Black Middens, Alexander

1794 wreck of British craft which stranded on the Black Middens during a storm, en route from London to Shields; a wooden sailing vessel. `The ALEXANDER, Bartleman, from London to Shields, is lost.' (1)

ALEXANDER AND MARGARET, wrecked on the Black Middens. (2)

Source (3) expresses the date of loss as the LL. reporting date of 31-JAN-1794, and the position of loss as `offshore South Shields.'

`Newcastle, February 1, 1794...Saturday morning last, after a sharp wind from the SW, the wind remarkably suddenly shifted to the NE, from whence we had a perfect hurricane of several hours' duration, accompanied with a very heavy fall of snow, which continued (with a severe frost) to fall in great quantities that day and on Sunday and Monday...

`Extract of a letter from Shields: "Saturday morning last, a most tremendous gale of wind sprang up for [sic] the NNE, accompanied with thick showers of snow...The ALEXANDER, TYRO, and DOROTHY, were stranded between Seaton Point and Sunderland. Happily all the crews were saved." ' (4)

`Newcastle, Feb. 1...On Saturday morning last, came on the most violent gale of wind (accompanied with a great fall of snow) almost ever remembered.

`Of the ships which we have heard of being ashore, are, the ALEXANDER, Bartleman...' (5)

Master: Bartleman (1)(5); Newcastle (2)