At that time there was no-one on Tate Hill Pier. Almost everyone who lived nearby was in bed, and those who were not in bed were watching the storm from the cliff. There was a coastguard on duty on the eastern side of the harbour. Immediately he ran down to where the ship had crashed and was the first to climb on to it.

The men who were in charge of the searchlight continued to search the entrance of the harbour. However, they did not find any more ships. So then they turned the light on the abandoned ship and kept it there. The coastguard ran to the back of the ship. When he reached the wheel, he bent over to examine it. He jumped back at once as though he was surprised or shocked. Everyone wanted to know what he had seen, and many people began to run to the ship.

It is a long way to the ship from the West Cliff, but I (the person writing this report) am a fairly good runner. Therefore I arrived well ahead of the crowd. However, there were already many people who had reached the ship before me. The coastguard and police would not let any of these people on to the ship. Because I was a journalist, the people in charge allowed me to climb on deck. I was one of the few people who saw the dead sailor whilst he was actually tied to the wheel.