Memorial to The Thomas W Lawson

Thomas W. Lawson was a seven-masted, steel-hulled schooner built for the Pacific trade, but used primarily to haul coal and oil along the East Coast of the United States. Named for copper baron Thomas W. Lawson, a Boston millionaire, stock-broker, book author, and President of the Boston Bay State Gas Co. she was launched in 1902 as the largest schooner and largest sailing vessel without an auxiliary engine ever built.

Thomas W. Lawson was destroyed off the uninhabited island of Annet, in the Isles of Scilly, in a storm on December 14, 1907, killing all but two of her eighteen crew and a harbour pilot already aboard. Her cargo of 58,000 barrels of light paraffin oil caused perhaps the first large marine oil spill.

This auxiliary anchor has been placed in the wall of Bleak House (formerly Fort House) holiday home of Charles Dickens and it is many miles from the wreck site. I can't find out why it is there, the picture is straight it is a rather steep hill !!

My Thanks to all who visit and comment it is appreciated