Mary (1879/06/04)

Lockeville Jetty

Mary was built at Fremantle by James Storey, having one deck and an elliptical stern. It was launched in December 1868, and was described as being an exceedingly smart craft. The first owners were the builder (16 shares), William Miles (16 shares) and William and George Pearse (jointly owning 32 shares). Storey mortgaged his shares to John Bateman for £100 at 15% in February 1870, the mortgage being paid off in July the following year. On the same day Storey sold his shares to William and George Pearse, as did Miles in November. In June 1873 the Pearse brothers sold 16 shares each to William Edward Marmion and John Tuckey. On the same day Tuckey mortgaged his 16 shares to the Pearse brothers for £170 at 10%, discharging it almost two years later in May 1875. At this time he sold his shares to Samuel Pearse, another member of the family.
The Mary had been at Binningup but the master, John Waldron, sought shelter at Lockeville because of approaching bad weather. There were four passengers on board, D. Pontivivo and three unnamed Malays.
THE LOSS
On 4 June 1879 the Mary was tied up alongside the jetty at Lockeville, but as the weather worsened the schooner was hauled off and moored to the West Australian Timber Company’s mooring about 180 m from the jetty. By 2.00 a.m. the following morning the heavy seas were breaking over the vessel, which dragged the mooring. The Mary hit a jetty pile and then went broadside on to the jetty. In this position it became impossible to manoeuvre the vessel into the lee of the jetty, so Waldron payed out cable to enable the schooner to be backed gradually into shallow water. After striking bottom a number of times the masts fell. The crew then scuttled the vessel to steady it and diminish the pounding. The Mary, however, became a complete wreck. The four passengers got ashore and travelled to Fremantle aboard the cutter Maud, arriving there on 21 June.
INQUIRY
A Court of Inquiry by J.D. Harris and J. Cookworthy, commenced on 9 June at Vasse but was adjourned to 14 June. Its finding cleared the master and crew of blame for the loss of the Mary.
INITIAL SALVAGE
The manager of the timber company requested that the harbour master, George Forsyth, remove the wreck. The Government’s legal advice was that legislation did not apply to private jetties and so its removal was not their responsibility. The company therefore bought the wreck, which by its position had been preventing repairs to their jetty from being undertaken.
SITE LOCATION
The remains of the wreck of the Mary lie close to the jetty piles, about 40 m from the shore.
SITE DESCRIPTION
When first inspected by Graeme Henderson of the Western Australian Museum in December 1970, the keel and sternpost of the Mary were visible, together with some frames projecting above the sand, a heap of ballast stones and some planking. A later inspection in February 1989 showed that much of this material had either disappeared or been buried under the sand. It may be presumed that, after purchasing the wreck in 1879, the Western Australian Timber Company salvaged much of its timbers in order to clear their jetty.
EXCAVATION AND ARTEFACTS
The wreck inspection carried out in 1970 recovered rudder fittings, blocks, a pulley sheave and some ballast stones. The jarrah rudder of the Mary was recovered by fishermen from Busselton during the 1960s. This rudder was described as having been covered with coal tar, so was well preserved, and is now on display in the Busselton Museum.