DECEMBER 7TH. - THURSO, CAITHNESS-SHIRE. In the early morning a north-westerly gale, between 80-90 miles an hour, was blowing, with a very heavy sea and showers of rain and hail, and at 2.30 a steam drifter, with no one on board, broke adrift. She drifted towards the life-boat, lying at moorings, carried away one of her mooring ropes and bent four stanchions.

Together the two vessels continued to drift until they came alongside a steamer. There they were secured. At 9.15 in the morning the life-boat crew were summoned, and they went out and moored the life-boat in a vacant berth. At eleven in the morning it could be seen that a steamer in Scrabster roadstead, the S.S. Sado, of Haugesund, Norway, was in difficulties. She was a vessel of over 900 tons, laden with cement for Scrabster, and had a crew of 17. A few minutes later she was heard blowing her siren for help, and at 11.45 A.M.

the motor life-boat H.C.J. slipped her moorings and went to the Sado’s help. As shewas going out between the pier heads, a squall struck her and she scraped against one of them, damaging the edge of the deck.

She found that the steamer had lost both her anchors and was drifting. The coxswain put one of his crew on board and, with the lifeboat standing by, the Sado was taken into harbour and moored. It was then 12.30 P.M.

Two hours later the steamer broke all her ropes and went aground. - Property salvage case..