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BIRCH’S LOOKOUT – Providenciales
Excerpt from Turks Islands Landfall
A History of the Turks & Caicos Islands
by H.E. Sadler

In the 1800s, Blue Hills was wrecking capital of these islands and a fleet of small sloops were stationed here to attend to the numerous unfortunate craft which frequently piled up on the treacherous Northwest Reef of Providenciales. The high ground at Birch’s Lookout served as a vantage point from which the vigilant wrecking crews could spot their approaching prey from afield. Our map shows the strategic location on Birch’s lookout, situated on a 125-foot high point on Providenciales, from which all approaches to the coast could be surveyed. Some of the casualties of the area are listed below:

1850: On the morning of Sunday, April 7^th, the American ship Gwen Emma, Captain Perry, wrecked at Providenciales while bound to Jamaica with provisions and staves.

The same year on August 6^th, the American schooner General Taylor, from Baltimore bound for Kingston with assorted cargo, ran onshore at Birch’s Lookout. The Nassau sloop Lively and local boats got the ship off without much damage and the General Taylor called in at Grand Turk before proceeding on its voyage. The salvors were awarded $2,000 for their efforts. The Lively met her fate the following year off the Northwest Reef of Grand Turk.

1858: On June 6^th, the American schooner Virginia, bound from Carolina to Cuba with a large cargo of rice and flour, was lost near Birch’s Lookout, but the cargo was salvaged.

1860: On January 6^th, the German brig Augusto was wrecked wrecked with a cargo of logwood near Birch’s Lookout. Her cargo was salvaged.

In July, the American ship Nauset was wrecked and her cargo fetched $21,000 at auction.

1863: On February 12^th, the brig Josephuns was on the Northwest Point of Providenciales on a voyage from Baltimore to Kingston with a cargo of provisions.

At the same spot on March 8^th, the American schooner Harriet was wrecked with an identical cargo which was salvaged for auction.

On August 1^st, the brig Gietanna, of Newfoundland, was lost off Birch’s Lookout on her way to Kingston. Over 1800 barrels of auction of flour were salvaged.

On October 26^th, the schooner Williamina, bound from Boston to Cuba lumber, also piled up at Wheeling Cut.

1864: On June 3^rd, the Spanish schooner Pagutete Mayari, bound for Puerto Plata, was wrecked off Birch’s Lookout, but her consignment of wine, olives and lumber was sold at auction.

On July 31^st, the brig Laura, bounded for Haiti from New York, perished off Birch’s Lookout and her load of provisions was sold for $13,000, on which a 47% commission was paid to the salvors.

On November 27^th, the American barque Spartan was wrecked on the Northwest Reef, but her lumber and food was saved.

On December 7^th, the brig William Allan was also lost off Blue Hills on her way from Jamaica to Grand Turk for salt.

1865: On August 10^th, the schooner Flash, bound for Puerto Rico, perished in sight of Birch’s Lookout, but the large consignment for provisions was saved.

1868: On November 25^th, the brig Maguire of New York, bound for Cuba, was lost off Birch’s Lookout and the entire cargo perished with the ship.

1883: On April 24^th, the schooner Bassie Carry, of Halifax bound Cuba with lumber, perished off Birch’s Lookout.

1884: On December 13^th, a similar fate overtook the brig Sarah Kamey, loaded with provisions.

1885: On October 24^th, the brig Laurella, bound from Halifax to Kingston, was also lost off Birch’s Lookout, but her provisions were saved.

1886: On June 25^th, the schooner Macomber, bound from Carolina to Haiti, was lost near Birch’s Lookout, but her cargo of lumber was salvaged.

1895: The next fatality was the American schooner Lizzie W. Mathenson, 184 tons burden, with A.K. Matheson as her Master, which was wrecked on Birch’s Lookout Reef on the right of the 28^th of April. This schooner was laden with ice and bound for Port au Prince from Lockport, Maryland. The material and stores were brought to Grand Turk.

1914: The Pickford and Black Line steamer Antita was lost on North Caicos, and a large cargo of codfish, flour and other foodstuffs was salaged.

In June 1972, the islands experienced several weeks of rough seas and the reef between Providenciales and West Caicos nearly claimed antoher victim. The Panamanian cargo vessel Geltin, 3000 tons and 450 feet long, was bound from Rotterdam to Kingston with a cargo of fertilizer. For over two weeks, she was firmly well up on the reef with three-quarters of her keel well up on the reef. A Dutch tug was summoned from Jamaica to pull her off, but at first nothing could be achieved.

The only crew member allowed ashore was a man named Abraham, from Gambia, who had to be taken to Grand Turk Hospital to have his appendix removed. The elderly capital had problems dealing with his mixed crew, who complained bitterly about being kept aboard. Eventually, eleven of the unhappy crew were flown from Providenciales to Grand Turk to catch the Mackey flight to "anywhere else other than here", leaving another dozen or so on board including the captain.

The Dutch tug and the Marifax remained there to take off some of the superphosphate cargo and, according to the Lloyd’s Agent, Mr "Bolie" Been, the ship was re-floated at 4 p.m. three days later.

SAXON TRAGEDY

The steamship Saxon, of Liverpool, England, left New York on the 29^th of January 1886, bound for Haiti with general cargo under the command for Captain Weyman. For the first four days out, the weather was stormy, but moderated when the vessel entered the Caribbean and steamed towards the Caicos Passage. On the evening of Thursday, the 4^th of February, the cost of the Caicos Islands was clearly visible and the breeze was moderated. However, at 8 p.m. that night, the vessel ran aground on a reef some distance from the south end of Providenciales.

The chief engineer, Mr William Mason, put the engines in reverse and at daybreak, Friday, the crew commenced throwing portions of the cargo overboard. This was all to no avail and, at 9 p.m. that same night, the engines stopped and the ship stared to break up. A lifeboat was launched, but was swamped alongside, drowing the second mate and the cook. A little later, the first and second engineers, two firemen and two sailors pulled for the shore in the other lifeboat, leaving the captain, mate,steward, one sailor and one fireman aboard. During the night, the mate who was the captain’s son,jumped overboard and was drowned. The steward and the other sailor were also washed into the sea and perished. The captain became delirious and died, leaving only the fireman, who remained on the vessel.

On Sunday morning, the Saxon was boarded by the wrecking sloop Silver Lake, which rescued the fireman and took the body of Captain Weyman for burial of the shoes on West Caicos. A portion of the cargo was salvaged and later sold at auction. However, the vessel was said to have contained over 4000 silver dollars, and Mr Jeremiah D. Murphy, the celebrated local diver, hastened to the scene and succeeded in recovering the sum of $1030. It was presumed that a good portion of the balance had fallen into the hands of the unscrupulous Blue Hills wreckers, who had arrived on the spot far earlier.

Today, anyone entering the western approaches of the Caicos Banks can still see the remains of Saxon’s old iron hull still firmly affixed to the reef.