Out of 52 souls on board, only two were _The Colonial Clippers

passenger. About these two a romance has been woven, which would have

done for Clark Russell. Tom Pearce, the apprentice, displayed such

gallantry and pluck in saving the passenger, Miss Carmichael, that he

became the hero of the hour in Australia. He was one of those people,

however, who have the name “Jonah” attached to them by sailors, for a

year later he suffered shipwreck again, in the _Loch Sunart_, which

was piled up on the Skulmartin Rock, 11th January, 1879. The story

goes that Tom Pearce was washed ashore and carried up in a senseless

condition to the nearest house. This happened to be the home of Miss

Carmichael, who fittingly nursed him back to health, with the proper

story book finish that he married her. Whether this is true or not,

Pearce lived to be a Royal Mail S.P. captain. He finally retired from

the sea in 1908 and died on 15th December of that year.

I now commence a series of tables of outward passages to Australia.

These have been compiled with as much care as possible, but slips

will creep into lists of this kind, and I should be very grateful if

any reader who is able to correct a date from an original abstract or

private journal would write to me, so that the mistake may be set right

in future editions. I have not always filled in a date, as where there

was any want of proof I have preferred to leave it blank.

Besides the regular traders, I have tried to include every ship making

the outward passage under 80 days, thus we find some of Smith’s

celebrated “Cities” and a number of the frigate-built Blackwallers

figuring in the lists. As regards outsiders, I have had to omit

several ships for want of sufficient data, but I think my lists are

complete as far as the regular traders are concerned.

PASSAGES UNDER 80 DAYS TO SYDNEY IN 1873.

+-------------+---------+-------+--------+---------+-------+----+

+-------------+---------+-------+--------+---------+-------+----+

|_Samuel_ |Plymouth |Dec. 11|Jan. 7 | Jan. 28 |Feb. 1 | 74 |

| _Plimsoll_ | Nov. 19| | ’74 | ’74 | ’74 | |

|_Cutty Sark_ |Channel | Jan. 4|Jan. 30| Feb. 25 |Mar. 4 | 78 |

| | Dec. 16| ’74 | ’74 | ’74 | ’74 | |

| | Apl. 12| May 9 |June 8 | June 24 |June 30| 79 |

| | | | | Ot.) | | |

+-------------+---------+-------+-------+----------+-------+----+

PASSAGES UNDER 80 DAYS TO MELBOURNE IN 1873.

+-------------+----------+--------+--------+--------+--------+----+

+-------------+----------+--------+--------+--------+--------+----+

| | May 12 | | | | | |

|_Thomas_ |Ushant |Sept. 14|Oct. 16 |Nov. 7|Nov. 8| 66 |

|_Ben_ |Tuskar |Nov. 2|Nov. 21 | |Dec. 13| 67 |

| _Cruachan_ | Oct. 7 | | | | | |

|_Loch Tay_ |Tuskar |Sept. 28|Oct. 22 |Nov. 13|Nov. 14| 69 |

|_Thermopylae_|Start |Dec. 30|Jan. 20 |Feb. 15|Feb. 16| 72 |

| | Dec. 6 | | ’74 | ’74 | ’74 | |

|_The Tweed_ |Lizard |Sept. 30|Oct. 25 | |Nov. 18| 73 |

|_Marpesia_ |St. Albans|Oct. 17| | |Dec. 29| 73 |

| | Oct. 17 | | | | | |

|_Theophane_ |Tuskar |Sept. 25|Oct. 17 |Nov. 9|Nov. 12| 74 |

| | Aug. 30 | | | | | |

|_Strathdon_ |Start |Sept. 21| |Nov. 7|Nov. 9| 78 |

| | Aug. 23 | | | | | |

|_City of_ |Portland |Jan. 1|Jan. 21 | |Feb. 19| 78 |

| _ Hankow_ | Dec. 3 | ’74 | ’74 | | ’74 | |

+-------------+----------+--------+--------+--------+--------+----+

The homeward runs I have had to put in the Appendix for want of space,

as this part has run to far greater length than I had contemplated at

first.

The races to catch the wool sales will thus be found in Appendix F,

under the heading of “The Wool Fleet.”

Notes on Passages to Australia in 1873.

The fine passage of _Miltiades_ and the maiden passages of _Samuel

Plimsoll_ and _Ben Cruachan_ I have already described. The 66 days of

_Thomas Stephens_ was a very fine performance. She left Gravesend on

30th August, with a very heavy general cargo, which put her down in the

water like a sand barge. She crossed the equator in 26° 55′ W. and was

then forced over on to the South American coast near Pernambuco by very

unfavourable S.E. trades. The meridian of Greenwich was crossed on 12th

October in 44° 33′ S. Her best week’s work running down the easting

was 2055 miles, and she would have equalled the run of _Miltiades_ but

for 48 hours of calm in the neighbourhood of the Otway. She arrived in

Melbourne after an absence of only seven months, including nine weeks

in London.

[Illustration: “RODNEY.”

_Photo lent by F. G. Layton._]

[Illustration: “LOCH GARRY.”]

_Loch Tay_, which left Glasgow on 4th September under Captain Scott,

also lost a day becalmed off the Otway. She crossed the equator in 29°

W. and the meridian of Greenwich on 18th October in 39° S. Running the

easting down she averaged 276 miles a day for 19 days, her best day’s

work being 336 miles.

Of the others nothing special calls for notice. _Thermopylae_ left

Gravesend on 2nd December, and had a light weather passage all the way,

though she went as far as 47° S. in search of wind. _Cutty Sark_ also

was handicapped by very light winds. She ran her easting down in 40° S.

with light winds and calms from the S.E. trades to Port Jackson.

This was the _Tweed’s_ first visit to Melbourne. This magnificent

clipper was probably the tallest ship ever seen in Hobson’s Bay. And

wherever Captain Stuart took her she compelled admiration both for her

majestic appearance and wonderful sailing performances.

Devitt & Moore’s Crack Passenger Ship “Rodney.”

Messrs. Devitt & Moore always considered the _Rodney_ to be the fastest

of their iron ships. She was also one of the finest specimens of the

passenger sailing ship in its last phase.

The following account from an Australian paper of November, 1874, will

give a good idea of the _Rodney’s_ accommodation for passengers. It is

also interesting as showing what was considered luxury in the seventies

and comparing it with the present day:—

To render voyaging as easy and pleasant as possible has long engaged

the attention of shipowners, but it is only of late years that it

has become a special study to make the accommodations for oversea

passengers not merely comfortable but absolutely luxurious.

The change in this respect since the time when only a certain amount

of cabin space was provided is something akin to a transformation.

The worry and bother of attending to the fitting up, as well as the

extra expenditure of time and money, are now avoided, and with very

little need for previous provision or preparation, the intending

voyager nowadays can step on board ship and find his cabin carpeted

and curtained and fitted up with almost all the accessories and

appointments of a bedroom in a hotel.

An inspection of the _Rodney_ will convince the most fastidious that

the entire question of passenger comfort has been thought out fully

and amply. The _Rodney_ is an iron clipper of beautiful model and is

what is termed a 1500-ton ship. She has been constructed specially

with a view to the conveyance of passengers, and there are few

sailing ships coming to the colony which have such a spacious saloon.

It measures 80 feet in length and has berthing accommodation for 60

people. No cost has been spared in the decoration and embellishments,

and yet these have not been promoted at the expense of solid and

material comfort.

The cabins are 10 feet square, and a number of the sleeping berths

can be drawn out so as to accommodate two people. For each cabin

there is a fixed lavatory, supplied with fresh water from a patent

tap, and by the removal of a small plug in the centre of the basin,

the water runs away right into the sea, so that all slopping is

avoided. The lavatory is fixed on top of a cupboard, which answers

all the purposes of a little chiffoniere, being fitted up for the

reception of bottles, glasses, brushes, etc.

There is also a chest of drawers in each cabin—a very great

convenience—in which may be kept clothes, books, linen and many

“unconsidered trifles,” which generally go knocking about in ships’

cabins at sea.

The windows in the cabins are large, admitting plenty of light

and air, and the passengers have easy control over them. The

ventilation, in fact, is all that could be desired. Good-sized

looking-glasses and handy little racks for water-bottles, tumblers,

combs, brushes, etc., also abound, and in other little matters the

comfort of the passengers has been well cared for.

The cabins are also so arranged that two or more or even the whole

of them on one side of the ship afford communication to each other

without going out into the saloon, and where families are together

this is very advantageous.

The bathroom occupies the space of one of the largest cabins, and hot

as well as cold baths are attainable.

The saloon is lighted by two large skylights, one of them being

21 feet in length. They are emblazoned with very pretty views of

Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, and Capetown, these being the principal

ports to which Messrs. Devitt & Moore’s vessels trade. There is

also a piano in the saloon, by which the tedium of a voyage may be

enlivened, and the tables are so constructed that they can be easily

unshipped and the saloon cleared for dancing.

For gentlemen there is a capital smoking-room at the top of the

companion leading from the saloon to the deck.

The accommodation in the ’tween decks for second cabin and steerage

passengers is everything that could be desired, and there is quite an

elaborate system adopted for ventilation.

Cooking can be done in the galley for 500 people, and there is a

steam condenser, which can distil 500 gallons of water daily.

The passengers of all classes who came out in this ship on her maiden

voyage here expressed themselves wonderfully well pleased with

the ship and her commander, Captain A. Louttit, who has had great

experience in the passenger trade.

The _Rodney’s_ best passage was to Sydney in 1887, when under Captain

Harwood Barrett, with Captain Corner of training ship fame as his mate.

On this occasion she ran from the Lizards to Sydney in 67 days, and

68 days from pilot to Sydney. Her best passage home was 77 days from

Sydney to London. Her best run to Melbourne was 71 days in 1882, and to

Adelaide 74 days in 1880.

The _Rodney_ was sold in 1897 to the French and renamed _Gipsy_. On

her previous voyage she had encountered terrible weather both out and

home, and was even robbed of her figure-head by the raging sea; it was

probably on account of the damage sustained on this voyage that Devitt

& Moore sold her.

On the 7th December, 1901, the _Rodney_ was wrecked on the Cornish

coast, when homeward bound from Iquique with nitrate. The ship became a

total loss but the crew were saved.

Nicol’s “Romanoff.”

_Romanoff_ was Alexander Nicol’s finest iron clipper until the _Cimba_

came out. Nicol’s ships were always good lookers, painted Aberdeen

green with white masts and yards and scraped jibboom and topmasts, they

fully upheld the Aberdeen reputation. _Romanoff_ was a fast ship, but

was overmasted with double topgallant yards and skysails, and after a

few years she was severely cut down. She was a very regular Melbourne

trader. She ended her days under the Norwegian flag.

Duthie’s “Cairnbulg.”

The _Cairnbulg_ was another Aberdeen ship, but she was in the Sydney

trade. She was of about the same speed as the _Romanoff_, a fine, fast,

wholesome ship without any very special records to her credit.

She came to a most unusual end. After being sold to the Russians

and renamed _Hellas_, she was sold by them to the Danes and called

_Alexandra_. On the 26th November, 1907, she sailed from Newcastle,

N.S.W., for Panama, coal laden. In April she was taken off the overdue

list and posted as missing, being uninsurable at 90 guineas. The

following June, one of her boats in charge of the mate, was picked

up off the South American Coast. The mate then told the following

extraordinary story:—On 8th May the ship was abandoned owing to her

provisions running out and for no other reason—as in every other way,

both in hull and gear, she was perfectly seaworthy. The position of

the _Cairnbulg_ when abandoned was given as 500 miles off the South

American Coast. A search expedition was at once sent out after her,

but in vain. Some time afterwards she was found ashore on the rocks at

Iguana Cove, Albemarle Island, with her back broken. Her insurances,

hull, freight and cargo amounted to £30,000, and she was abandoned

in calm weather through lack of provisions. This story is not to the

credit of either her captain or her owners.

The Speedy “Thessalus.”

_Thessalus_, Carmichael’s largest three-master, was one of the finest

and fastest sailing ships ever seen in Australasian waters. Though not

a regular wool clipper like the _Mermerus_, she was well known both in

Sydney and Melbourne. But she was also as well known in Calcutta and

San Francisco, and wherever she went she always made fine passages.

[Illustration: “THESSALUS.”]

[Illustration: “THESSALUS.”

_Photo by Hall & Co., Sydney._]

Here are a few of her best:—

AUSTRALIAN PASSAGES.

1878 Start to Melbourne 67 days.

1882 London to Sydney 79 „

1884 Downs to Sydney 77 „

1887 London to Sydney 79 „

1893 Cardiff to Sydney (_via_ Capetown) 78 „

1894 London to Sydney (_via_ Capetown) 78 „

1896 Sydney to London 75 „

CALCUTTA PASSAGES.

1876 Calcutta to London 90 days.

1878 Calcutta to Dundee 98 „

1879 Penarth Roads to Calcutta 98 „

FRISCO AND W.C.N.A. PASSAGES.

1883 Frisco to Lizard 105 days.

1885 Frisco to Hull 125 „

1888 Portland, Ore., to Queenstown 98 „

1889 Frisco to Queenstown 104 „

1890 Swansea to Frisco 113 „

1890 Frisco to Lizard 109 „

1892 Frisco to Queenstown 101 „

CROSS PASSAGES.

1878 Melbourne to Calcutta 48 days.

1880 Calcutta to Melbourne 49 „

1882 Sydney to Frisco 55 „

1884 Sydney to San Pedro 66 „

1884 Frisco to Newcastle, N.S.W. 45 „

1886 Newcastle, N.S.W., to Frisco 50 „

On her third voyage she encountered the cyclone of 31st October, 1876,

near the Sandheads. Captain E. C. Bennett, foreseeing the approach of

the cyclone, stood over to the east side of the Bay of Bengal, and

considered himself lucky to escape with the loss of his topgallant

masts.

Lashed on top of his main hatch, he had a large kennel containing a

pack of foxhounds for the Calcutta Jackal Club. When the cyclone began,

the hounds were let out of the kennel, to give them a chance to save

themselves; and shortly afterwards the kennel was washed clean over

the lee rail without touching it. The hounds had meanwhile disappeared

and everyone thought that they must have gone overboard; but when the

weather cleared they all came out, safe and sound, from under the lower

foc’s’le bunks, where they had taken refuge.

This cyclone wrought havoc amongst the Calcutta shipping, and cost the

underwriters over £100,000. _Thessalus_ was lucky to get off with a

repair bill of £380.

The _Thessalus_ was lucky with live freight. On her seventh voyage she

took horses from Melbourne to Calcutta and landed them all alive and

in prime condition. Shortly afterwards the _Udston_ arrived with only

four horses alive. She had had bad weather in the Bay of Bengal, the

horses had broken loose and in their fright kicked each other to death.

On this voyage, _Thessalus_ returned to Melbourne with wheat bags,

wool packs and camels. The camels also arrived in good condition. At

Melbourne she loaded wool for London at a penny per pound.

Her best wool passage was in 1896, when she left Sydney on the 17th

October and was only 75 days to the Start, where she signalled on

31st December. She had left Melbourne in company with _Cimba_ and

_Argonaut_. _Argonaut_ made a long passage, but _Thessalus_ and _Cimba_

were twice in company, concerning which Captain Holmes of _Cimba_

wrote:—

I left Sydney in company with _Thessalus_ and _Argonaut_. I was twice

in company with _Thessalus_ on 3rd October in 54° S., 152° W., to

5th October 54° S., 143° W., and on 25th November in 30° S., 34°

W. I came up on him in light winds, but when he got the breeze he

just romped away from me as if I was at anchor. _Thessalus_ was a

wonderfully fast ship. I think the German five-master _Potosi_ is the

only one I have seen to touch her.

This is high praise, for Captain Holmes had a great knowledge of ships,

especially in the Australian trade, and he had a very fast ship in

_Cimba_, which on this occasion reported at noon at the Lizard when

_Thessalus_ was reporting at Start Point.

After a long and successful career _Thessalus_ was sold to the Swedes

in 1905, when she was still classed 100 A1.

Notes on Passages to Australia in 1874.

1874 was _Ben Voirlich’s_ great year. It will be noticed, however, that

on her record passage she had _Lochs Ness_ and _Maree_ on her heels

the whole way. Both Lochs had just changed their commanders, Captain

Meiklejohn going to the _Loch Ness_ and Captain Charles Grey succeeding

Captain McCallum in _Loch Maree_. _Loch Ness_ chased _Ben Voirlich_

very closely all the way to the Australian Coast, her best 24-hour run

being 321 miles. But _Loch Maree_ dropped back in the roaring forties

through no fault of her own. On 13th and 14th December she experienced

a tremendous gale from east working round to S.W. with high confused

sea, during which her patent steering gear was completely smashed up;

and this prevented her from taking full advantage of the westerlies, as

Captain Grey decided it would not be safe to go further than 42° S.

PASSAGES UNDER 80 DAYS TO SYDNEY IN 1874.

+------------+---------+-------+--------+---------+---------+----+

+------------+---------+-------+--------+---------+---------+----+

|_Cutty Sark_|Start |Dec. 11|Jan. 1 | Jan. 26 |Feb. 2’75| 73 |

| | Nov. 21| | ’75 | ’75 | | |

|_Mermerus_ |Start |May 8|May 29 | June 24 |June 27 | 74 |

| | Apl. 14| | | | | |

|_Hallowe’en_|Start |Apl. 30|May 22 | June 17 |June 22 | 74 |

|_Patriarch_ |Wight |July 2|July 26 | Aug. 19 |Aug. 24 | 77 |

| | | | | | | |

|_Jerusalem_ |Plymouth |Apl. 29|May 21 | June 14 |June 22 | 78 |

| | Apl. 5| | | (Otway) | | |

+------------+---------+-------+--------+---------+---------+----+

PASSAGES UNDER 80 DAYS TO MELBOURNE IN 1874.

+-------------+----------+-------+--------+-------+--------+----+

+-------------+----------+-------+--------+-------+--------+----+

|_Thermopylae_|Lizard |Dec. 25|Jan. 14 | |Feb. 4 | 64 |

| | Dec. 2 | | ’75 | | ’75 | |

|_Ben_ |Plymouth |Dec. 1|Dec. 24 | |Jan. 14 | 64 |

| _Voirlich_ | Nov. 11 | | | | ’75 | |

|_Loch Ness_ |Tuskar |Dec. 1| |Jan. 16|Jan. 18 | 68 |

| | Nov. 11 | | | ’75| ’75 | |

|_Ben_ |Tuskar |Feb. 19|Mar. 15 |Apl. 5|Apl. 6 | 69 |

| _Voirlich_ | Jan. 27 | | | | | |

|_Thomas_ |Lizard |Dec. 12| |Jan. 29|Jan. 31 | 70 |

| _Stephens_ | Nov. 22 | | | ’75| ’75 | |

|_Ben_ |Cape Clear|Sept.29|Oct. 20 |Nov. 13|Nov. 14 | 71 |

|_Romanoff_ |Lizard | | | |Jan. 16 | 72 |

| | Nov. 5 | | | | ’75 | |

|_Theophane_ |Tuskar |Sept.12|Oct. 3 | |Oct. 30 | 75 |

| | Aug. 16 | | | | | |

|_City of_ |Channel | | | |Feb. 2 | 75 |

| _Hankow_ | Nov. 19 | | | | ’75 | |

|_Loch_ |Tuskar | | | |Feb. 14 | 75 |

| _Lomond_ | Nov. 30 | | | | ’75 | |

|_Loch_ |Channel |Dec. 1 |Dec. 25 |Jan. 22|Jan. 23 | 78 |

| _Maree_ | Nov. 6 | | | ’75| ’75 | |

+-------------+----------+-------+--------+-------+--------+----+

_Cutty Sark_ and _Thomas Stephens_ also had a great race, the famous

tea clipper making the best passage of the year to Sydney.

Both ships were off the Lizards on 22nd November, and experienced very

baffling winds to the equator, which _Cutty Sark_ crossed in 26° W. and

_Thomas Stephens_ in 29° W. a day later. _Cutty Sark_ was 65 days from

the Lizards to S.W. Cape, Tasmania, whilst _Thomas Stephens_ was 68

days to the Otway, where she was becalmed for 14 hours.

_Thermopylae_, with a 64-day passage from the Lizards, her best run

being 348 miles, arrived just in time to defend herself, for Captain

McPetrie was declaring to all and sundry that _Ben Voirlich_ had broken

_Thermopylae’s_ record, by making a better run from port to port.

The “Loch Garry.”

Many experts considered the _Loch Garry_ to be the finest sailing ship

in the world at the date of her launch. She certainly was an example of

the well-known Glasgow type at its best.

A new feature was adopted in the placing of her masts. Her mainmast

was stepped right amidships, with the fore and mizen masts at equal

distances from it.

_Loch Garry_, her sister ship _Loch Vennachar_, Green’s _Carlisle

Castle_, Nicol’s _Romanoff_ and the American ship _Manuel Laguna_ were

rigged in a manner peculiar to themselves. They had short topgallant

masts with fidded royal and skysail masts, on which they crossed royals

and skysails above double topgallant yards. When in port their upper

topsail and upper topgallant yards would be half mast-headed, and with

the seven yards on each mast, all squared to perfection, they presented

a magnificent appearance. _Loch Garry’s_ first commander was Captain

Andrew Black, a very fine seaman indeed. He commanded her from 1875 to

1882. He was succeeded by Captain John Erskine, who was followed by

Captain Horne.

With regard to her merits, the veteran Captain Horne, who commanded her

for close on 26 years, wrote to me:—

The _Loch Garry_ is a front rank ship and always will be so. She is a

ship that has got no vices and when properly loaded is as gentle as

a lamb. It is quite a pleasure to sail such a ship, which might be

described as a 1500-ton yacht. She is not a ship of excessive speed,

but with a moderately fresh breeze will maintain a speed of 10 or 11

knots without much exertion.

_Loch Garry’s_ best run under Captain Horne was on 26th December, 1892,

when running her easting down in 40° S. With a N.W. wind and smooth sea

she covered 334 miles. It is very possible that she exceeded this in

her early days when she carried a stronger crew. She was also a good

light weather ship. In 1900 she went from the South Tropic to the North

Tropic in 14 days 2 hours.

The following passages of recent date will show that Captain Horne

kept the _Loch Garry_ moving in spite of the lack of a good crew of

sailormen:—

1892 Tuskar to Cape Otway 71 dy.

1894 Downs to Melbourne 77 „

1895 Lizard to Melbourne 77 „

1896 Melbourne to Prawle Pt. 80 „

1900 Melbourne to Prawle Pt. 85 „

1901 Adelaide to C. Otway 48 hr.

1903 Port Philip Heads to Lizard 74 dy.

1904 Melbourne to Dover 77 „

1906 Tuskar to Cape Borda 73 „

1905 Equator to Leeuwin 36 „

(Average 240 knots)

The following account of Captain Horne’s care of his boats and system

for provisioning them should be a lesson for younger masters. It is

taken from the _Melbourne Herald_:—

A feature of _Loch Garry’s_ equipment, in which Captain Home takes

a justifiable pride, is the system for provisioning the lifeboats,

should it ever be necessary to abandon the vessel. In two minutes

the apprentices can place enough provisions in the boats to last all

hands 14 days. The lifeboats are on the after skids and the falls

are always kept rove. In each boat are two 15-gallon breakers, which

are kept full of fresh water, charged about once a month. Then in a

strong wooden box, fitted with beckets, is stowed a good supply of

biscuits, in protected tins, whilst in another box a number of tins

of meat are packed together with the necessary opening knife. A

third box contains miscellaneous articles, such as medical comforts,

clothing, tobacco, a hatchet, knives and a compass. The three boxes

are always kept handy in the lazarette, the provisions they contain

being changed each voyage, so that the biscuits and meat are always

fresh. One man can easily lift either of the boxes and the equipment

is completed by the lifeboats’ sails and all necessary gear being

kept in a canvas bag close by. The system is simplicity itself, and

Captain Horne says that he would like to see some such plan made

compulsory by the B.O.T. in all ships.

The career of Captain Horne, who was the veteran skipper of the Loch

Line, is worth recording. He was born in 1834, apprenticed to the sea

at 15 years of age, and only retired in 1911, after 62 years at sea and

47 years in command without experiencing shipwreck, fire or collision.

The motto of his life, which he always emblazoned on the cabin

bulkhead, was:—“Never underrate the strength of the enemy.” Like many

another old seaman, he was not pleased with the changes brought about

by steam and cut-throat competition.

Just as Captain Horne’s apprenticeship finished the Crimean war broke

out, and, volunteering for active service, he was appointed to the

three-decker H.M.S. _Royal Albert_, the largest ship afloat. He was

rated as A.B., but soon promoted to be second captain of the maintop.

Sir George Tryon was a junior lieutenant on this ship. The _Royal

Albert_ was in the engagement against the Kinburn Forts on the north

shore of the Black Sea. At the close of the war Captain Horne received

the Crimean and Turkish medals and was paid off on the _Victory_. He

then returned to the Merchant Service and served in 1859 as second

mate of the tea clipper _Falcon_ under Captain Maxton. Subsequently he

was attached to Lord Elgin’s embassy and placed in charge of a lorcha

by Lindsay & Co., of Shanghai. As a member of Lord Elgin’s staff, he

was present at the taking of the Taku Forts and was on the house-boat

which was towed to Tientsin by one of the gunboats; and he remained

there until the treaty was signed.

After this he was 13½ years in the employ of John Allan & Sons.

In 1877 he joined the Loch Line and took command of the _Loch Sloy_,

leaving her to take charge of the _Loch Garry_ in 1885.

The _Loch Garry_ only had two severe mishaps in her long life. In

August, 1880, when running under topgallant sails off the Crozets in a

heavy beam sea, the weather forebrace carried away, the fore topmast

went above the eyes of the rigging and took main topgallant mast with

it—and _Loch Garry_ was a month getting to Melbourne under jury rig.

She was rigged in Geelong with Kauri pine topmasts and long topgallant

masts, as shewn in the illustration. In August, 1889, she was dismasted

in a furious gale to the south’ard of the Cape. To save the ship

Captain Horne was obliged to jettison some 100 tons of cargo in the

shape of gunpowder, hardware, whisky, bottled beer, paper, etc. The

main and mizen masts carried away close to the deck, but Captain Horne

succeeded in sailing his vessel 2600 miles to Mauritius, under foresail

and fore lower topsail. Here the _Loch Garry_ was delayed some months

whilst new spars were sent out from England, and she eventually reached

Melbourne on 14th February, 1890, eight months out from Glasgow. After

36 years of good service, she was sold in March, 1911, to the Italians

for the scrap iron price of £1800.

“Loch Vennachar.”

One of the finest and fastest of the Lochs, as well as one of the most

unfortunate, was the _Loch Vennachar_, launched from Thomson’s yard in

August, 1875.

She was usually one of the first wool clippers to get away from

Melbourne, and for many years, sailing in October, she made very

regular passages home, her average under Captain Bennett being 86 days

for 12 passages.

[Illustration: “LOCH VENNACHAR.”]

[Illustration: “LOCH VENNACHAR.”

_Photo lent by F. G. Layton._]

Her first misfortune was in 1892, when she was dismasted during a

cyclone in the Southern Indian Ocean.

The following is an account of the disaster, given in the _Melbourne

Argus_:—

The _Loch Vennachar_ left Glasgow bound for Melbourne on 6th April,

1892, with a crew of 33 all told and 12 passengers, four of whom

were ladies. All went well with the ship until she reached lat. 39°

55′ S., long. 27° 21′ E., when at 8 o’clock on the evening of 3rd

June the barometer began to fall ominously and sail was promptly

shortened. Darkness lifted soon after 5 o’clock in the morning and

the break of day showed the terrific head seas that swept down upon

the vessel, lashed by the north-east gale. (At this time both watches

were aloft fighting to make the foresail fast.) Captain Bennett, who

was on the poop, saw the danger of his crew and at once resolved to

sacrifice the sail. He sang out to the mate to send the men aft and

the hands, who had been lying out on the pitching foreyard, gained

the deck in safety and reached the poop in time. As they did so,

two enormous waves bore down upon the ship, which rode slowly over

the first, and sank to an interminable depth in the trough at the

other side. Whilst in this position the second wave came on towering

halfway up the foremast, and broke on board, _filling the lower

topsail 60 feet above the deck_, as it came.

Hundreds of tons of water swept over the ship in a solid mass from

stem to stern, thundering inboard on the port side of the foc’s’le

and racing away over the main deck and over the poop, where most of

the crew were standing. Every man on the poop was thrown down, and

when they regained their feet they perceived that the foremast and

mainmast were over the side, and the mizen topmast above their heads

had disappeared. Not a man on board actually saw the spars go or even

heard the crash of the breaking rigging so violent was the shock and

so fierce the howling of the hurricane. The cook was washed out of

his galley and swept overboard, the galley being completely gutted of

everything it contained.

For nine days after her dismasting, _Loch Vennachar_ lay unmanageable,

rolling in the trough of the sea, whilst the gale still raged. At last

with immense difficulty a jury mast was rigged forward and a sail set

on the stump of the mizen mast; in this trim Captain Bennett managed to

get his lame duck into Port Louis, Mauritius, after five weeks under

jury rig. The ship lay in Mauritius for five months whilst new masts

and spars were being sent out to her from England. On the arrival of

the masts, Captain Bennett and his crew showed their smartness by

completely rerigging her in 10 days, the cost of the refit coming to

£9071.

On 18th November _Loch Vennachar_ at last proceeded on her voyage,

and after a light weather passage arrived in Port Phillip on 22nd

December 260 days out from the Clyde. As soon as her anchor was on the

ground, her crew assembled at the break of the poop and gave three

ringing cheers for Captain Bennett and his officers, who had brought

them safely through such a trying time. For saving his ship under such

difficulties, Captain Bennett was awarded Lloyd’s Medal, the Victoria

Cross of the Mercantile Marine.

In November, 1901, when anchored off Thameshaven outward bound to

Melbourne with general cargo, _Loch Vennachar_ was run down by the

steamer _Cato_. The steamship struck her on the starboard bow, and the

Loch liner went down in 40 feet of water. All on board, however, were

saved, including a parrot and a cat, the only cat to escape out of

seven on the ship.

The _Loch Vennachar_ lay at the bottom of the Thames for a month and

was then raised. After repairs and alterations to the value of about

£17,000 were made on her, she was pronounced by experts to be as good

as the day she was launched; and she once more resumed her place in the

Australian trade.

About September, 1905, when bound from Glasgow to Adelaide, she came on

the overdue list. On 6th September she was spoken “all well” by the ss.

_Yongala_, 160 miles west of Neptune Island. But as the days passed and

she did not arrive, grave anxiety began to be felt. On 29th September,

the ketch _Annie Witt_ arrived at Adelaide, and her captain reported

picking up a reel of blue printing paper 18 miles N.W. of Kangaroo

Island. This paper was identified as part of _Loch Vennachar’s_ cargo.

A search was made on Kangaroo Island and wreckage was discovered which

made the disaster only too sure. It was concluded that she had run

on the Young Rocks in trying to make the Backstairs Passage. Captain

Hawkins, late of the _Loch Ness_, was in command, having taken her over

from Captain Bennett the year before.

As if the fatal curse of Jonah had been transmitted from father to son,

T. R. Pearce, a son of the twice wrecked Tom Pearce, was one of the

apprentices lost in her.

“Salamis”—an Iron “Thermopylae.”

_Salamis_, one of the most beautiful little ships ever launched and

without doubt the fastest of all Thompson’s iron ships, was really

an enlarged _Thermopylae_ in iron, as she was built from Bernard

Waymouth’s lines with a few minor alterations and improvements. The

following comparison of their measurements shows that _Salamis_ was

roughly 100 tons larger and 10 feet longer than _Thermopylae_:—

+------------------------+-----------+--------------+

| Measurements | _Salamis_ | _Thermopylae_|

| of | Iron Ship |Composite Ship|

+------------------------+-----------+--------------+

|Registered tonnage net | 1079 tons.| 948 tons. |

|Registered tonnage gross| 1130 „ | 991 „ |

|Registered tonnage | | |

| under deck | 1021 „ | 927 „ |

|Length |221.6 feet.| 212 feet. |

|Breadth | 36 „ | 36 „ |

|Depth | 21.7 „ | 20.9 „ |

|Depth moulded | 23.7 „ | 23.2 „ |

+------------------------+-----------+--------------+

In _Salamis_, Thompson’s were determined to have an out and out

racer, and she was not fitted for passengers, her raised quarterdeck

being only 48 feet long as against _Thermopylae’s_ 61 feet. She had a

tremendous sail plan and of course spread a full suit of stunsails and

other flying kites.

The following spar measurements show that she set even more canvas than

_Thermopylae_, her mainyard being a foot longer, and the other yards in

proportion:—

SPAR PLAN OF _SALAMIS_.

+---------------------------+----------+

|Mainmast—deck to truck | 150 feet |

|Main lower mast | 66 „ |

|Main topmast | 52 „ |

|Main topgallant mast | 34 „ |

|Main royal mast | 23 „ |

|Main masthead | 2 „ |

|Main lower doublings | 15 „ |

|Main topmast doublings | 12 „ |

|Mainyard | 81 „ |

|Main lower topsail yard | 72 „ |

|Main upper topsail yard | 64 „ |

|Main lower topgallant yard | 57 „ |

|Main upper topgallant yard | 49 „ |

|Main royal yard | 37 „ |

|Jibboom | 66 „ |

+---------------------------+----------+

Messrs. Thompson, when they gave Hood the order for _Salamis_, intended

her for the same round as _Thermopylae_—out to Melbourne with general

cargo, then across to China and home again with tea. But by 1875 the

steamers had got a firm hold on the tea trade, and the clippers were

either being driven away into other trades or had to content themselves

with loading at a cut rate in the N.E. monsoon; and practically only

_Cutty Sark_ and _Thermopylae_ were still given a chance to load

the new teas. This was not a bright outlook for a newcomer with her

reputation all to make, and the only time _Salamis_ loaded a tea cargo

home was on her second voyage when she came home from Hong Kong in 110

days. In 1878 she made another attempt to get a tea cargo home, but

freights were specially bad this year, and she was withdrawn from the

berth at Shanghai, and finally came home with wool from Port Phillip.

[Illustration: “SALAMIS.”

_Photo lent by F. G. Layton._]

[Illustration: “THOMAS STEPHENS,” “CAIRNBULG,” “BRILLIANT,” AND “CUTTY

SARK,” in Sydney Harbour.]

As a wool clipper she set up a wonderful record; her average for 13

consecutive passages to Melbourne being 75 days pilot to pilot, and

for her outward passages from 1875 to 1895 her average was 77 days.

Homeward with wool, like all iron ships, she occasionally got hung

up and topped the 100 days, nevertheless here she also had the best

average for an iron ship, of 87 days for 18 consecutive wool passages

from Melbourne to London. Her best run from London to the equator was

made in 18½ days. Twice she ran from the equator to the Cape meridian

in 21 days, and twice she ran her easting down from the Cape meridian

to Cape Otway in 22½ days, and no less than four times in 23 days.

Captain Phillip left the _Harlaw_ to take the _Salamis_, and his name

is associated with her during the whole of her life under the British

flag.

On her maiden passage _Salamis_ left London on 6th July, took her

departure from the Start on the 10th, then had very buffling winds to

the equator, which she crossed on 2nd August in 25° W.; the S.E. trades

were very poor and she had to make a tack off the Abrolhos Rocks. The

Cape meridian was crossed on 24th August in 44° S. Running her easting

down, the wind was very changeable, being mostly from the south’ard,

and without any steady breezes her best run was only 304 knots. She

passed the Otway on 16th September and entered Port Phillip Heads the

same evening, 68 days from Start Point.

On her second voyage she had a very protracted start, losing three

anchors and chains in the Downs and also a man overboard during a very

severe gale. She had to slip her third anchor and get underweigh in a

hurry to avoid dragging ashore. After this she had to go into Plymouth

to get new anchors and chains. She finally left Plymouth on 24th March,

1876, the “dead horse” being actually up the day she left Plymouth. She

took her departure from the Lizard on 25th March, crossed the line on

18th April, and had light winds to the meridian of the Cape, which she

crossed on 14th May in 43° S.

In 69° E. she encountered bad weather, and shipped a heavy sea whilst

running under a fore topsail. This sea broke over the quarter, smashed

the wheel and broke in the cabin skylight, and she had to be hove to

for 14 hours whilst repairs were made. The main upper topsail had also

blown away and a new one had to be bent.

She eventually made Cape Otway at 10.30 p.m. on 7th June, entering the

Heads early morning of the 8th, 75 days from the Lizards. In crossing

to China, she went from Sydney to Shanghai in 32 days. Failing to get

a tea cargo in Shanghai, she ran down to Hong Kong through the Formosa

Channel with a strong N.E. monsoon in two days and some odd hours, but,

of course, she was nearly new and in ballast.

In 1878 she again tried for a tea cargo, crossing from Sydney in 43

days: after a very tempestuous passage of 83 days from London to

Sydney, during which she continually had to be hove to, indeed, Captain

Phillip declared that he had never met with such heavy gales during 30

years’ experience, even so she was only 79 days from the Channel to

Cape Otway.

She found tea freights slumping very badly at Shanghai, and was finally

placed on the berth for general cargo only at 30s. per 50 cubic feet.

_Salamis_ left Shanghai on 26th November in company with _Thermopylae_,

which was the only sailing ship to get a tea cargo for London. The two

ships made the Straits of Sunda on 15th December, but were compelled to

anchor off Sumatra owing to the strong N.E. current. Here they found a

fleet of 37 sail all vainly trying to get past Thwart-the-way Island.

Of this fleet the first to get through was _Thermopylae_ after several

ineffectual attempts, but she was closely followed by her iron sister

ship; clearing Java Head on 29th December after a delay of 14 days, the

two sisters squared away for the S.E. trades, and left the fleet of 37

ships to wait patiently until the N.E. current slackened.

_Salamis_ carried the trades to 32° S., and then made some fine running

to the Australian Coast, her best day’s work being 336 miles. On 26th

January, 1879, she arrived off Port Phillip Heads and anchored off

Queenscliff to await orders. She was sent up to Sydney and loaded coal

alongside the _Cutty Sark_. On 18th March _Cutty Sark_ sailed for

Shanghai with 1150 tons of coal, _Salamis_ followed on the 20th with

1200 tons of coal. Unfortunately I have no details of the race across,

except that _Salamis_ made the run in 37 days. Both ships failed to get

a tea cargo for the London market, and _Cutty Sark_ went off to Manila,

whilst _Salamis_ went to Foochow, and took a tea cargo from there to

Melbourne, which she reached in time to load wool home, after a very

light weather passage of 64 days. After this unsatisfactory voyage

_Salamis_ was kept steadily in the Melbourne trade, with the exception

of one passage to Sydney.

When the Aberdeen White Star sold their sailing ships, _Salamis_ went

to the Norwegians, who stripped the yards off her mizen mast and turned

her into a barque. After several weary years of threadbare old age,

the beautiful little clipper was finally wrecked on Malden Island in

the South Pacific on 20th May, 1905.

The Colonial Barque “Woollahra.”

The pretty little barque, _Woollahra_, owned by Cowlislaw Bros., of

Sydney, had a very fair turn of speed, and on more than one occasion

showed up well against some of the crack ships in the trade. In her

later years she used to run from Newcastle, N.S.W., to Frisco with

coal. She came to her end on Tongue Point, near Cape Terawhite, New

Zealand, whilst bound in ballast from Wellington to Kaipara, to load

Kauri lumber for Australia. She was wrecked about half a mile from the

homestead of a sheep station, the only habitation on the coast for

miles. The captain and an ordinary seaman were drowned, the rest of

her complement getting safely ashore. She went to pieces very quickly

and there was not even an odd spar or deck fitting left a few months

afterwards.

“Cassiope” and “Parthenope.”

_Cassiope_ and _Parthenope_ were actually sister ships though by

different builders. They were both fine fast clippers of the best

Liverpool type. _Cassiope_, however, had a short life, being lost with

all hands in 1885, when bound to London with Heap’s Rangoon rice, under

the well-known Captain Rivers. _Parthenope_ was sold in her old age to

the Italians and rechristened _Pelogrino O._ On the 31st July, 1907,

she sailed with coals from Newcastle, N.S.W., for Antofagasta and never

arrived.

“Trafalgar.”

D. Rose & Co.’s _Trafalgar_ was a very regular Sydney trader. She went

to the Norwegians and was still afloat, owned in Christiania, when the

war broke out.

[Illustration: “WOOLLAHRA.”

_From a painting._]

PASSAGES UNDER 80 DAYS TO SYDNEY IN 1875.

+------------+---------+-------+--------+---------+-------+----+

+------------+---------+-------+--------+---------+-------+----+

|_Cutty_ |Lizard |Dec. 21|Jan. 13|Feb. 4 |Feb. 12| 75 |

| _Sark_ | Nov. 29| | ’76| ’76 | ’76| |

|_Samuel_ |Falmouth |Sept. 4|Sept. 28|Oct. 19 |Oct. 22| 75 |

+------------+-----------------+--------+---------+-------+----+

PASSAGES UNDER 80 DAYS TO MELBOURNE IN 1875.

+--------------+-----------+--------+--------+--------+--------+----+

+--------------+-----------+--------+--------+--------+--------+----+

|_Thermopylae_ |Lizard |Dec. 24|Jan. 14|Feb. 7|Feb. 9| 68 |

| | Dec. 3 | ’76| | ’76| ’76| |

|_Salamis_ |Start |Aug. 2|Aug. 24|Sept. 16|Sept. 16| 68 |

|_Mermerus_ |Tuskar |Aug. 15| |Oct. 1|Oct. 1| 68 |

|_Loch Garry_ |Tuskar |Dec. 5|Dec. 29| |Jan. 20| 73 |

| | Nov. 8 | | | | ’76| |

|_City of_ |Start |Sept. 27|Oct. 21|Nov. 16|Nov. 16| 73 |

| | Aug. 8 | | | | | |

|_Romanoff_ |Lizard |Sept. 5| |Oct. 22|Oct. 23| 74 |

| | Aug. 10 | | | | | |

|_Loch_ |Inistrahull|Oct. 10|Oct. 28|Nov. 18|Nov. 19| 74 |

| | Aug. 7 | | | | | |

| | May 26 | | | | | |

| | May 31 | | | | | |

|_Glengarry_ |Tuskar |Mar. 22| | |May 14| 77 |

| | Feb. 26 | | | | | |

|_Old_ Channel | | |Apl. 21|Apl. 22| 78 |

| _Kensington_| Feb. 3 | | | | | |

| | May 7 | | | | | |

+--------------+-----------+--------+--------+--------+--------+----+

Notes on Passages to Australia in 1875.

In no year were so many magnificent iron clippers launched as in 1875,

and of the ships which made the passage to Melbourne in under 80 days

no less than five, namely, _Salamis_, _Loch Garry_, _Loch Vennachar_,

_Parthenope_ and _Old Kensington_, were on their maiden passages. _Loch

Garry’s_ best run in the 24 hours was 333 miles, and _Loch Vennachar_

did a week’s work of 2065 miles, viz., 285, 290, 320, 320, 312, 268 and

270. _Samuel Plimsoll_, with 360 emigrants on board, left Plymouth on

6th August, at 11.15 p.m.; on the same day she ran into and sank the

Italian barque _Enrica_, though without damage to herself. She saved

the Italian’s crew and put into Falmouth to land them.

Captain Richards left the _Thomas Stephens_ in order to tune up

_Parthenope_. He made the latter travel, but as he returned to the

_Thomas Stephens_ in 1876 he evidently preferred his old clipper.

_Thermopylae_ still maintained her wonderful reputation; on this trip

she averaged 270 miles a day from 23° W. to 100° E.

The _Old Kensington_ was a very fine ship with a good turn of speed,

and she usually loaded home from Calcutta or San Francisco.

The _Wasdale_ must not be confused with the later _Wasdale_, which was

not launched until 1881. This one must have been a very fast ship, for

on this passage she made five 24-hour runs over 300, her best being 332

miles.

Many well-known heelers were just over the 80 days; for instance,

_Miltiades_ was 81 days from the Start, _Thessalus_ 83 from the

Lizards, _Theophane_ 83 from the Tuskar, _Cassiope_ 81 from the Tuskar,

_Marpesia_ 83 from the Tuskar, _Thyatira_ 80 from the Start, all to

Melbourne, whilst _Patriarch_ was 82 days from Torbay to Sydney.

Two writers to the _Nautical Magazine_, both of whom were serving on

the _Cutty Sark_ during her 1875-6 voyage, claim that she was 50 miles

south of Melbourne on her 54th day out from the Channel, and that owing

to strong head winds she was compelled to go round Australia.

As will be seen, she was 67 days from the Lizard to the S.W. Cape,

Tasmania, and I fear that a mistake of ten days has been made. Captain

Watson also stated in a personal letter to me that she ran 2163 miles

in six days. I have 14 years of her abstract logs, and from what her

logs tell me I consider that she was quite capable of accomplishing

such a run with a strong steady breeze, but it is very rarely that you

get such a breeze for six days on end even in the roaring forties. She

left London on 20th November but collided with the _Somersetshire_ off

Gravesend, and lost her main topgallant mast, besides other damage, so

that she had to put back to refit.

“Sir Walter Raleigh.”

The _Sir Walter Raleigh_, commanded by Captain W. Purvis, was a very

well-known and regular wool clipper of the type of _Romanoff_. I do not

think she was quite in the first flight, but she was never very far

behind, and in 1880 she shared with _Ben Voirlich_ the distinction of

making the best outward run of the year.

The following extracts are from _Patriarch’s_ log, when homeward bound

in 1878, 79 days out from Sydney.

Feb. 8.—18° 41′ N., long. 38° 55′ W.—Spoke the _Sir Walter Raleigh_,

Melbourne to London, 77 days out.

Feb. 9.—_Sir Walter Raleigh_ still in company.

Feb. 10.—_Sir Walter Raleigh_ ahead.

Feb. 11.—_Sir Walter Raleigh_ dead to windward.

Feb. 12 to 16.—_Sir Walter Raleigh_ still in company.

In the end _Patriarch_ got home a day ahead, _Sir Walter Raleigh_

making the best passage by a day. _Sir Walter Raleigh_ was probably

faster in light and moderate winds than in strong, as I can find no

very big runs to her credit.

On the 10th November, 1888, she left Sydney for London, wool-laden, and

was wrecked near Boulogne on 29th January, 1889, when only 80 days out

and almost in sight of home. Five of her crew were drowned. It was a

tragic end to what promised to be the best wool passage of her career.

“Loch Fyne” and “Loch Long.”

These two 1200-ton sister ships from Thomson’s yard, though fine

wholesome ships, were not considered quite as fast as the earlier

“Lochs,” though each of them put up a 75-day passage to Melbourne,

_Loch Fyne_ on her second voyage in 1877-8, and the _Loch Long_ in 1884.

The _Loch Fyne_ left Lyttelton, N.Z., on 4th May, 1883, under Captain

T. H. Martin, with 15,000 bags of wheat bound for the Channel for

orders and never arrived.

In January, 1903, _Loch Long_ arrived in Hobson’s Bay from Glasgow,

commanded by Captain Strachan. From Melbourne she was sent to New

Caledonia to load nickel ore. She sailed on 29th April, but failed to

arrive. Portions of wreckage, however, were washed up on the Chatham

Islands, which made it only too certain that she had struck on the

rocks and gone down with all hands.

“Aristides”—The Aberdeen White Star Flagship.

In March, 1876, Messrs. Hood launched the beautiful passenger clipper

_Aristides_, the largest of all Thompson’s sailing ships. Captain R.

Kemball of _Thermopylae_ fame, the commodore of the Aberdeen White Star

fleet, was given command of her, and she became the firm’s flagship.

On her maiden voyage she sailed from London on 6th July, and arrived

in Port Phillip on 18th September—74 days out (69 days from the land).

Leaving Melbourne on 28th November, she arrived in the Thames on 17th

February, 81 days out, beating two such well-known clippers as _Loch

Maree_ and _Collingwood_, which had sailed on 27th November, by

18 days. The Aberdeen White Star ships invariably made fine maiden

voyages. Their captains always left port with the firm intention of

breaking the record, and they had every help from their owners, the

ships being most carefully loaded with their Plimsoll marks well out of

water. Crews also were picked men, and gear, of course, everything of

the best.

[Illustration: “ARISTIDES.”

_Photo by Hall & Co., Sydney._]

_Aristides_ was kept on the Melbourne run until 1889, when she went out

to Sydney in 85 days. From this date she was kept in the Sydney trade.

She usually had a full passenger list and being perfectly run like all

the Aberdeen ships she was a favourite both in Sydney and Melbourne.

Captain Kemball retired in 1887, and Captain Spalding had her until the

early nineties, then Captain Allan took her over; her last commander

was Captain Poppy, who was lost in her.

Her best 24-hour run that I have record of was 320 miles. Her passages,

both outward and homeward, were very regular, from 78 to 88 days as a

rule, but she never beat the times of her maiden voyage.

When the Aberdeen White Star sold their sailing ships, they refused to

part with the _Aristides_, and she remained under their flag till the

end. On 28th May, 1903, she sailed from Caleta Buena with nitrate of

soda for San Francisco and was posted as missing. H.M. ships _Amphion_

and _Shearwater_ made a search amongst the islands on her route for the

missing ship, but no trace of her was ever found.

“Smyrna.”

The _Smyrna_, which was built on fuller lines than most of Thompson’s

ships, came to a tragic end, being run into by the steamer _Moto_ on

28th April, 1888, during a thick fog off the Isle of Wight, when

outward bound to Sydney, and sank with Captain Taylor and 11 of her

crew.

The “Harbinger.”

The _Harbinger_ was built to lower the colours of the wonderful

_Torrens_ in the Adelaide trade, being fitted to carry a large number

of passengers. Indeed she was the last sailing ship specially built

and fitted for carrying passengers. In more ways than one she was a

remarkable vessel, and differed in many interesting details from the

stock type of Clyde-built iron clipper.

In her rigging and sail plan, she had various fittings which were

peculiar to herself.

To begin with, she was the only iron ship which had the old-fashioned

channels to spread the rigging: and in another way she went back many

years by never bending a sail on her crossjack yard. Instead of this

sail she spread a large hoisting spanker, and she always carried a main

spencer or storm trysail, a sail very often seen on down east Cape

Horners, who found it very useful when trying to make westing off Cape

Stiff.

The famous _Cutty Sark_ was fitted with a spencer yard and sail at her

launch, but I doubt if she ever used it; at any rate, Captain Woodget

told me he never used it, for the simple reason that he never hove

the _Cutty Sark_ to in ten voyages to Australia. I have several of

_Harbinger’s_ abstract logs and I can find no instance of her using

this sail either.

_Harbinger_ was a very lofty ship, measuring 210 feet from the

water-line to her main truck, and, unlike the _Hesperus_, she always

carried her skysail yards crossed. Her jibbooms were of unusual

length—I say jibbooms, for outside her ordinary jibboom she carried a

sliding gunter or flying jibboom. On these she set a whole fleet

of jibs, and, as if they were not sufficient, she had cliphooks for a

storm staysail on the fore stay.

[Illustration: “HARBINGER.”]

[Illustration: “HARBINGER.”

_Photo lent by F. G. Layton._]

After her first voyage 600 superficial feet of canvas were added to her

square-sail area, and even so she was not a bit over canvassed, as she

was a very stiff ship and always stood up well to a breeze.

That she did not make more remarkable passages must be put down to the

fact that, like the _Hesperus_, she was never hard sailed; but she

could do over 300 miles in the 24 hours without much pressing, and

running her easting down 340 knots in a 23½-hour day was about her

best. Her best speed through the water, measured by the odometer and

the common log, was 16 knots.

With regard to her sea qualities, Mr. Bullen, who served on her as

second mate, speaks as follows:—“She was to my mind one of the noblest

specimens of modern shipbuilding that ever floated. For all her huge

bulk she was as easy to handle as any 10-ton yacht—far easier than

some—and in any kind of weather her docility was amazing…. She was so

clean in the entrance that you never saw a foaming spread of broken

water ahead, driven in front by the vast onset of the hull. She parted

the waves before her pleasantly, as an arrow the air; but it needed a

tempest to show her ‘way’ in its perfection. In a grand and gracious

fashion, she seemed to claim affinity with the waves, and they in their

wildest tumult met her as if they knew and loved her. She was the only

ship I ever knew or heard of that would ‘stay’ under storm staysails,

reefed topsails and a reefed foresail in a gale of wind. In fact, I

never saw anything that she would not do that a ship should do. She

was so truly a child of the ocean that even a bungler could hardly

mishandle her; she would work in spite of him. And lastly, she would

steer when you could hardly detect an air out of the heavens, with a

sea like a mirror, and the sails hanging apparently motionless. The

men used to say that she would go a knot with only the quartermaster

whistling at the wheel for a wind.”

It is doubtful if a ship ever sailed the seas with more beautiful

deck fittings. They were all of the finest teak, fashioned as if by a

cabinetmaker and lavishly carved. In her midship house, in addition to

the galley, carpenter’s shop, petty officer’s quarters, donkey engine

and condenser, she had accommodation for 30 passengers.

Like the _Rodney_, she was fitted up with all the latest comforts and

conveniences—luxuries they were considered in those robust days. On her

forward deck against the midship house were lashed a splendid cowhouse,

two teak wood pens to hold 30 sheep, and a number of hen coops which

were crammed with poultry, ducks, and geese, the butcher being one of

the most important members of her crew.

Her foc’s’le had three tiers of bunks, for she carried a large crew. In

1886 I find that she hauled out of the South West India Dock with 200

passengers and a crew of 51 all told.

She did not stay very long in the Adelaide trade, but from the early

eighties was a favourite passenger ship to Melbourne, her commander

being Captain Daniel R. Bolt, a very experienced passenger ship

commander, who had previously had the _Darling Downs_, _Royal Dane_,

and _Holmsdale_. Under him without any undue hurry, she was generally

between 80 and 85 days going out, and in the nineties coming home.

Below will be found a typical abstract of her log when running the

easting down, taken from her outward passage in 1884:—

August 31.—Lat. 38° 00′ S., long. 1° 52′ W. Dist. 242. Moderate

steady S.W. wind, rain squalls. Two sail in company.

September 1.—Lat. 38° 57′ S., long. 2° 47′ E. Dist. 226. Strong,

unsteady, squally S.W. to west wind, high sea, royals set.

September 2.—Lat. 39° 07′ S., long. 7° 42′ E. Dist. 230. Variable

south wind, squally, heavy rollers from S.W.

September 3.—Lat. 39° 40′ S., long. 12° 49′ E. Dist. 241. Westerly

wind, fresh and squally, under topgallant sails, heavy rollers.

September 4.—Lat. 40° 06′ S., long. 19° 05′ E. Dist. 288. Strong gale

and high sea.

September 5.—Lat. 40° 24′ S., long. 24° 50′ E. Dist. 267. Moderate W.

gale, high sea.

September 6.—Lat. 40° 49′ S., long. 30° 44′ E. Dist. 267. Gale

moderating and falling to light S.S.E. wind.

September 7.—Lat. 40° 08′ S., long. 35° 15′ E. Dist. 213. South wind

variable in force and direction.

September 8.—Lat. 38° 30′ S., long 36° 37′ E. Dist. 116. Variable

light E. and S.E wind.

September 9.—Lat. 40° 25′ S., long. 38° 36′ E. Dist. 148. Moderate

E.S.E. gale. Sea smooth. P.M., strong N.E. wind, reduced to topsails.

September 10.—Lat. 42° 17′ S., long 42° 18′ E. Dist. 203. Strong

gale and head sea. Main upper and three lower topsails. Later, wind

dropping.

September 11.—Lat. 42° 10′ S., long. 46° 41′ E. Dist. 196. Light W.

wind, variable airs increasing to strong N.W. gale at midnight.

September 12.—Lat. 42° 28′ S., long. 52° 13′ E. Dist. 247. 6.30, wind

shifted to west and fell light, then freshened, sea smooth.

September 13.—Lat. 42° 22′ S., long. 58° 06′ E. Dist. 262. Moderate

westerly gale and high sea, royals in. Midnight, light winds.

September 14.—Lat. 42° 10′ S., long. 63° 50′ E. Dist. 253. Increasing

N.W. wind.

September 15.—Lat. 41° 30′ S., long. 70° 22′ E. Dist. 298. Fresh

gale, cross sea from N.N.W., a sea down saloon companion; overcast.

September 16.—Lat. 41° 30′ S., long. 77° 07′ E. Dist. 305. Fresh

W.N.W. wind and moderate sea. Bar. 29.70° to 29.60°.

September 17.—Lat. 41° 15′ S., long. 84° 19′ E. Dist. 326. Strong

gale and high sea. 7.30 a.m., wind shifted from N.W. to W.S.W. Bar.,

30.20°.

Sept. 18.—Lat. 40° 40′ S., long. 90° 00′ E. Dist. 259. Moderate gale

W.S.W. to light W. wind, 8 knots. Bar., 30.10°.

September 19.—Lat. 41° 00′ S., long. 95° 01′ E. Dist. 228. Moderate

to light W. wind, skysails set. Bar., 29.60°.

September 20.—Lat. 40° 30′ S., long. 100° 44′ E. Dist. 260. Moderate

N.W. gale, thick weather, rain.

September 21.—Lat. 40° 04′ S., long. 106° 05′ E. Dist. 248. Moderate

gale and high seas.

September 22.—Lat. 39° 28′ S., long. 111° 05′ E. Dist. 230. Moderate

S. wind, squally with rain falling to light airs.

On this passage _Harbinger_ was 81 days from the Lizard to Port Phillip

Heads; she had very light winds to the line, which she only crossed 31

days from the Lizard. It was, perhaps, a pity that she was not fitted

with stunsails and given a chance to go, as there is no doubt that

under such conditions she could have given the fastest ships in the

trade a very good race.

In 1885 she took her departure from the Start with the little _Berean_,

and beat that little marvel out to the Colonies by six days, being

79 days from the Start to the Quarantine Station, Port Phillip.

_Harbinger’s_ best run on this occasion was 310 miles.

In the year 1890 _Harbinger_ was bought, along with the _Hesperus_, for

Devitt & Moore’s cadet-training scheme. She carried a full complement

of cadets until 1897, when her boys were turned over to the _Macquarie_

and she was sold to the Russians for £4800, and she was still in the

“Argonaut.”

Carmichael’s _Argonaut_, like their _Thessalus_, was not a regular wool

carrier, though often seen in Sydney and Melbourne; for some years,

however, in her latter days, she was a member of the wool fleet from

Sydney. She had all the good looks of a _Golden Fleece_ clipper; and

the following records speak for her sailing powers:—

1879-80 London to Calcutta, undocked 3.30 p.m. October 4

Arrived Saugor Roads, Jan 4 90 days.

against N.E. monsoon.

1881 Calcutta to Melbourne, Jan 10-February 25 45 days.

1881 Melbourne to London, 7th April—off Lizard, 4.30

p.m. June 27 81 „

—docked June 30 84 „

1882 Dundee to Frisco, July 17-November 14 120 „

1882 Frisco to Queenstown, January 6-April 20 104 „

1883 Wifsta, Sweden, to Adelaide, July 11-October 8 89 „

1883 Adelaide to Tegal, Java, November 15-December 13 28 „

1885 Liverpool to Sydney, June 14-August 31 78 „

1894-5 Sydney to London, October 14-January 4 82 „

1895 Dungeness to Sydney. March 13-June 4 83 „

1895 Sydney to London, October 13-December 29 77 „

_Argonaut’s_ best known commander was Captain Hunter, who was one of

those who knew how to carry sail. On his wool passage home in 1896,

however, he was very much out of luck, as the _Argonaut_ was one of the

very few ships that took over 100 days.

[Illustration: “ARGONAUT.”

_Photo by Hall & Co., Sydney._]

Captain A. Cook was her first skipper, then Captain Bonner had her in

the late eighties.

_Argonaut_ was still afloat in 1914. Under the name of _Elvira_, she

flew the Portuguese flag and used the same home port, Lisbon, as the

_Cutty Sark_ and _Thomas Stephens_—and her round of ports was usually

the same as that of _Cutty Sark_, namely—Rio Janeiro, New Orleans and

Lisbon. In 1913, her name was again changed to _Argo_. The Portuguese,

as in the case of the _Cutty Sark_, retained the yards on the mizen.

PASSAGES UNDER 80 DAYS TO SYDNEY IN 1876.

+--------------+---------+--------+--------+---------+-------+----+

+--------------+---------+--------+--------+---------+-------+----+

|_Patriarch_ |Channel |July 14 |Aug. 9 |Aug. 30 |Sept. 2| 71 |

|_Samuel_ |Plymouth |June 28 |July 19 |Aug. 9 |Aug. 19| 78 |

|_Cutty_ |Channel |Nov. 19 |Dec. 11 |Jan. 3 |Jan. 10| 79 |

| _Sark_ | Oct. 23| | | ’77 | ’77| |

+--------------+---------+--------+--------+---------+-------+----+

PASSAGES UNDER 80 DAYS TO MELBOURNE IN 1876.

+--------------+---------+--------+--------+--------+--------+----+

+--------------+---------+--------+--------+--------+--------+----+

|_Mermerus_ |Gravesend|July 17 |Aug. 6 | |Aug. 30| 66 |

| | May 12| | | | | |

|_Aristides_ |Start |Aug. 4 |Aug. 26|Sept. 17|Sept. 18| 70 |

|_Old_ |Channel | | | |Oct. 29| 78 |

| _Kensington_| Aug. 17| | | | | |

| | May 18| | | | | |

|_Salamis_ |Lizard |Apl. 18 |May 14 |June 7|June 8| 75 |

| | Mar. 25| | | | | |

| | Aug. 12| | | | | |

|_Cassiope_ |Channel | | | |Nov. 10| 76 |

| | Aug. 26| | | | | |

|_Parthenope_ |Tuskar | | | |Oct. 12| 77 |

|_Marpesia_ |Tuskar | | | |Jan. 6| 77 |

| | Oct. 21| | | | ’77| |

|_Loch Katrine_|Start |June 15 |July 12|Aug. 9|Aug. 10| 77 |

| | May 26| | | | | |

| _Stephens_ | Aug. 7| | | | | |

+--------------+---------+--------+--------+--------+--------+----+

Notes on Passages to Australia in 1876.

The only new ship to make a name for herself this year was _Aristides_,

but I do not think she was as fast as Thompson’s earlier ships, and I

much doubt if she were capable of the following week’s run, made by

_Samuel Plimsoll_ whilst running her easting down this year in 41° S.,

viz., 348, 330, 301, 342, 320, 264, and 340 = total 2245 miles.

Hardly any of the cracks are missing from the “under 80 day” list. The

_Tweed_, with eight fine stallions on board, ran from the Start to

King’s Island in 77 days on her way to Sydney, but was then held up

three more days by calms.

“Brilliant” and “Pericles.”

Duthie’s _Brilliant_ and Thompson’s _Pericles_ were built alongside

of each other and launched on the same tide; and both ships being in

the Sydney trade there was naturally great rivalry between them. The

two clippers proved to be very evenly matched and it is difficult

to award the palm. _Pericles_ usually took emigrants out, _Brilliant_

being loaded deep with general cargo, and they both loaded wool home.

The two captains, Davidson of the _Brilliant_ and Largie of _Pericles_,

usually had a new hat on the result of each passage. _Pericles_

with her light load line generally won the hat going out, but the

_Brilliant_ was always very hard to beat on the homeward run, and

Captain Davidson, more often than not, got his hat back again.

[Illustration: “PERICLES.”

_Photo by Hall & Co., Sydney._]

On her maiden passage _Brilliant_ went out to Sydney in 78 days without

clewing up her main royal from the Bay of Biscay to Sydney Heads. Down

in the roaring forties she made three consecutive runs of 340, 345 and

338 miles by observation, a performance which I do not think any iron

ship has ever beaten.

Her best homeward passage was 79 days to the Channel in 1888, but her

wool passages were so regular that she was rarely allowed more than 85

days to catch the sales.

_Brilliant_ was a specially handsome ship; painted black with a white

under-body, and with a brass rail along the whole length of her

topgallant bulwarks, she was always the acme of smartness, being known

in Sydney as “Duthie’s yacht.”

Taking the average of 16 outward passages under Captain Davidson, we

find _Brilliant’s_ record to be 85 days, her rival _Pericles_ had an

average of 84 days for 10 passages; this was considerably helped by a

very fine run of 71 days in 1886.

In 1888 Captain John Henderson took the _Pericles_ for three voyages,

leaving her to take the _Samuel Plimsoll_. He took the _Pericles_

across the Pacific to San Francisco and made three passages home from

the Golden Gate with wheat, his first being the best, 110 days to

Falmouth.

Thompson’s sold _Pericles_ to the Norwegians in 1904, whilst

_Brilliant_ was sold to the Italians in the following year.

_Brilliant_, I believe, was broken up in Genoa about 10 or 12 years

ago, but _Pericles_, until recently at any rate, was still washing

about the seas disguised in the usual way as a barque.

“Loch Ryan.”

_Loch Ryan_ was another 1200-ton ship, a favourite size with Messrs.

Aitken & Lilburn. Though she managed to make the run to Melbourne

in 78 days on her maiden passage, she was not as sharp-ended as her

predecessors and was more of a carrier, her passages home being more

often over 100 days than under.

She was more fortunate in her old age than most of her sisters, as she

was bought by the Victorian Government and turned into a boys’ training

ship, her name being changed to _John Murray_. For many years, until

well into the late war in fact, she lay in Hobson’s Bay as spick and

span as ever, occasionally making short cruises under sail for training

purposes.

About the middle of the war, like many another gallant old windjammer,

she was fitted out and sent to sea in the face of the German submarines

and was wrecked in the Pacific.

“Loch Etive,” of Captain William Stuart and Joseph Conrad fame.

The _Loch Etive_, launched in November, 1877, had the honour of being

commanded by Captain Stuart of Peterhead, for long the well-known

skipper of the famous _Tweed_, and the still greater honour of having

Mr. Joseph Conrad as one of her officers.

She also was a fuller ship and for some years Captain Stuart

failed to get anything remarkable out of her, though he drove her

unmercifully; but in 1892-3 she made two very good voyages.

[Illustration: “MERMERUS,” in Victoria Dock, Melbourne, 1896.]

[Illustration: “BRILLIANT.”

_Photo lent by Captain C. W. Davidson._]

Leaving Glasgow on 15th October, 1892, she arrived at Melbourne on Xmas

Day, 70 days out from the Tail of the Bank. Loading a wool cargo, she

left Melbourne on 26th January, 1893, and arrived in the London River

on 29th April, 93 days out.

On her next voyage she left Glasgow at 8 p.m. on 23rd September and

arrived at Adelaide 10 a.m., 12th December; towed to powder ground

and discharged 20 tons of gunpowder, and berthed at the wharf same

afternoon; commenced discharging on 13th, discharged 800 tons of cargo,

took on board 300 tons lead spelter, towed down the river and anchored

off the Semaphore on the 16th; left on the 17th, and arrived at

Melbourne on the 19th. Here she discharged 750 tons, the remainder of

her inward cargo, and loaded wool and sundries for Antwerp and Glasgow.

Left Melbourne Heads on 18th January—detained a week in Bass Straits

by light easterly winds—passed within 3 miles of Cape Horn at noon,

15th February—crossed equator at noon, 15th March—signalled Lizard

at noon, 12th April, and docked in Antwerp on 15th April, 87 days out.

Captain Stuart died at sea on his next voyage, on the morning of his

birthday, 21st September, 1894, and was buried at sea some 300 miles

S.W. of Queenstown, the _Loch Etive_ being five days out from Glasgow.

He was 63 years of age and had been 43 years a master. It was his proud

boast that during the whole of his career he had never lost a man or

a mast overboard. Though offered many a chance to go into steam or a

larger ship, Captain Stuart preferred to remain in the _Loch Etive_.

Without a doubt he was one of the most successful captains in the

history of our Mercantile Marine. Many of his men sailed year after

year with him, and there are men in command at the present day who

originally shipped before the mast with Stuart and owed not only their

sea training but their education to him. Peterhead, his native town,

was very proud of Captain Stuart, as well it might be. With Viking

blood in his veins, he went to sea in 1846 through the hawse hole of

a Peterhead schooner in the Baltic trade, and rose to the topmost

pinnacle of his profession. May the British race produce many more like

him.

_Loch Etive_ was sold to the French in 1911 for £1350.

The Wreck of “Loch Sloy.”

The _Loch Sloy_ was another 1200-ton Loch liner. She was Captain

Horne’s first ship in the Australian trade, and he left her to take

over the _Loch Garry_ in 1885.

[Illustration: “LOCH ETIVE.”]

[Illustration: “ARGONAUT,” in the Clyde.]

In April, 1899, when on a passage to Adelaide under Captain Nichol, the

_Loch Sloy_ overran her distance and was wrecked on Kangaroo Island.

Captain Nichol was trying to pick up Cape Borda light, but it was shut

out from him by the cliffs between Cape Bedout and Cape Couldie, and

the _Loch Sloy_, in the darkness of the morning of 24th April, drove

on to the Brothers Rocks and became a total loss in a few moments,

the heavy surf sweeping right over her. The crew and seven saloon

passengers took refuge in the rigging, but one by one the masts went

over the side, and the men were hurled into the breakers. The ship

had struck 300 yards from the shore and only four men reached it—a

passenger, two able seamen and an apprentice. None of the survivors

remembered how they got ashore; they heard the crash of the masts, then

felt the wreckage bumping them about in the surf, and finally found

themselves lying wedged amongst the rocks, where the breakers had

washed them up.

The following account of their subsequent hardships appeared in an

Adelaide paper:—

The survivors endured dreadful privations before they reached a

settlement. They had plenty of whisky, which had floated ashore from

the wreck, but for solid food they had to eat grass, dead penguins

cast up by the waves, and shellfish. They suffered terribly through

insufficient clothing and lack of boots. Two of them walked along

the coast until they came to the Cape Borda light. One went inland

to May’s Settlement. The other survivor, David Kilpatrick, the

passenger, was so ill that he had to be left behind. When search

parties came back for him he had disappeared, and it was not till

a week later that a systematic search of the island led to the

discovery of his dead body a mile and a half from the spot where the

others had left him.

The Loss of Lochs “Shiel” and “Sunart.”

_Loch Shiel_, the sister ship of _Loch Sloy_, was lost on the Thorne

Rock, Milford Haven on the 30th January, 1901. Her master mistook the

Great Castle Head lights and got on the rocks at 8.40 p.m., the Loch

liner being bound out to Australia from Glasgow. There was no loss of

life, however, on this occasion, half the crew being taken out of the

mizen rigging by a lifeboat, and the other half climbing ashore on to

the rocks by means of her bowsprit.

_Loch Sunart_, the last three-master built for the Loch line, was

launched in January, 1878. Her life was a very short one, as on her

second passage out to Melbourne she was piled up on the Skulmartin

Rock, 11th January, 1879.

Notes on Passages to Australia in 1877.

_Loch Maree_ left Glasgow on 5th May, but was held up for four days

in sight of Tory Island, first by calms and then strong S.W. winds.

Between 21° S.—the limit of the S.E. trades—and the Cape meridian, she

had ten days of strong N.W. winds, during which she logged over 300

miles a day for several days in succession.

_Ben Cruachan_ had such favourable winds in the Channel that she

carried the Channel pilot on to Madeira, where she landed him on 25th

April. She made very steady running down south, for her best day’s work

was only 296 miles. Her sister ship, _Ben Voirlich_, on the contrary,

made a run of 350 miles on 26th July in 35° 37′ S., 22° 10′ W., though

she took 83 days from Achill Head to Hobson’s Bay.

_Pericles_, with 489 emigrants on board, made a good start in her

career, like all Thompson’s ships. Between the 23rd and 24th November

in 44° S., she ran 354 miles before what Captain Largie called a

hurricane, so it is not surprising that _Brilliant_ failed to catch her

in spite of an average of 261 miles a day for 22 days between the Cape

and Otway. _Brilliant_, however, instead of emigrants, had 4000 tons of

general cargo on board.

_Patriarch_, who very rarely suffered damage in bad weather, took a

very heavy sea over her poop during a W.N.W. gale on the 2nd September

in 100° E., and lost 9 feet of her taffrail and three stanchions

over the side. This sea would not have been a pleasant one for _Loch

Vennachar_ or _Sir Walter Raleigh_, both of which had their decks

lumbered up with horse boxes full of draught stock.

_Samuel Plimsoll_ as usual made some good running down south, her best

week’s work being 2050 miles.

_Thermopylae_ was hard chased by _Cutty Sark_, in spite of a 17-day

run from the Lizard to the equator. It is a pity the two ships did

run their easting down on the same parallel, as they must have been

neck and neck down south, but _Cutty Sark_ kept in 46° S., whilst

_Thermopylae_ did not go higher than 44° 30′ S. Both ships by the way

were forced by bad weather to put back to the Downs on their first

attempts to get down Channel.[C]

PASSAGES TO SYDNEY UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1877.

+-------------+----------+-------+--------+---------+--------+----+

+-------------+----------+-------+--------+---------+--------+----+

|_Cutty_ |Lizard |Dec. 28|Jan. 18 |Feb. 13 |Feb. 16| 72 |

| _Sark_ | Dec. 6| | ’78 | ’78 | ’78| |

|_Pericles_ |Plymouth |Oct. 17|Nov. 7 |Nov. 30 |Dec. 3| 74 |

|_Brilliant_ |Start |Oct. 31|Nov. 26 |Dec. 10 |Dec. 20| 79 |

| | Oct. 2| | | (Otway) | | |

|_Samuel_ |Plymouth |July 7|July 28 |Aug. 23 |Aug. 27| 79 |

+-------------+----------+-------+--------+---------+--------+----+

PASSAGES TO MELBOURNE UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1877.

+-------------+----------+--------+--------+--------+--------+----+

+-------------+----------+--------+--------+--------+--------+----+

| | May 13 | | | | | |

|_Ben_ |Lizard |May 13| | |June 23| 67 |

|_Thermopylae_|Lizard |Dec. 20|Jan. 17|Feb. 14|Feb. 15| 74 |

| | Dec. 3 | | ’78| ’78| ’78| |

|_Loch_ |Channel |May 2|May 29 | |June 22| 75 |

|_Romanoff_ |Lizard |Apl. 25|May 19 | |June 15| 75 |

|_Loch Fyne_ |Tuskar | | | |Mar. 5| 75 |

| | Dec. 20| | | | ’78| |

|_Salamis_ |Start |Aug. 1 |Aug. 26| |Sept. 21| 76 |

|_Thomas_ |Tuskar |Sept. 9|Sept. 30|Oct. 26|Oct. 27| 76 |

| _Stephens_ | Aug. 12| | | | | |

|_Loch Ryan_ |Tuskar |Mar. 27|Apl. 23| |May 21| 76 |

| | Mar. 6| | | | | |

|_Parthenope_ |Holyhead |Sept. 19|Oct. 10|Nov. 1|Nov. 2| 77 |

| | Aug. 17| | | | | |

|_Maulesden_ |Tuskar |Mar. 26|Apl. 24| |May 22| 79 |

| | Mar. 4| | | | | |

+-------------+----------+--------+--------+--------+--------+----+

“Cimba.”

In April, 1878, Hood launched the beautiful little _Cimba_ for A.

Nicol, and with her green hull, gold scrolls and lion figure-head she

was a familiar visitor to Port Jackson for close on 30 years.

An out and out wool clipper, she was very heavily rigged, her chief

measurements being:—

Main lower mast 60 feet.

Fore and main yards 82 feet.

Fore and main lower topsail yards 76 feet.

Fore and main upper topsail yards 69 feet.

Fore and main lower topgallant yard 58 feet.

Fore and main upper topgallant yards 52 feet.

Fore and main royal yards 41 feet.

Her lower masts were short compared to some clippers, but her lower

yards were very heavy, her fore and main yards weighing over 4 tons

each.

Her first master was J. Fimister, who had her until 1895, when Captain

J. W. Holmes took her over until she was sold abroad in 1906.

Under Captain Fimister her best passages were:—

1880 Channel to Sydney 71 days

1882 Channel to Sydney 82 days

1884 Channel to Sydney 79 days

1889 Sydney to London 75 days

1891 Sydney to Channel 84 days

1892 Channel to Sydney 83 days

1893 Sydney to Channel 86 days

1894 Channel to Sydney 80 days

On her maiden trip she left London 27th June—left Channel 2nd July, 5

days out—crossed the line 28th July. 26 days from departure—crossed

Cape meridian 20th August, 49 days from departure—arrived Sydney 29th

September, 89 days from departure.

A curious notoriety came upon the new clipper in Sydney owing to

Captain Fimister, in his eagerness to get loaded and away in good time

for the wool sales, jumping _Patriarch’s_ loading berth at Circular

Quay.

The berth was vacated by _Nineveh_ on a Saturday.

[Illustration: “CIMBA.”

_Photo lent by F. G. Layton._]

The port arrangements in those days allowed ships to go alongside

in the order in which they had booked the berth. On this occasion

_Patriarch_ had booked the berth on 18th August, _Smyrna_ on 20th

August, _Cairnbulg_ on 9th September, _St. Lawrence_ on 13th September,

_Centurion_ on 26th September and _Cimba_ on 30th September—the day

after she arrived.

On _Nineveh_ sailing, _Patriarch_ should have hauled alongside, but

her captain had been told that as it was Saturday he need not come

alongside until Monday. The _Patriarch_, being in no particular hurry

as a good deal of her wool was still up country, therefore remained

where she was. Hearing of this, the enterprising Captain Fimister

proceeded to hire a tug and move his ship from Smith’s Wharf where

she was lying to the vacant berth at Circular Quay, all ready to load

the wool which was waiting for him. He took the precaution, however,

to take his shorefasts through the quay rings and aboard again. This

defiance of the harbour authorities was allowed to go unnoticed until

Monday morning. Then Captain Fimister received an order to remove his

ship. Of this he took no notice. His action, as may be supposed, was

the talk of the port, especially amongst the captains of the wool

clippers. One of these skippers threatened to moor his ship in Sydney

Cove, ready to be the next to jump the berth. Others complained in

person to the Colonial Secretary.

On Tuesday morning Captain Bell, the harbor-master, went in person to

the _Cimba_ to order her removal, but the undaunted Captain Fimister

triced up his gangway ladder and threatened to throw him overboard if

he attempted to gain the deck. By this time all the legal lights of

Sydney were puzzling their heads over the legal aspects of the case;

Messrs. Dangar, Gedye & Co., the ship’s agents, upholding the captain.

Finally the Colonial Treasurer sent the President of the Marine Board

an order to remove the ship. So at 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Captain

Hixson, the assistant harbourmaster, with 20 men and half-a-dozen water

police, boarded the ship, only to find that Captain Fimister and his

whole crew had flown after first removing every means of weighing the

anchor. But a harbourmaster is not easily balked, and Captain Hixson

let go the shorefasts, slipped the chain, and with the aid of a tug

took the _Cimba_ out and moored her at the man-of-war buoy off Fort

Macquarie.

It was now time for Dangar, Gedye & Co. to take action. They

immediately enlisted the help of Sir John Robertson, who moved

the adjournment of the House in order that an explanation of the

harbourmaster’s high-handed proceedings might be given. The House was

already divided into two factions over Captain Fimister’s action, but

the Colonial Secretary firmly upheld the Marine Board, and in the end

Captain Fimister was fined 20 shillings and 5s. costs and ordered to

pay £28 4s., the cost of removing the _Cimba_ from the berth.

All this trouble really arose firstly through the _Patriarch’s_ being

ahead of her cargo, and secondly owing to Circular Quay being a free

berth. This was shortly afterwards rectified, but the _Patriarch_ did

not get away until a month after the _Cimba_ for want of cargo.

In 1889, the _Cimba_ made her best wool passage, as follows:—

October 22—Left Sydney.

November 18—Passed Cape Horn 27 days out.

December 11—Crossed the equator 50 days out.

December 25—Passed the Western Isles 64 days out.

January 3 ’90—Signalled in the Channel 73 days out.

January 5—Arrived London 75 days out.

Captain Holmes, who took the _Cimba_ in 1895, had had a long experience

in clipper ships. He had been third mate of the _Salamis_, chief mate

of _Hallowe’en_ and _Blackadder_, and commander of the _Lencadia_, a

smart ship built for the China trade.

The Aberdeen ships were, however, very clannish, and being a stranger

and not a Scot, he had his reputation all to make, the standard set

being a very high one. However, he knew how to carry sail, and he

managed to keep the _Cimba_ moving, though she was always a tender ship

requiring a master hand.

Under him, her best passages were:—

1895 Lizard to Sydney 82 days.

Her best week’s work was 1860 miles, and her best 24 hour’s run, made

on 6th June in 39° 51′ S., 34° 54′ E., 336 miles in a fresh gale from

S.W., during which the second mate was lost overboard.

Other good runs on this passage were:—300, 302, 308 and 312.

1896 Sydney to London 78 days.

_Cimba_ left Sydney in company with _Thessalus_ and _Argonaut_ on 17th

October. Passed the Horn on 15th November, 29 days out—on 18th November

in 51° 31′ S., 55° 47′ W., ran 316 miles, the wind blowing a strong

gale from W.S.W. to W.N.W.—crossed the line on 8th December, 23 days

from the Horn—passed Fayal, Western Isles, on Xmas Day, and signalled

the Lizard at 1 p.m. 31st December, 75 days out.

This was really a splendid performance, for the _Thessalus_, which was

really a much faster and more powerful ship, signalled the Start on

31st December at noon, whilst _Argonaut_, which was certainly quite as

fast as _Cimba_, did not arrive until a month later.

1898 Sydney to London 81 days.

Passed the Horn on 2nd November, 25 days out, having run 3422 miles

in 14 days—crossed the line on 29th November, 27 days from the

Horn—passed the Western Isles on 20th December, Lizard light abeam at

8 a.m. on 26th December, 79 days out.

In 1899 _Cimba_ went out to Rockhampton and loaded home from Brisbane.

In 1901 she went out to Sydney in 85 days, her best run being 310 miles.

By this time sailing ship freights were in a very bad way, and a

profitable charter in Sydney grew more and more difficult to obtain,

thus in 1905 we find her making the record passage between Callao and

Iquique for a sailing ship. As this may be of interest, I give her

abstract log below:—

ABSTRACT LOG OF _CIMBA_ FROM CALLAO TO IQUIQUE

RECORD SAILING SHIP PASSAGE.

July 2-7 p.m. got underweigh.

| | | | |

July 3 | 12° 48′S | 79° 24′W| S50° W.| 80mls.| S.S.E.

„ 4 | 14° 30′ | 80° 15′ | S46° | 150 „ | „

„ 5 | 16° 47′ | 81° 49′ | S34° | 165 „ | „

„ 6 | 19° 20′ | 82° 54′ | S22° | 165 „ | S.E. by E.

„ 7 | 21° 48′ | 84° 17′ | S28° | 168 „ | S.Easterly

„ 8 | 23° 52′ | 85° 52′ | S35° | 152 „ | „

„ 9 | 25° 32′ | 86° 34′ | S21° W.| 160 „ | „

„ 10 | 23° 57′ | 84° 41′ | N47° E.| 141 „ | S.E. by S.

„ 11 | 23° 8′ | 82° 24′ | N69° | 135 „ | South, S.W.

„ 12 | 23° 10′ | 81° 35′ | S87° | 46 „ | N.W. Westerly

„ 13 | 23° 53′ | 78° 00′ | S78° | 202 „ | W’ly to S.S.W.

„ 14 | 22° 42′ | 75° 7′ | N66° | 175 „ | S. Easterly

„ 15 | 21° 38′ | 71° 00′ | N75° | 246 „ | „

„ 16 | 20° 57′ | 70° 48′ | N15° | 43 „ | „

„ 17 | 20° 31′ | 70° 22′ | S11° | 31 „ | „

(2080 miles in 14 days.)

This was _Cimba’s_ last voyage under the British flag; she came home

from Caleta Buena to Falmouth in 85 days, and was then sold (March,

1906) to the Norwegians owing to the death of her owner.

Under the Norwegians she made a remarkable passage from Dublin to the

St. Lawrence in 14 days; lumber was now her chief cargo and she used

often to be seen discharging firewood from the Baltic in the Aberdeen

Bay, East India Dock, where she had so often loaded general for Sydney.

PASSAGES TO SYDNEY UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1878.

+-------------+---------+-------+--------+---------+-------+----+

+-------------+---------+-------+--------+---------+-------+----+

|_Loch Etive_ |Scillies |Feb. 6|Mar. 4 |Mar. 28 |Apl. 3 | 76 |

| | Jan. 17| | | | | |

|_Thomas_ |Plymouth |July 18|Aug. 1 |Aug. 21 |Aug. 31| 77 |

+-------------+---------+-------+--------+---------+-------+----+

PASSAGES TO MELBOURNE UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1878.

+--------------+---------+-------+--------+-------+--------+----+

+--------------+---------+-------+--------+-------+--------+----+

|_Thessalus_ |Lizard |Mar. 28|Apl. 20 | |May 14| 68 |

| | Mar. 7| | | | | |

|_Miltiades_ |Start |June 30|July 21 |Aug. 13|Aug. 14| 75 |

| | May 31| | | | | |

|_Loch_ |Smalls |Aug. 4|Aug. 29 | |Sept. 23| 75 |

|_Old_ |Lizard |July 2|July 24 |Aug. 19|Aug. 20| 76 |

+--------------+---------+-------+--------+-------+--------+----+

Notes on Passages to Australia in 1878.

_Thessalus_ was the heroine of the year, though on her arrival in

Melbourne critics declared that she was too deeply loaded for safety.

_Miltiades_ had a bad time running her easting down; on more than one

occasion her decks were badly swept, and once Captain Perrett was

washed off the poop on to the main deck and had his head badly cut

about.

_Loch Vennachar_, owing to the death of Captain Robertson, had a new

skipper in Captain J. S. Ozanne, her late chief officer. He proved that

he could carry sail by two 24-hour runs of 325 and 311 miles.

Captain Stuart made a very good maiden passage out to Sydney, but _Loch

Etive_ never had anything like the speed of his old ship the _Tweed_.

_Parthenope_ had the veteran Captain Grey in command this year, and

he certainly made her travel. Of the other crack ships _Salamis_

was 83 and _Samuel Plimsoll_ 86 days to Sydney; whilst of the

Melbourne clippers _Loch Garry_ was 80, _Loch Maree_ 82, _Mermerus_,

_Ben Cruachan_ and _Romanoff_ 83, _Sir Walter Raleigh_ 84 and _Ben

Voirlich_ 87 days. Neither of the two tea clippers, _Cutty Sark_ and

_Thermopylae_, sailed for the Colonies in 1878.

“Sophocles.”

The _Sophocles_ was a pretty little ship, though, following the trend

of the times, she was given a fuller body than Thompson’s earlier

ships, as she was meant to be an economical carrier rather than a

record breaker.

I believe she is still afloat rigged as a barque under Italian colours.

Passages to Australia in 1879.

I have had considerable difficulty in finding any good passages to

Melbourne or Sydney in 1879. It was a time of depressed freights and

ships found themselves seeking cargoes in other than their regular

trades. Thus we find the tea clipper _Titania_ on the Melbourne run

instead of going out to China. The _Thomas Stephens_ tried a voyage to

Otago. _Salamis_ was still in the East seeking a tea cargo. _Thessalus_

went to Calcutta from Penarth, whilst the poor little _Cutty Sark_ had

many strange and unpleasant adventures before she resumed her place in

the Australian trade, which was not until 1883.

Of the other cracks _Patriarch_ with 90 days, _Miltiades_ with 88, _Ben

Voirlich_ with 87, _Loch Maree_ with 94, _Old Kensington_ with 96,

_Cimba_ with 91 and _Thermopylae_ with 86 days all made poor passages.

Out of 52 souls on board, only two were saved, an apprentice and a