The Curious Case of Thomas Maxwell

Thomas Maxwell was born in Dundee sometime between the years 1847 and 1850. He was the son of Thomas Maxwell, a weaver, and Margaret Duff. As a young man Thomas became a merchant seaman, working as a fireman on many different merchant ships. On November 28, 1871 he married Margaret Gow, the daughter of John Gow and Mary Flannery, in Dundee. At the time of his marriage, his occupation was given as merchant seaman. On August 23, 1872 the couple's first, and probably only, child was born-a daughter whom they named Jessie.

The 1881 census finds Thomas aboard the vessel "Ella" enumerated at Middlesbrough, York, England. Thomas was also listed as a fireman aboard this ship. On the 6th of January of 1882, Thomas signed a crew agreement for the ship Benalder bound from Dundee to Glasgow. The agreement notes that Thomas had previously been a crewman aboard the Circassia of West Hartlepool.

On the morning of January 10, 1882, the Benalder was in the harbor at Longhope, Orkney. At approximately 5:00 am Thomas Maxwell went overboard, drowning in the waters there. The marine Register Book for Returns of Deaths at Sea records the death of Thomas Maxwell, aged 31 of Dundee, a fireman aboard the ship Benalder on January 10, 1882. The official cause of death recorded as "Suicide by drowning."

A search of newspapers in both Dundee and Glasgow failed to turn up any information regarding the incident. In Orkney, The Orcadian for January 14th 1882 contained the following article:

LONGHOPE
SUICIDE-At five o'clock on Tuesday morning, Thomas Maxwell, aged 32, a native of Dundee, and fireman on board the steamer Benalder, of Leith, at present windbound at Longhope, committed suicide by jumping overboard. The chief officer jumped after him, and with a rope endeavored to rescue; but Maxwell was quite insensible, and the officer, having only his underclothing on, became benumbed, and had to let go the rope. He was rescued by the steamer's boat in a very exhausted condition. Maxwell's body has not yet been recovered.

On Monday, April 3, 1882 the following article appeared within the pages of The Scotsman:

GALLANTRY REWARDED
Mr Harvie, chief officer of the S.S. Benalder, of Leith, has been awarded they honorary bronze medal of the Royal Humane Society for heroic exertions in endeavouring to save the life of one of the firemen of the vessel, who went overboard during a gale of westerly wind, while the vessel was lying in Longhope harbour, Orkney, on 10th January last.

And on March 25, 1882, The Times reported on a meeting of the Royal Humane Society stating:

The medallion was also awarded to James Harvie, for attempting to save Thomas Maxwell, who jumped into Longhope Bay, Orkney, on the 10th of January

The archives of the Royal Humane Society for case #21562 provide the most detailed account of what transpired on that morning. They record the incident as occurring at 4:30 am in the Bay at Longhope on a cloudy and dark morning. The particulars of the incident reveal that the ship was at anchor when Thomas jumped overboard, "with the intention of committing suicide." At the time of the event, there was a strong wind with the ship rolling at the anchor. The particulars also record that no rescue boat was lowered until 15 minutes after the event.

The information documented in the RHS records also paints a rather clear, but tragic picture of the brave attempt by James Harvie to rescue Thomas Maxwell.

Harvie rushed on deck threw a rope over, then instantly jumped in, he succeeded in catching hold of the man and assisted him to the rope which he tried to make the man grasp but without avail. Owing to mismanagement on board, the rope was pulled too far out of the water, then when the men on board were called to, they slackened too much, thus immersing both men who were clinging to it under the water. The mate was obliged to let go his hold of the man only to save himself and not until he thought him dead.

Even in light of the information provided by these documents many questions still remain. Why did Thomas Maxwell committ suicide? What might have caused him to become so 'insensible' that the attempt at rescuing him was unsuccessful? And does it not seem a bit odd that someone would committ suicide from a ship lying in harbor? Why was the rescue boat not lowered until it was too late? Was Thomas body ever recovered? Was he finally buried on land or lost forever at sea?


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