Page 18 - COBH EDITION 15th MARCH DIGITAL VERSION

Tragic Drowning near East Ferry 1933 - Jim Shealy
Sunday February 5th. 1933 was one of those beautiful days which can occur unexpectedly at
that time of year giving people a new exuberance and lust for life after the long winter.
Unfortunately for Mr Ralph Crimmins of East
Ferry that day in 1933 was to be most ill-fated
as he was to lose his life tragically in a boat-
ing accident on the North Channel of the Great
Island.

Ralph Crimmins was described at the time to
be a wealthy American and was a resident of
Belgrove House, this house was formerly owned
by the Gumbelton family and was home of the
esteemed gardener William Gumbleton. Crim-
mins was 37 years old at the time and left a
widow and four young children. A native of Mas-
sachusetts he was married to the daughter of
Sir Arthur Chance, Professor of Surgery at the
Royal College of Surgeons.

An experienced sailor Mr Cremmins was the owner of a 30 ton schooner which he had sailed
on many lengthy voyages. Early in the afternoon on the day in question he set out on the
schooners small lug sailed boat to visit his friend the American Vice Consul to Ireland R. R.
Patterson who lived nearby in one of the other Country Houses in the area, Ashgrove House,
former home of the Beamish family of brewing repute.
It appears from witness statements at the time that his small craft was upturned when struck
by a heavy squall throwing Mr. Crimmins into the water where he ended up clinging to the
keel of the upturned craft for a considerable time as it drifted further out into the channel.
His distress was spotted from the shore and the alarm was quickly raised. Word was quickly
relayed to the estate of Mr. Patterson, himself a keen boatman and the owner of a high speed
motor boat. Unfortunately Mr. Patterson was unable to start his boat, loosing valuable time,
meanwhile Mr.Crimmins drifting further out into the channel was unable to cling on any longer
and sadly when help finally arrived he had succumbed to his ordeal and had disappeared
under water.
When word got out of Mr Crimmins demise a great sadness descended on the population of
the Great Island, where Mr. Crimmins was well known and highly respected. Not only was
he a devoted husband and father but he was also well-known for his benevolence in giving
to local charities and particularly to the poor of Cobh. Being the owner of Belgrove Estate he
engaged a large number of locals as workers on on the estate, all who spoke profoundly of
him as an employer.
Within hours a search party was organised comprising of Cobh Gardaí, local fishermen and
many other locals searching along the shoreline. Using grappling irons to dredge the seabed
Mr. Cremmins body was quickly recovered. His body was brought back to his residence where
it was waked by his family and numerous friends and neighbours. Noel Cunningham who
presently farms his family farm at Ashgrove related to me how, his father told him, “it was a
very sad wake but Mr Crimmins got a massive send off from all and sundry. His family as a
mark of appreciation gave a five pound note, a considerable of money the time, to everyone
involved in the search and recovery or his body”.
Following an inquest held in Cobh at which Mr. Crimmins was declared to have died of drown-
ing as a result of an accident, Crimmins who had expressed a wish to be buried at sea was
given a sailors burial on Wednesday 8th.