Two Gartcraig bricks recovered from the shipwreck of the ‘Carlisle Castle’ off the coast near Penguin Island, South of Fremantle, Western Australia.
Tony Tapper writes – I was a National Park Ranger on Penguin Island. This small island is a sanctuary for Fairy Penguins. The Island lies south-west of the Port of Freemantle. A number of unknown wrecks have been reported around Penguin Island. A diver brought ashore 2 Gartcraig bricks to the Island after a dive some 30 years ago and left without further interest. There is a possibility that the diver in question actually found them at Coventry Reef which lies 3 nautical miles off Penguin Island where the Carlisle Castle was wrecked after a long journey from Glasgow to Freemantle and was wrecked in July 1899. This was a large fully rigged ship.
Wreck details source. – The ship was built in 1868 by R and H Green of Blackwall, London, England. It was owned by J Robertson and the captain was Captain James Lindsay (50), It was the captain’s first voyage aboard this ship although he was a very experienced sailor and had sailed the route many times.
It was sunk on 11/07/1899 during a force 10 gale off the Western Coast of Australia at Warnboro Rockingham Coventry Reef. The crew of 24 were all lost. It had been sailing from Glasgow (stopped off at Liverpool) to Freemantle. She left the Clyde on 21/03/1899. The cargo is listed as rail lines and general and was valued at £40 – 50,000.
Wreck information.
15/07/1899 – Dundee Courier – The loss of the ‘Carlisle Castle’. A strange premonition. Captain James Lindsay, of the Carlisle Castle, the Clyde steamer which has been reported lost off the coast of Australia, is an Aberdeen man. It appears that Captain Lindsay before sailing had a premonition that something would happen to the vessel, and handed over his watch to his wife before going on board. So great a hold did this idea take on his mind that his wife, who often accompanied him to sea would not go with him. Mrs Lindsay was urged by the owners to accompany her husband, but she firmly declined and thus has been saved from the fate which has overtaken him.
Below – 01/09/1899 – Ross-shire Journal – Shipping disaster.
Below – 19/07/1899 – Aberdeen Press and Journal – Captain James Lindsay, Carlisle Castle.
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Brian Tarbuck states this brick was found in Augusta, Maine, USA while replacing a water pipe. Allan & Mann, Port Eglinton, Glasgow Alternative brickworks include: Rutherglen Pottery, Glasgow. Mallsmire Works, Myrtle Park, Crosshill, Glasgow. ,
Found by John Barnard at Fitzroy, Falkland Islands. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein & Co, Anchor Brickworks, Denny, Stirlingshire. Milnquarter Fireclay & Gannister Works, Bonnybridge, Stirlingshire .
Many thanks to Vladimir Smirnov for highlighting this brick to me which was found in the vicinity of the St. Petersburg Region, Gatchina Region, Russia by a brick collector, Alexander Korolev. It was discovered the stove of a private house. Stein, Castlecary Fireclay Works, Castlecary, Stirlingshire. Stein, Manuel Firebrick and Refractory Works, Whitecross, Stirlingshire. Stein &…
Found by Glyn Harrison at an unknown location in New Zealand. This example is not in my possession. Douglas Fireclay Works, Dalry, Ayrshire. The reference to Bigelow on this special undoubtedly refers to the Bigelow Arch Company of Detroit, USA. Bigelow-Liptak Corporation was originally incorporated in 1927 with the merger of the Bigelow Arch Company of…
Found by Ken Sousa in Massachusetts, USA. Gartcraig Fire Clay Works, By Millerston, Glasgow. . . . .
Found by Claudio Ernesto Rios. Claudio states – The bricks were found in the City of Zárate, Buenos Aires, Argentina. In a fridge (almost totally destroyed today) the fridge’s name was Smithfield Refrigerator of English capital, built in 1903, so I would believe those bricks were manufactured in the last decade of the 19th century….
Found by Patricio Peralta in an old bakery, Lincoln, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. “Calder British Made”. Bonnybridge Silica & Fireclay Co Ltd, Bonnybridge. alt Calder Firebrick Works, Airdrie, Lanarkshire. alt Chapelhall Works, Lanarkshire. Hepworth Ceramic Holdings plc (GR-Stein Refractories Ltd. parent co) bought the Bonnybridge Silica & Fireclay Co. Ltd in 1972, closed Bonnybridge…
Found by Senja Salmi in Sääksjärvi, Mäntsälä, Finland. Senja states – We are not sure how old this house is but at least about 100 years old and it was built by the last blacksmith of this village. Bonnybridge Silica & Fireclay Co Ltd, Bonnybridge. alt Calder Firebrick Works, Airdrie, Lanarkshire. alt Chapelhall Works, Lanarkshire….
Found by Hans Nilsson in the sea at Furuögrund, Sweden. Hans states – The brick was found in Furuögrund north of Skellefteå. Furuögrund was the port where wood products from the area where produced and shipped. At many places ballast was left. The ballast, usually stone not found in Sweden…like flint and sometimes even a…
Found by Sarina Martin in Bremerhaven, Germany. Prestongrange Brick, Tile and Fireclay Works, Prestonpans, East Lothian. . . . .
