Friends of Hastings Cemetery

Hennah Family continued

With reference to the missing steamer Basuto, of which mention was made a few days ago, the London "Daily Mail" states that its Ostend correspondent on January31 telegraphed that a bottle had been picked up containing the note:- "Steamer Basuto.- Ship sinking. Fore (four?) boats overboard.  No time for more. Deacons(?) drowned. - Captain Drummond."  The newspaper goes on to say:- "If this bottle is not a hoax - and there seems to be little reason to believe that it is - it provides a final link in the chain of evidence establishing the grim fate of the Basuto."  The Basuto sailed on December 10 from Manchester for Bassorah, in the Persian Gulf, and the last heard of her was a signal off Anglesey from Captain Drummond on December 11- ''Delayed by gales." ………

Following up the above, the Orkney "Herald" of February 12 says:- "The message purporting to be from the captain of the Basuto, which was picked up in a bottle near Ostend, has been obtained by the Board of Trade and handed to Messrs.

Bucknall, the owners of the vessel, and examined by those who know the captain's handwriting.

Some of the officials have no doubt that it is in the hand-writing of Captain Drummond.  Others, however, are uncertain, and aver that some of the letters are quite unlike those of the captain.  The latter half of the message appears to have been written in a great hurry. It has been submitted to a hand-writing expert, whose opinion the owners are now awaiting. The Basuto had a crew of 17 British and 30 lascars."  The vessel's cargo was valued at £100,000.  No news has come to hand of the Basuto's boats.

Underwriters - "The past week has been a rather uneasy one for underwriters, the whereabouts of several large ships being eagerly awaited, and several valuable hulls and cargoes largely insured in the Room being concerned.

The chief of these is the Bucknall Line steamer BASUTO, which left Manchester for Bussorah in the Persian Gulf on December 11, and has not since been heard of.  The fact that she now stands at 85 gs. as an overdue is sufficient excuse for saying that the opinion is pretty general that the vessel, which sailed right into the bad weather of December 12 and 13, foundered not many days after leaving. The value of the hull of the BASUTO is exactly 30,000 pounds, and she has, it is stated, a very valuable cargo on board, one estimate placing its value at as much as 100,000 pounds.  The whole of the hull and cargo is covered by Lloyd's and the London Companies, and the loss on the cargo underwriters, who consider these risks tip top, will be very severe."