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An early picture of the Heugh breakwater.
The main problem preventing the building of the Harbour of Refuge was money. The Government of the day did not provide the money because it argued that the issue was a local matter. The Act of 1855 allowed the Port and Harbour Commissioners to borrow £835,000. This would work out in the region of £40 million today, which would have been impossible for the Port and Harbour Commission to pay back.
For over ten years Ralph Ward Jackson, the Member of Parliament for the Hartlepools, campaigned forcefully in Parliament to persuade the Government to provide the money. No solution was ever reached, and eventually steam power took over from sail. The need for a harbour of refuge became less pressing, because steam powered boats were able to sail against the wind. This meant they were less likely to be blown onto the rocks.
After a space of fourteen years, the Commissioners finally decided that they were not going to be able to raise the money. In 1851 work had started on a breakwater, which had been built to a length of 750 feet (229m). The work had been interrupted for fear that it would interfere with the plans for the Harbour of Refuge. The Commissioners obtained a further Act of Parliament in 1869 so they could at least complete the Breakwater, which needed to be 600 feet (183m) longer. The second half of the Breakwater was built, and provided some shelter for ships entering the port. It can still be seen today, jutting out from the Headland.
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An early picture of the Heugh breakwater. |
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| This photograph shows the Heugh breakwater, and the dangerous rocks which surround it. |
If the Harbour of Refuge had been built, it would have saved hundreds of lives. It would have also saved thousands of pounds in lost ships and cargo. One can only guess how the two towns might have grown in size and importance with the increase in trade brought by the guarantee of the safe arrival of trading ships.
