Stories from Old Newspapers


Drowning Fatality at Ballinacurra – A Captain Lost

Waterford Standard 20 March 1901

A very sad and rather tragic fatality occurred at Ballinacurra late on Friday night, the victim being Patrick Christopher, captain or skipper of the three masted schooner Maria McMillian, a vessel belonging to a merchant in Dungarvan named McCarthy.  It appears that the deceased arrived with his vessel on Friday from Plymouth with a cargo of guano manure for a local merchant, and being engaged during the evening in doing some necessary business about the locality, returned to his vessel about 11 or 12 o’clock on Friday night when he accidentally fell into the tidal waters of Ballinacurra Quay, where the vessel was lying.  His body was found on Saturday at about 9.30 in low water, between the vessel and the quay.  Which would go to show that he missed his footing…Deceased who bore an excellent character, was aged about 35 and was unmarried, his native place being Dungarvan.

John Young in his Maritime & General History of Dungarvan has the following details on this schooner:

Built at Ardrossan by Barr in 1862.  She was then owned by Fisher & Co, registered in Barrow and Lancaster.  The crew were: Captain Whelan, Patrick Christopher and Captain Gibbons.  Her dimensions were 80ftx20ftx10ft.  While based in Dungarvan she was owned by the Moloney family.