Crest of the Wave

Crest of the Wave was a 20 ton pearling lugger. She was not registered, and her details are unknown. So many luggers and fishing boats were not recorded anywhere and were known only to the men who worked aboard, and those who shared a fleet with them.

In December 1870 Crest of the Wave was working pearling grounds near Cossack. She was accompanied by Pilot, Mystery, Mary Ann and Bonnie Dundee. On 24 December they were anchored at the Lower Landing inside Butcher Inlet. They were doing well, and Crest of the Wave had a good load of shell aboard. The barometer started to fall on 19 December, and the pearlers were aware they might be in for a “blow”.

The barometer on board the Mary Ann began to drop, and the other boats were notified that the glass was dropping fast. It fell to 714 millimetres, lower than had been recorded before. And the cyclone that struck was to be the worst experienced on the northwest coast. Some crew members went ashore, thinking they would be safer. The boat owners and commanders thought they would be safe in Butcher Inlet but nowhere was safe from this cyclone.

Crest of the Wave had two crew members aboard. They were Henry Howard and Edward Percival. Henry was born in Weymouth, England in 1842. He was the eldest of seven children of James Howard and Elizabeth Biggs. He was 27. Edward was born in 1845. He was 24.

As the skies darkened and the northeasterly winds strengthened, the boats threw out extra anchors and prepared to ride out the rogue seas.

By 1.30am on 25 December the Mystery was carried ashore. George Blurton, her master heard Henry Howard shouting for help. The Crest of the Wave was sinking. George Blurton and J Johnston tried to shout back, telling Henry to slip and run ashore. The wind was so strong and blowing in the wrong direction for Henry to hear them. There was a dinghy on the shore, but it was too rough for anyone to attempt to reach the men on Crest of the Wave.

After 10 long minutes, the men on the shore couldn’t hear Henry shouting any more. They got a glimpse of Crest of the Wave as she disappeared into the mass of foam and surf in the inlet.

The next morning the disaster became clear. In the settlement ten houses were blown away and the few remaining buildings were damaged.

George Blurton launched a boat to look for Henry Howard and Edward Percival. The Crest of the Wave was gone. On the beach opposite to where she was moored was a bag of clothes belonging to Henry. There were some hatches and a tiller arm from the Crest of the Wave on the beach, and George’s crew found an anchor and two quarter casks he had recently lent to Henry. George knew that one of the casks was on the deck of Crest of the Wave and one was in the hold.

George searched for a second anchor, as he knew henry and Edward had two anchors down, but the second one was not found, and it was thought that Crest of the Wave had parted from one anchor and then was capsized or swamped. The ebb tide took her out to sea, dragging her second anchor. George also knew neither Henry nor Edward could swim.

The inlet was strewn with wreckage. Police constable Glover searched the mangroves around the inlet, hoping the men may have been washed into a small creek. He found sign of them, nor did he find any further wreckage of the Crest of the Wave. When he spoke to Captain Kerr of the Mary Ann, the captain said he had heard shouting at 1.30am but could not tell which direction the voice came from in the howling wind.

Although the reports stated that no trace of Henry Howard or Edward Percival, or the Crest of the Wave was ever found, there is a burial/memorial site dedicated to each of the men in Cossack Cemetery.