Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail, Tuesday, April 8th, 1879:
HARTLEPOOL BARQUE SUNK. SIX OF HER CREW DROWNED. Yesterday morning the Danish cattle steamer Olga, trading between Copenhagen and the Tyne, arrived at Newcastle, and reported having been in collision with and sunk the barque Thornton, of West Hartlepool, drowning six of the latter's crew. The Thornton sailed from West Hartlepool with coal for Danzig, on Friday last, having on board a crew of nine hands. On Saturday night, about ten minutes to eight o'clock, when about 180 miles from the English coast, the weather being thick at the time, she was run into by the Olga. She was struck on the port side against the main chains, the steamer cutting right into her. She filled with water almost immediately, going down almost in a minute and a half, before any efforts could be made to leave her, and the whole of the barque's crew were thrown into the water. A boat was lowered from the Olga, and three of the men were rescued ; but the other six, including the captain and the mate, were drowned.
They were as follows :— Captain, Wm. Toyn; Chief mate, Booth; Cook, William Holmes.; Able seaman, Charles Horn.; Ordinary seaman, John Stroughair; Apprentice, George Musson. The three who were saved were John Ireland and Frank Tracey, seamen, and William Lund, apprentice. Every attention was paid to them by Captain Odomen, of the Olga, and they were brought on to Newcastle yesterday, whence they were sent on to West Hartlepool, to which port they belong. The Olga was uninjured.
The Thornton, which was built at Sunderland in 1860, was a vessel of 346 registered tons, and was the property of Mr Isaac Bedlington, York Road, West Hartlepool.
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