WALMEB AND KINGSDOWNE, KENT.— On the 27th and 28th December, 1901, a heavy south-westerly gale prevailed in the Channel. The four-masted iron ship Mersey, of Grimstad, was driven on the Goodwin Sands, and in a very short time was engulfed. Happily, the crew of fourteen hands were rescued by the Walmer and Kingsdowne Life-boatmen.

The Mersey, which had been converted from a steamer into a sailing ship, was on a voyage from the River Plate to Goole, with a cargo of 1,400 tons of timber, used for dyeing purposes. In crossing the Atlantic she encountered severe weather, which strained the vessel a great deal. She drifted on to the Goodwin Sands early on Saturday morning. Shortly afterwards, as the vessel commenced to break up, the boats were lowered, but owing to the violence of the seas the crew were unable to take to them. Two tugs arrived, one from Dover and the Ramsgate Harbour tug Aid, but neither could get near enough to the doomed ship to take off the crew. In the meantime the Life-boats from Walmer and Kingsdowne, the Civil Service No. 4 and the Charles Hargrove, had been launched, and after an arduous pull reached the wreck and took off the crew. The Mersey's masts and rigging had fallen before the crew left her, and the men had some miraculous escapes from injury.

The Walmer boat landed her freight at Deal, whilst the remainder of the crew were put ashore at Kingsdowne..