M. Grimstead, master; G. B. Cooper, first mate; A.P. Gurney, second mate; H. Pedersen, steward; J, Shoppo, cook; Wm. Bowen, boatswain and Lamps; Christy Eriksen, Martini Henning, M. Waitaga, F. Colley, C. Ellingsen, able-bodied seamen; J. P. H. Geldsetzer, first engineer; Thomas Walker, second engineer; Jas. Whetton, third engineer; Joseph Crocker, donkeyman; John Chapman, Wm. Gower, Wm. Corner, George Murray, and Wm. Benton, firemen; James Lewis, engineers' boy.
The master belonged to Sunderland, the chief mate to South Shields, and the engineers to Stockton and Middlesbrough. The addresses of the other members of the crew are not known. This morning the owners received a letter dated Carthagena, January 4, from Captain Burnett of the steamer Elpis, who writes, in reply to a letter from Messrs. Ropner, that he experienced no gales in the Channel or Bay of Biscay, merely strong winds. "I may say," he adds," that we had a fine winter's passage to the Gulf of Genoa, where we had strong easterly and northerly gales, which I don't expect extended beyond the Gulf. It was reported in Genoa that the Lufra had been seen off Cape Sebastian. I also heard the same report to-day at Carthagena, but cannot find any foundation for it.” The Elpis, we may add, left England about the same time as the Lufra, and also belongs to Messrs. Ropner. The missing ship was built by Messrs. Gray and Co., of West Hartlepool, six years ago, and carried about 3,300 tons dead weight.

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