Wreck of the Sisters: A flat registered at Runcorn and owned
by J Dawson of Mostyn, built Runcorn 1864, 50 nt, with a crew of two was
carrying a cargo of pig iron from Mostyn when she got into trouble and
was lost on the East Hoyle Bank.
At half-past six o'clock on Saturday morning [26 September 1891] the
signal gun for the assembling of the lifeboat crew was fired at Hoylake,
and the men were quickly in attendance and proceeded to a coaster, which
had been observed on the north side of East Hoyle by the lookout at
Hilbre Island. It was seen that the crew of the vessel were in the
rigging with the sea breaking over them. Fortunately the tide was in
the lake [Hoyle Lake], which enabled the lifeboat to get afloat very
soon, and, under a fair wind and ebb tide, she quickly reached the
vessel in distress. The lifeboat men let go their anchor to windward of
the wreck and dropped down on to her. A heaving line was thrown from
the lifeboat to which was fastened a hawser, which the crew of the
coaster made fast to their mast and came along it to the lifeboat, and
were soon landed ashore at Hoylake.
The vessel proved to be the Sisters, of Mostyn, laden with a
cargo of iron, bound for Liverpool. The captain, William Parry, stated
that the vessel sprang a leak during the violence of the gale in the
Horse Channel about midnight, and they ran her on the bank to have a
chance for their lives, there being two feet of water in her when she
went ashore. A small trading steamer tried to rescue the crew by means
of their boat, before the appearance of the lifeboat, but the sea was
too great to make the attempt successful. Great credit is due to the
lifeboat men for the prompt and efficient manner in which the rescue was
effected, the crew being taken off the wreck within forty-five minutes
from the time the gun was fired.