[Illustration: “SOPHOCLES.”_The Colonial Clippers

_Photo by Hall & Co., Sydney._]

The two rivals, _Brilliant_ and _Pericles_, were the only ships to

make Sydney in under 80 days from the Channel, and owing to _Pericles_

getting ashore close to Plymouth and having to come back and dock and

discharge her cargo, etc., the two ships eventually left the Lizard

together.

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

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

|_Pericles_ |Lizard Aug. 30|Sept. 25|Oct. 17 |Nov. 10|Nov. 14| 76 |

|_Brilliant_|Lizard Aug. 30|Sept. 27|Oct. 20 |Nov. 12|Nov. 15| 77 |

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

The best passages out to Melbourne were the following:—

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

| | | | | |Out |

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

|_Sobraon_ |Plymouth|Oct. 3|Melbourne|Dec. 16| 74 |

|_Titania_ | „ |Feb. 21| „ |May 7| 75 |

|_Aristides_ | „ |July 8| „ |Sept. 23| 77 |

|_Ben Cruachan_ |Channel |June 5| „ |Aug. 25| 81 |

|_Loch Garry_ |Clyde |June 6| „ |Aug. 27| 82 |

|_Sir Walter Raleigh_ |Channel |June 9| „ |Aug. 30| 82 |

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

PASSAGES TO SYDNEY UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1880.

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

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

| | May 15| | |(S.W.Cape)| | |

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

PASSAGES TO MELBOURNE UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1880.

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

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

|_Ben Voirlich_|Lizard |July 8|July 25|Aug. 17|Aug. 19| 67 |

| _Raleigh_ | May 17| | | | | |

|_Romanoff_ |Lizard |July 6|July 27|Aug. 17|Aug. 18| 68 |

|_Ben Cruachan_|Lizard |May 10|May 30| |June 27| 70 |

|_Aristides_ |Lizard |Aug. 23|Sept. 12|Oct. 4|Oct. 5| 70 |

| | May 6| | | | | |

|_Loch_ |Tuskar |June 27|July 18|Aug. 12|Aug. 12| 72 |

| | May 1| | | | | |

| | May 14| | | | | |

| | May 27| | | | | |

|_Loch Katrine_|Clyde | | | |Feb. 17| 75 |

| | Dec. 4| | | | ’81| |

|_Theophane_ |Tuskar | | | |Oct. 27| 77 |

| | Aug. 11| | | | | |

|_Old_ |Channel | | | |July 17| 78 |

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

Notes on Passages to Australia in 1880.

It will be noticed that all the ships going out in under 80 days, with

exception of _Aristides_, _Loch Katrine_ and _Theophane_, left the

United Kingdom in April, May or June and got a good slant South. It was

also a season of hard winds both in the Channel and North Atlantic and

from the limits of the S.E. trades right away to the Otway and even

inside the Heads.

Captain Charles Douglas, from the Blackwaller _Malabar_, took over the

_Ben Voirlich_ this year; and on 21st July when south of Gough Island

he got 323 and 330 miles out of her in 48 hours before a hard W.S.W.

gale.

On the 17th August, when in sight of Cape Schanck, _Ben Voirlich_ was

held up by terrific squalls from N.N.W. and N., and had to be brought

to under reefed topsails. This cost her a day as she was not able to

enter the Heads until the 19th, when the wind shifted to the W.N.W.

_Sir Walter Raleigh_ made the best passage of her career. With a good

run down Channel, she took her departure from the Start the day after

leaving the Thames, but from the Eddystone to the line she only had

two runs of over 200. However between 4th and 11th July in 42° 30′ S.,

she ran 2128 miles, her best day’s work being only 304 miles, which

meant very steady going. She also was held up off her port by strong

head winds after being braced sharp up all the way from the meridian of

the Leeuwin.

_Romanoff_ had to beat down Channel and was six days from the Thames

to the Lizard, and strong S.W. winds compelled her to go inside the

Canaries and Cape Verdes. She crossed the equator in 21° W. She ran her

easting down in 44° S., and though she had no big runs was only 21 days

between the Cape meridian and the Otway.

_Ben Cruachan_ also had tempestuous weather and easterly winds on

making the Australian coast, and came into port with most of her

bulwarks gone. The day after passing the Leeuwin meridian, 19th June,

she had a hard gale with a very heavy beam sea. She had her fore and

mizen lower topsails blown out of the bolt ropes, and carried away two

topmast backstays owing to the heavy rolling.

_Aristides_ had to beat out of the Channel against strong S.W. gales

and _Miltiades_ had three days of S.W. gales in the Bay of Biscay,

whilst _Salamis_, which was very deeply laden with her Plimsoll mark

awash, was forced down into 47° S. by hard easterly gales.

_Samuel Plimsoll_, with 384 emigrants on board, was only 16 days to the

equator. Between the Cape and the Leeuwin she made the following fine

24-hour runs:—

June 11 298

„ 15 294

„ 17 313

„ 19 304

„ 22 291

„ 23 308

„ 26 314

„ 26 300

The _Tweed_ this year was commanded by Captain White, who had had the

_Blackadder_. The old ship averaged 240 miles a day from the equator

to the S.W. Cape, Tasmania, her best day’s work being from 8th to 9th

July, when she covered 362 miles.

_Loch Maree_ ran down her easting in 41° S. and experienced no very

heavy weather, but managed to average 284 miles a day for 28 days.

_Rodney_ went out to Adelaide in 74 days, but her passage was thrown in

the shade by the wonderful _Torrens_, which arrived a few days later,

only 65 days out from Plymouth.

The _Thomas Stephens_ left Liverpool on 29th April and made the fine

run of 83 days to Rangoon.

Passages under 80 days to Sydney in 1881.

Again only three ships made the run out to Sydney in under 80 days.

_Cimba_ dropped her pilot in the Channel on 10th May and arrived Sydney

on 24th July, 75 days out. _Samuel Plimsoll_ arrived on 10th June 79

days from the Channel, and _Loch Etive_ on 20th September 79 days from

the Clyde

PASSAGES TO MELBOURNE UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1881.

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

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

|_City of_ |Lizard |June 17|July 11 |Aug. 5|Aug. 6| 69 |

| _Agra_ | May 29 | | | | | |

|_Theophane_ |Tuskar |June 29|July 20 |Aug. 9|Aug. 10| 69 |

|_Sobraon_ |Plymouth | | | |Dec. 6| 70 |

| | May 8 | | | | | |

|_Ben_ |Lizard |May 25|June 21 |July 13|July 15| 74 |

| _Voirlich_| May 2 | | | | | |

| | May 23 | | | | | |

| _Raleigh_ | May 13 | | | | | |

|_Cassiope_ |Tuskar | | | |Oct. 3| 78 |

|_Mermerus_ |Lizard |Apl. 22|May 19 |June 16|June 17| 78 |

| | Mar. 31 | | | | | |

| | May 4 | | | | | |

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

Notes on Passages to Australia in 1881.

Captain Young once more showed what the old _City of Agra_ could do

when she got the chance. Between the N.E. and S.E. trades she lost her

fore topgallant mast in a squall, otherwise the passage was without

incident. Running the easting down she maintained a splendid average,

as her best run was only 270. Captain Young evidently did not believe

in high latitudes as he kept her in 39° and 40° S.

[Illustration: “ILLAWARRA.”]

_Theophane_ made a good try to beat the _City of Agra’s_ time; she made

no less than three attempts to enter the Heads on the ebb tide, but

each time the wind dropped in the rip and she was drifted back and at

last was compelled to wait until the next day and come in on the flood.

_Ben Voirlich_ again made some big runs, her best day’s work being 349

miles and her best week 2100 miles.

_Loch Maree_ had to be careful not to ship heavy water, as she had

four valuable Clydesdale stallions on her main deck. _Thyatira_ was

in company with the little _Berean_ for three days to the south’ard,

parting from her eventually in 40° S., 131° E. _Berean_ arrived in

Launceston on 9th August, 87 days out from Prawle Point.

The Big “Illawarra.”

In 1881, Devitt & Moore launched out with a real big ship, the

_Illawarra_, and put her into the Sydney trade. She was not so fine

lined as the earlier iron clippers, for the competition of steam and

reduced freights were making good carrying capacity a necessity for a

money-making ship. Nevertheless _Illawarra_ had a very fair turn of

speed, and her average of passages both outward and homeward was under

90 days.

She will be chiefly remembered as a cadet ship under the Brassey

scheme; she succeeded the _Hesperus_, and under Captain Maitland

carried premium cadets from 1899 to 1907. In that year Devitt & Moore

made a contract to take 100 _Warspite_ boys round the world, and as

they did not consider the _Illawarra_ large enough, they sold her to

the Norwegians and bought the _Port Jackson_.

The Norwegians abandoned the old _Illawarra_ in the North Atlantic

during March, 1912, when she was on a passage from Leith to Valparaiso,

her crew being taken off by the British steamer _Bengore Head_.

“Orontes.”

The _Orontes_, Thompson’s new ship, was also more of a deadweight

carrier than a clipper. After a plodding life with no very startling

adventures, she was run into and sunk on 23rd October, 1903, by the ss.

_Oceana_, when almost in sight of Ostend, whither she was bound from a

nitrate port.

The “Loch Torridon.”

When the competition of steam began to cut badly into the Colonial

trade, all the Loch three-masters except the _Loch Vennachar_ and _Loch

Garry_, the two finest ships in the fleet, had their yards removed

from the mizen mast and were converted into barques, yet they still

continued to make fine passages.

Until the eighties 1500 tons was considered a good size for a sailing

ship, but the time arrived when it became necessary to have ships which

possessed both large carrying capacity and speed, and every designer

strove to produce a successful compromise between the two. It was soon

found that full-rigged ships of 2000 tons and over were not economical

ships to work, and thus it was that the four-mast barque came into

being. At first many owners went in for four-mast ships, but it was

soon proved that besides being more economical the four-mast barque was

just as speedy.

Following the trend of the times Messrs. Aitken & Lilburn commissioned

Barclay, Curle & Co. in 1881 to build them two four-mast barques of

2000 tons burden. These were the sister ships _Loch Moidart_ and _Loch

Torridon_; _Loch Moidart_ was launched in September and _Loch Torridon_

in November.

The _Loch Moidart_ was only afloat nine years and was a general trader.

On the 26th January, 1890, at 4 in the morning, when bound to Hamburg

with nitrate from Pisagua, her look-out suddenly reported a bright

light on the port bow. Five minutes later she struck on a sand bank,

close to the village of Callantsoog in Northern Holland. A violent gale

from the westward was blowing at the time, and only two men, one of

whom was the cook, succeeded in gaining the shore alive.

Her sister ship, _Loch Torridon_, was one of the best known four-mast

barques in the British Mercantile Marine, and one of the fastest.

“_Loch Torridon_ is perhaps one of the most graceful and elegant models

ever launched from the Glasgow yards,” wrote Sir G. M. White, the Naval

Architect to the Admiralty, in 1892.

In 1904 John Arthur Barry, the Australian writer, wrote of her:—“She

is exceptionally lofty as to her masts, exceptionally square as to

her yards. She carries nothing above a royal, but her royal yards are

as long as the topgallant yards of most vessels. Her lower yards are

enormous. The vessel is uncommonly well-manned with 20 hands in the

foc’s’le, with the usual complement of petty officers, together with

three mates and four apprentices aft. Looking forward from the break

of the poop, one is struck by the immense amount of clear room on her

decks, giving a visitor a sense of spaciousness and freedom in marked

contrast to the often lumbered up decks of the average sailer.”

SPAR PLAN OF LOCH TORRIDON.

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

| Bowsprit | 25 feet. |

| Jibboom (outside bowsprit) | 31 feet. |

| Bowsprit and jibboom (over all)| 56 feet. |

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

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

| Mast—deck to truck | 148 | 152 | 152 |

| Lower mast | 68 | 71 | 71 |

| Doubling | 18 | 18 | 18 |

| Topmast | 57 | 57 | 57 |

| Doubling | 7 | 7½ | 7½ |

| Topgallant mast | 27 | 30 | 28 |

| Royal mast | 21½ | 22½ | 22 |

| Lower yard | 88 | 88 | 88 |

| Lower topsail yard | 78 | 78 | 78 |

| Upper topsail yard | 74 | 74 | 74 |

| Topgallant yard | 56 | 56 | 56 |

| Royal yard | 42½ | 42½ | 42½ |

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

| Spars of jiggermast | Length in feet |

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

| Mast—deck to truck | 128 |

| Lower mast | 70 |

| Doubling | 12 |

| Topmast | 71 |

| Spanker gaff | 38 |

| Spanker boom | 46 |

| Jaws of gaff to head of topsail | 72 |

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

Her royals were 18 feet deep, measured at the bunt; and the depth of

her courses was 38 feet measured at the bunt. She also had a spencer

gaff on her mizen, measuring 24½ feet. Thus it will be seen that,

though she did not carry stunsails, she had plenty of canvas.

_Loch Torridon_ had a poop 36 feet long, a half-deck for apprentices 16

feet long, a midship house 25 feet long, and her topgallant foc’s’le

measured 49 feet in length.

[Illustration: SAIL PLAN OF “LOCH MOIDART” AND “LOCH TORRIDON.”]

Captain Pattman, who commanded her for over 26 years, gave the

following testimony to her qualities, when interviewed by the _Shipping

Gazette_:—“Being perfectly sparred, the ship is easy to steer, and even

in the worst weather the smallest boy on board can keep her on her

course.”

Anyone who has felt how hard-mouthed the average four-mast barque can

be will appreciate this quality and envy the lucky quartermasters of

such a ship. On _Loch Torridon_ there was certainly no excuse for bad

steering, and the most strictly adhered to rule on board was that any

man or boy found more than half a point off his course was at once sent

away from the wheel in disgrace. There were two other factors in _Loch

Torridon’s_ success, which she owed to her enterprising commander.

Captain Pattman believed in British crews, and took the trouble to

train his apprentices.

Regarding the first, he once remarked:—“Give me a Britisher everytime,

drunken and bad as he is. The best crew I ever had during the past 15

years I shipped in London last summer (1907). They were all Britishers.

The view I hold on this question is that the British sailing ship

sailor cannot be equalled, let alone beaten. But the difficulty I

have experienced is in regard to steamship A.B.’s. I shipped one of

these fellows some time ago, and it turned out that he knew nothing of

sailing ship ways. He could not steer, and he knew a good deal less

than one of our second voyage apprentices. As compared with such a man,

I say, ‘Give me a foreigner who has been at sea on sailing ships for

two or three years and who knows the way things are done on a sailing

ship.’ I find, however, that the foreigner who has been a few years

in British ships becomes more insolent, more disobedient and more

difficult to manage than the British sail-trained seaman.”

With regard to the training of apprentices, many a good officer owes

his present position to the late Captain Pattman. The _Loch Torridon_

apprentices went to the wheel on their first voyage. At first they

took the lee wheel, but as soon as they showed their ability they were

allowed to stand their regular trick. In other matters Captain Pattman

was a strong advocate of the system carried out on board the German

training ships, notably the North German Lloyd.

Captain Pattman took command of _Loch Torridon_ on her second voyage.

Her maiden voyage was a very tragic one. She went out to Hobson’s Bay

from Glasgow under Captain Pinder, arriving on 27th April, 1882, 105

days out. This gave no indication of her sailing capabilities, so she

was not taken up to load wool but was sent across to Calcutta to load

jute. She left Calcutta on 22nd August. On 9th October, when off the

Cape, she ran into a heavy gale from W.N.W. Captain Pinder hove her

to on the starboard tack under close-reefed main topsail. After a bit

Captain Pinder wore her round on to the port tack, but with the squalls

increasing she lay down to it, dipping her starboard rail. Thereupon

Captain Pinder decided to wear her back on to the starboard tack. The

mate besought him not to do this without setting the foresail, but

unfortunately, having been lucky once, the captain insisted, with the

result that when she got off before the wind she had not enough way

on her and a tremendous sea came roaring over the stern and carried

overboard the master, second mate, man at the wheel, sailmaker and a

boy, all being drowned. The mate also was swept away but was saved by

a hitch of the main brace getting round his leg. On the following day

the weather moderated, and the mate brought the ship home to Plymouth,

from whence she was towed up to London.

CAPTAIN PATTMAN’S EARLY CAREER.

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

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

| 1864 |_Woodland_ |Schooner | 120|Boy |Southwold to Shields|

| „ |_Hearts of_ |Billy boy | 105|Boy |Southwold to |

| | _Oak_ | | | | Hartlepool. |

| 1866 |_Hearts of_ |Billy boy | 105|Boy |Southwold to |

| | _Oak_ | | | | Sunderland. |

| „ |_Hubertus_ |Brig | 190|O.S. |Seaham to Boulogne, |

| 1867 |_Kingdom of_|Barque | 427|O.S. |Sunderland to Aden, |

| 1868 |_Callisto_ |Barque | 598|O.S. |London to Adelaide, |

| „ |_Maggie_ |Brigantine | 230|A.B. |Shanghai, Yokohama, |

| 1869 |_Lauderdale_|Ship |1174|A.B. |Shanghai to Foochow |

| 1870 |_Christiana_|Ship |1066|A.B. |London to Sydney and|

| „ | „ | „ | „ | „ |Glasgow to Batavia, |

|1873-4| „ | „ | „ | „ |Glasgow to Samarang,|

|1874-5| „ | „ | „ | „ |Glasgow to Samarang,|

|1875-6| „ | „ | „ | „ |Glasgow to |

| 1878 |_County of_ |4-mast ship|1673| „ |Glasgow to Rio |

| 1879 |_County of_ |4-mast ship|1865| „ |Glasgow to Calcutta |

| 1880 |_County of_ |4-mast ship|1865| „ |Cardiff, Bombay, |

| 1881 | „ | „ | „ | „ |Liverpool to |

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

Captain Pattman took charge of _Loch Torridon_ in December, 1882,

giving up the command of the four-mast ship _County of Selkirk_ in

order to take the Loch liner. As a sailing ship commander of the first

rank, it may perhaps be of interest to give a short outline of Captain

Pattman’s previous career.

From this record it will be seen that Captain Pattman had won his way

to command by the time-honoured means of the hawse-hole.

In the barque _Advice_ he had an experience which would have sickened

most boys of the sea, and he bore the scars to his dying day. The

officers of the ship were actually prosecuted by his father for their

brutality, the result being that Pattman’s indentures were cancelled,

the captain had his certificate cancelled and was sentenced to 18

months’ hard labour, whilst the mate was given three years’ hard

labour. Both were hard drinkers and uneducated men.

The brig _Hubertus_, which Pattman joined as an ordinary seaman,

was a real old-fashioned Geordie collier brig. Her skipper could

neither read nor write, and Pattman acted as his clerk and did all

his correspondence. But the old man knew his way about the North Sea

by smell: he only had to sniff the arming of the lead and was never

wrong in naming the ship’s position. These old collier skippers always

wore sleeved vests and stove-pipe hats at sea, and in the summer the

Thames was often a wonderful sight when these colliers sailed up to

London before a fair wind. There were often a hundred and more, brigs,

schooners, and barques, all crowding up the river so closely, that

these old Geordie skippers, all smoking long church-wardens, would

be leaning over their respective taffrails exchanging greetings and

gossip. Truly 60 years have changed the London River. Yet many a man

living to-day can remember the year 1866, when Pattman sailed up to

London in his Geordie brig. It was the year in which the three famous

tea clippers _Ariel_, _Taeping_, and _Serica_ arrived in the river on

the same tide. Seafaring then was far more like that of the days of

Drake and the Elizabethans than it is like the seafaring of the present

day.

[Illustration: CAPTAIN PATTMAN.]

[Illustration: “LOCH TORRIDON.”

With Perforated Sails.]

_Lauderdale_ was a well-known ship in the China trade, and the

_Christiana Thompson_ was, of course, the Aberdeen White Star liner.

On her first three voyages under Captain Pattman, _Loch Torridon_ took

first, second, and third class passengers out to Melbourne from Glasgow.

She left Glasgow on 2nd March, 1883, with 7 saloon, 33 steerage

passengers and 12 prize stallions for Port Phillip. Passed Rothesay Bay

on the 5th and the Tuskar on the 8th. Running down the easting she made

1911 miles in one week, and was only 22 days between the Cape meridian

and Hobson’s Bay, passing through the Heads 74 days out from the Tuskar.

At Melbourne she took on board 320 horses, 2 cows, 3 dogs, 12 sheep and

27 Chinese grooms for Calcutta. The trade in walers between Australia

and Calcutta was a very lucrative one in those days. On the _Loch

Torridon_ a new system was adopted for taking the horses on board.

They were walked from the railway trucks up gangways on to the main

deck, then down other specially laid gangways through the hatchways

and so into their stalls. This method proved an unqualified success

and saved four days’ time on the old method of slinging them aboard.

The hatch gangways were left in position, and while at sea the horses

were exercised on deck in batches, every horse getting 24 hours a week

on deck. This would have been impossible on a ship with an incumbered

deck, but here the fine clean sweep of _Loch Torridon’s_ main deck came

in useful as a sort of training ground.

Sailing from Melbourne on 20th June, 1883, the _Loch Torridon_ was

unfortunate in encountering very bad weather between Cape Otway and the

Leeuwin, in which she lost 27 horses and 2 Chinese grooms. She arrived

in Calcutta on 1st August, 42 days out, and cleared £1250 on the trip

after paying all expenses such as fittings, grooms and horse food. From

Calcutta she took 103 days to London.

On the 26th May, 1884, _Loch Torridon_ again left Glasgow for Melbourne

with 8 saloon, 8 second class and 34 steerage passengers, and the usual

Clyde cargo of pig iron, pipes, bar iron, heavy hardware, bricks,

boards, ale and whisky. She put into Rothesay Bay for shelter from the

weather on 30th May, and passed the Tuskar on 2nd June. Crossed the

line on 1st July in 27° W. The S.E. trades were southerly and she had

to beat along the Brazilian coast to 17° S. Passed the Cape meridian

on 30th July in 44° S. On 10th and 11th August she logged 642 miles,

was 23 days from the Cape meridian to Port Phillip, and arrived in

Melbourne 23rd August, 82 days from the Tuskar. She then took coal from

Newcastle, N.S.W., to Frisco, making the run across the Pacific in 58

days: and loaded a grain cargo home.

In 1885 she ran out to Melbourne from Glasgow with 58 passengers in 89

days, crossed to Frisco with Newcastle coal in 58 days, and took 49,317

bags of wheat from Frisco to Hull.

In 1886 she went out to Bombay from Cardiff with 2928 tons of coal,

arriving Bombay on 14th January, 1887, 97 days out, having raced and

beaten the _County of Edinburgh_.

After lying three months in Bombay, she got a freight home to Dunkirk.

In 1887 _Loch Torridon_ went to Calcutta from Liverpool and then took a

Calcutta cargo to New York, arriving there on 10th June, 1888, 102 days

out. From New York she took case oil back to Calcutta, but at 8.15 a.m.

on 1st November she stranded on Bangaduni Sand and Captain Pattman had

to jettison cargo to get her off. It was proved at the inquiry that an

abnormal nor’westerly current caused by cyclonic disturbances at the

south end of the Bay of Bengal had set the _Loch Torridon_ in on the

land. The weather had been thick for some days and Captain Pattman had

no blame attached to him. Temporary repairs were made in Calcutta, and

on her arrival home permanent repairs were made at Jarrow-on-Tyne.

In 1889 _Loch Torridon_ again went to Calcutta, taking a brutal cargo

of railway iron from Middlesboro, and came home to London.

In 1890 she went out to Calcutta from Liverpool in 87 days port to

port, and took jute back to Dundee.

In 1891 _Loch Torridon_ at last returned to the Australian trade,

arriving in Sydney from Glasgow 94 days out. Then after lying in

Sydney for five months, she loaded her first wool cargo. Amongst the

magnificent fleet of 77 sailing ships, which were screwing wool into

their holds for the London market, _Loch Torridon_ was considered an

outsider, a dark horse with her name all to make; and she thus had to

wait for the last sales, and did not get away until the 27th March,

1892. Nevertheless the _Loch Torridon_ made the best passage of the

season and had the honour of beating all the cracks. The following is

Captain Pattman’s account of his passage:—

My passage home was the smartest of the wool season, 1891-2, either

from Melbourne or Sydney, being 81 days to the Lizard and 83 to dock.

After I left Sydney, I got down as far as Jervis Bay and there met

an S.S.E. gale, which was in force for 36 hours. I went away for the

north of New Zealand, which I passed on the 14th day out. I fell in

with the _Liverpool_ there. I was in 150° W. on 29th April, before

I got a wind without any easting in it. Nothing but N.E.E. and S.E.

winds prevailed up to that time. On 14th May I rounded the Horn,

40 days out, I was nearly grey-headed at that time. On 21st May I

fell in with the _Strathdon_. We were both dodging icebergs, the

_Strathdon_ had been in amongst them since 18th May, but I only had

12 hours of it, which was quite enough. I left her astern in a short

time. On 3rd June I was in 0° 27′ S. lat., 60 days from Sydney, 20

from the Horn. On 24th June I signalled at the Lizards, 21 days from

the equator. I think it is a record passage from the Horn. I can

hardly believe my good fortune, for I threw up the sponge when I got

to the Horn, 40 days out, and made sure that the passage would run

into three figures. _Loch Torridon_ passed everything we saw, in fact

she never sailed better with me.

I saw in the evening papers that the _Hesperus_ was reported in 14°

N. on 1st June. I was in 0° 27′ S. on 3rd June. The _Hesperus_ docked

yesterday. She was the only one I thought had a chance with me, and I

am of opinion that if I had gone south of New Zealand I should have

done much better. It would have been hard lines if I could not have

rounded the Snares in 14 days and been in a better position for winds

as well, but I am content. I have shown that an outsider, as they

looked upon the _Loch Torridon_, can show the road to their regular

traders.

=Ice to the South’ard.=

It will be noticed from Captain Pattman’s letter on his run home in

1892 that _Strathdon_ and _Loch Torridon_ encountered ice to the

south’ard. And they were not the only ships to do so.

In the years 1892 and 1893 a tremendous drift of field ice and huge

bergs, many of them over 1000 feet in height, blocked the way of ships

in the Southern Ocean, as the following reports will show:—

1892.

April _Cromdale_ encountered ice 1000 feet high in 46° S. 36° W.

May _Strathdon_ encountered ice 1000 feet high in 45 S. 25 W.

June _County of_

_Edinbro_ encountered ice 900 feet high in 45 S. 37 W.

Sept. _Loch Eck_ encountered ice 1000 feet high in 44 S. 2 W.

Oct. _Curzon_ encountered ice 1000 feet high in 44 S. 31 W.

Oct. _Liverpool_ encountered ice 800 feet high in 55 S. 94 W.

1893.

Jan. _Loch_

_Torridon_ encountered ice 1500 feet high in 51° S. 46° W.

Feb. _Cutty Sark_ encountered ice 1000 feet high in 50 S. 43 W.

Mar. _Turakina_ encountered ice 1200 feet high in 51 S. 47 W.

April _Brier Holme_ encountered ice 1000 feet high in 49 S. 51 W.

May _Charles_

_Racine_ encountered ice 1000 feet high in 50 S. 52 W.

The _Cromdale_ had a very exciting experience, and Captain E. H. Andrew

wrote the following account to the secretary of the London Shipmasters’

Society:—

We left Sydney on 1st March, and having run our easting down on the

parallel of 49° to 50° S., rounded the Horn on 30th March without

having seen ice, the average temperature of the water being 43°

during the whole run across.

At midnight on 1st April in 56° S., 58° 32′ W., the temperature fell

to 37½°, this being the lowest for the voyage, but no ice was seen

though there was a suspicious glare to the southward.

At 4 a.m. on 6th April in 46° S., 36° W., a large berg was reported

right ahead, just giving us time to clear it. At 4.30 with the first

signs of daybreak, several could be distinctly seen to windward,

the wind being N.W. and the ship steering N.E. about 9 knots. At

daylight, 5.20 a.m., the whole horizon to windward was a complete

mass of bergs of enormous size, with an unbroken wall at the back;

there were also many to leeward.

I now called all hands, and after reducing speed to 7 knots sent the

hands to their stations and stood on. At 7 a.m. there was a wall

extending from a point on the lee bow to about 4 points on the lee

quarter, and at 7.30 both walls joined ahead. I sent the chief mate

aloft with a pair of glasses to find a passage out, but he reported

from the topgallant yard that the ice was unbroken ahead. Finding

myself embayed and closely beset with innumerable bergs of all

shapes, I decided to tack and try and get out the way I had come into

the bay.

The cliffs were now truly grand, rising up 300 feet on either side of

us, and as square and true at the edge as if just out of a joiner’s

shop, with the sea breaking right over the southern cliff and

whirling away in a cloud of spray.

Tacked ship at 7.30 finding the utmost difficulty in keeping clear of

the huge pieces strewn so thickly in the water and having on several

occasions to scrape her along one to keep clear of the next.

We stood on in this way until 11 a.m., when, to my horror, the wind

started to veer with every squall till I drew quite close to the

southern barrier, having the extreme point a little on my lee bow.

I felt sure we must go ashore without a chance of saving ourselves.

Just about 11.30 the wind shifted to S.W. with a strong squall, so we

squared away to the N.W. and came past the same bergs as we had seen

at daybreak, the largest being about 1000 feet high, anvil shaped. At

2 p.m. we got on the N.W. side of the northern arm of the horseshoe

shaped mass. It then reached from 4 points on my lee bow to as far as

could be seen astern in one unbroken line.

A fact worthy of note was that at least 50 of the bergs in the

bay were perfectly black, which was to be accounted for by the

temperature of the water, being 51°, which had turned many over.

I also think that had there been even the smallest outlet at the

eastern side of this mass, the water between the barriers would not

have been so thickly strewn with bergs, as the prevailing westerly

gales would have driven them through and separated them. I have

frequently seen ice down south, but never anything like even the

smaller bergs in this group.

I also had precisely the same experience with regard to the

temperature of water on our homeward passage in the _Derwent_ three

years ago, as we dipped up a bucket of water within half a mile of a

huge berg and found no change in the temperature.

_Cromdale_, _Strathdon_, _County of Edinburgh_ and _Curzon_, all

sighted this stupendous ice barrier, and _Loch Torridon_ when she spoke

the _Strathdon_ was on the extreme eastern end in about 25° W., whilst

the _Cromdale_ cleared it at the extreme western end, giving the length

of the barrier from east to west about 12 degrees of longitude.

In the following year _Loch Torridon_, _Cutty Sark_, _Turakina_, _Brier

Holme_ and _Charles Racine_ fell in with an equally huge field of ice,

about 6 degrees of latitude further south and stretching from 52° W.

to 43° W. That the two fields were the same lot of ice it is very

difficult to say for certain, but it is more likely that they were

quite separate from each other.

Here is _Loch Torridon’s_ account of the 1893 ice as given to the

_Shipping Gazette_:—

_Loch Torridon_ reports that on 17th January, 1893, in lat. 52° 50′

S., long. 46° W., she sighted two large icebergs to the eastward. On

the 19th in 50° 50′ S., 46° W., she passed between numerous immense

bergs, ranging in size from ¼ to 3 miles in length, and from 500

to 1000 feet high. At 3.30 p.m. on same date she saw an immense

continent of ice ahead with apparently no open water. Passing to the

eastward she had the south end abeam at 4 p.m. and the north end at

9.30 a.m. As the ship had been sailing 9 knots an hour during this

time, steering a N. 11° E. course, this would give the length, north

and south, of this mass to be about 50 miles.

How far it extended to the westward was not known, but from aloft, as

as far as the eye could see, nothing but ice was visible. Numerous

large bergs were to the eastward of the barrier, through which _Loch

Torridon_ threaded her way, besides vast quantities of detached

pieces of ice and small bergs.

Numerous bays and indentations were noticed in the continent of ice,

with bergs and detached ice in the bays cracking against each other

and turning over. _Loch Torridon_ had sleet and fine snow all night

and intense cold. Numberless bergs were passed until 8 a.m. on the

20th, when an iceberg was abeam to the eastward at least 3 miles long

and 1500 feet high.

The following was the famous _Cutty Sark’s_ experience.

I have taken it from Captain Woodget’s private

journal:—

Wednesday, 8th February.—Lat. 50° 08′ S., long. 46° 41′ W., course

N. 50° E., distance 150 miles. Gentle S.W. breeze and fine. 6.00

a.m., foggy; 6.30, fog lifted and we found ourselves surrounded by

icebergs; 8 a.m., foggy again; ice ahead, in fact there was ice all

round. As soon as we cleared one berg another would be reported. You

could hear the sea roaring on them and through them, the ice cracking

sometimes like thunder, at other times like cannon, and often like a

sharp rifle report, and yet could not see them.

At 1 p.m. the top of an iceberg was seen which one could hardly

believe was ice, it looked like a streak of dark cloud. Then we could

see the ice a few feet down, but we could not see the bottom. It was

up at an angle of 45 degrees, we were only about 1000 feet off, so it

would be 1000 feet high, it had a circular top but we could not see

the ends.

A few minutes later another was under the bows, we only cleared it by

a few feet. It was about 100 feet high and flat-topped. Just as we

were passing the corner there was a sharp report that made you jump,

as if it was breaking in two.

Found another on the other side quite close, and a few minutes later

saw the long ridge of ice almost ahead. Kept off, and then another

came in sight on the other bow. We were too near it to keep away, but

I felt sure that it was no part of the big one—as we were passing

this the point of the big one came in sight, the fog cleared and we

passed in between them, there being not more than 400 feet between

them. When we had cleared the big one, I saw its north end and took

bearings. After sailing 8 miles I took other bearings and found that

the east side was 19 miles long; and we could not see the end of

the side we sailed along. We sailed about 6 miles alongside of it,

water now quite smooth. Before noon the water was quite lumpy from

all ways. After we had cleared the passage by about 3 or 4 miles,

it cleared up astern and what a sight it was! Nothing but icebergs

through the passage and on the south side of the passage (for the

south berg was only about ½ mile long north and south, same height as

the big berg. I expect it had not long broken off.) There was nothing

but a sea of ice astern, and another large flat-topped iceberg, which

as far as you could see extended like land, it must have been 20

miles long or more.

After we were through, there was nothing but small ice from small

pieces to bergs 100 feet long. Also there was one about a mile long

covered with what looked like pumice stone or lumps of tallow.

“Loch Torridon’s” Voyages, 1892-1908.

Notwithstanding her fine wool passage in 1892, _Loch Torridon_ could

not find a cargo in London and was obliged to leave the Thames in

ballast. With only 350 tons of flints and a quantity of “London

rubbish” as stiffening, she sailed in magnificent style.

She left Gravesend on 30th July, 1892—was off Start Point, 31st

July—crossed the equator, 19th August, 20 days out—lost S.E. trades

in 22° S., 29th August—crossed the Cape meridian, 14th September, 46

days out—made Moonlight Island, 7th October, 69 days out.

_Loch Torridon’s_ best week’s work was 2119 knots; she ran down her

easting in 43° S. and made the following consecutive runs in the 24

hours—303, 290, 288, 272, 285, 270, 327 and 341 miles.

Her passage worked out at 69 days pilot to pilot, 73 days port to port.

This would have been still better if she had not had to battle against

a “dead muzzler” for the last week of the passage. She cleared for

London on 30th November, 1892, and after her encounter with the ice

arrived in the Thames 96 days out.

Again she left London in ballast. This time she was sent up to

Frederickstadt, where she loaded 940 pieces of timber and 400 tons of

pig iron for Melbourne. Again she made a fine run out.

She sailed on 14th June, 1893, from Frederickstadt. Had strong head

winds in the North Sea:—

Passed Dover, 20th June—passed Ushant 24th June—passed Cape

Finisterre, 29th June—crossed the line, 23rd July—crossed Cape

meridian in 42° S., 17th August.

In lat. 46° S., long. 86° E., _Loch Torridon_ was caught in an

unusually heavy gale with a tremendous cross sea, the barometer

touching 28.83°. However, she came through it without damage, Captain

Pattman using oil with good effect. _Loch Torridon_ passed through

Port Phillip Heads at 11.30 p.m. on 9th September, 87 days from

Frederickstadt and 77 days from Ushant. At the time this was a record

passage from Norway to Melbourne.

_Loch Torridon_ cleared for London on 20th November, 1893, with a cargo

consisting of 8498 bales of wool, 329 bales of sheepskins, 1250 old

rails, 2 casks arsenic, 657 packages of tallow, 11 packages of books,

2000 bags of wheat, 11 bales of fur skins, 12 bales of hair, 1942 bags

of peas, 118 hides, 351 pigs, horns, etc., 100 bales of scrolls. She

dropped her pilot on the 30th and reached London on 6th March, 96 days

out.

In 1894 she loaded coke and railway iron at Barry for Port Pirie and

made the run out in 72 days, her best week’s work being 1914 miles and

her best 24 hours 327 miles.

She left Barry at 6 p.m. on 18th May—crossed the equator, 23 days

out—crossed the Cape meridian on 30th June—crossed the meridian

of Cape Leeuwin on 20th July—sighted Cape Borda 10 p.m., 27th

July—passed Wedge Island at 1 a.m., 28th July, in a strong westerly

gale and anchored at 1 p.m. on 30th July.

From Port Pirie she went up to Melbourne and loaded another cargo of

wool, wheat and hides; and leaving Melbourne on 20th December arrived

in the Thames on 21st March, 1895.

In 1895, owing to the falling off in the export trade to Victoria,

which sailing ships were, of course, the first to feel, _Loch Torridon_

was compelled to accept a charter for Cape Town. Leaving London 6th

July, she reached Table Bay on 30th August, 55 days out. Here she was

visited and greatly admired by Lord Brassey. From Africa she went to

Australia, but owing to the severe drought, like many another clipper

that year, she failed to get a wool cargo and so was compelled to go

across to the coast of South America for a homeward freight. It was

on this occasion that she had the famous race to Valparaiso with the

well-known four-mast ship _Wendur_. The vessels left Newcastle, N.S.W.,

in company on 1st January, 1896, and though neither sighted the other

during the passage, they made a magnificent race of it. _Wendur_ picked

up her pilot off Cape Coronilla at 6 p.m. on 29th January, and reached

the anchorage at 8 p.m., after a record passage of 29 days.

_Loch Torridon_ was held up by fog and calm at the entrance to the Bay

and did not arrive until six hours later. The previous best passage was

32 days, which had been made two years before. Many bets had been

made on this race, as both ships were noted in the Colonies for their

sailing qualities. _Wendur_, indeed, was one of the finest ships in the

British Mercantile Marine, and under Captain Frank Whiston had made

many a splendid passage and, curiously enough, had once before shown

_Loch Torridon_ the road by running from Frederickstadt to Melbourne

in 81 days, before which _Loch Torridon’s_ run had been considered the

record.

[Illustration: “LOCH TORRIDON.”

_Photo lent by late Captain Pattman._]

In the run to Valparaiso _Wendur’s_ best day’s work was 330 miles with

a moderate N.W. wind and heavy southerly swell in 54° S., 128° W. The

next day she ran 310 miles, and three days later 320 miles, the wind

strong at N.W. with heavy sea; her log remarks that she lost her boats,

pigstye, goats, etc., on this day, so Captain Whiston was driving her.

_Loch Torridon_ loaded at Tocopilla for Hamburg, and was 93 days coming

home, a poor passage, her bottom was probably foul. On 6th July her

decks were badly swept off the Horn and she had a big repair bill when

she arrived in Glasgow from Hamburg.

In 1896-7 she went out to Adelaide from Glasgow in 71 days and then

crossed from Newcastle, N.S.W., to Frisco in 46 days. She left

Newcastle on 15th April in company with the four-mast ship _Thistle_

and the Norwegian ship _Hiawatha_. Both these vessels were dropped

hull down to leeward on the first day out. Going through the Islands

continuous bad weather was met with; Captain Pattman never had his

yards off the backstays until 35° N. and had difficulty in weathering

Fiji; nevertheless on 31st May _Loch Torridon_ came flying through the

Golden Gate in front of a N.Wly. gale, and anchored in the Bay at 10

p.m.

_Hiawatha_ took 62 days, _Thistle_ 79 days, and two other ships, the

American barque _Topgallant_ 100 days and the _Cressington_ 106 days.

Besides beating these, _Loch Torridon_ passed no less than ten vessels

which had sailed from Newcastle before her. Loading grain at Port

Costa, _Loch Torridon_ sailed on 23rd July, and arrived at Falmouth on

13th November, 1897, 113 days out. Captain Pattman stated that owing to

the foulness of her bottom his ship was not sailing her best and he was

disappointed with his passage.

Other passages home from Frisco that year were:—

_Musselcrag_ arrived Queenstown 110 days out.

_Lord Templeton_ arrived Queenstown 111 days out.

_Sierra Cadena_ arrived Queenstown 114 days out.

_Andelana_ arrived Queenstown 114 days out.

_Dominion_ arrived Queenstown 117 days out.

_Gifford_ arrived Liverpool 118 days out.

_Crown of Denmark_ arrived Queenstown 128 days out.

_Caradoc_ arrived Queenstown 134 days out.

All these vessels sailed about July and were considered crack ships.

In 1898 _Loch Torridon_ went out to Adelaide in 79 days. Whilst running

her easting down she was swept by a heavy sea, one man being lost

overboard, the half-deck burst in like a pack of cards, the donkeyhouse

stove, and three of the boats flattened out and left like skeletons in

the chocks, whilst their davits were snapped off close to the deck. She

came home from Melbourne to London in 90 days.

In 1898-9 she made the splendid run of 72 days 15 hours to Sydney.

She left London 5 a.m., 10th November, 1898—on 11th November she ran

300 miles in the 24 hours—on 12th November she ran 315 miles in the

24 hours—crossed the line in 28° W., 22 days out—ran her easting down

in 45° S., best 24 hours 320 miles and was 23 days from the Cape

Meridian to Tasmania.

_Loch Torridon_ had between 4000 and 5000 tons of heavy general

cargo in her hold and was very deep. Between 1875-1887 the clippers

loaded nothing like such a heavy general cargo outwards, and yet this

performance of _Loch Torridon’s_ is equal to any of that day.

She arrived in Port Jackson on 31st January, 1899. This year for a

change she came home from Lyttelton, N.Z., in 86 days.

The next three years she did nothing remarkable.

1899 London to Adelaide 85 days.

Melbourne to London 105 „

1900 London to Adelaide 88 „

Melbourne to London 88 „

1901 London to Adelaide 86 „

Adelaide to London 112 „

In 1902 she went out to Adelaide in 79 days, then loaded coals at

Newcastle, N.S.W., for Frisco. Again she made a remarkable run across

the Pacific.

She left Newcastle on 27th April—crossed the line on 17th May in 169°

42′ W.—arrived at Frisco on 11th June, 45 days out.

At San Francisco Captain Pattman loaded wheat for Liverpool. But when

he was ready to sail he found himself 10 men short, so applied to the

usual sources. And here is a good instance of the methods of Frisco

boarding-house masters at that date. He was informed that each man

would cost him $30 blood money, $25 advance, $5 shipping fee, $1 boat

hire—total $61 per man. This was more than a resolute man like Captain

Pattman could put up with, especially with wheat freights to U.K. at

11s. 3d. Though the boarding-house masters were a law unto themselves

in San Francisco and boasted of their power, he determined to brave

them and after some trouble managed to get men at $31 inclusive per

man. His success broke the ring for a time, and they were soon offering

men at $21 a head, less $2.50 commission of the captains. No doubt

many a present day officer will remember the episode, which caused

quite a stir in windjammer circles at Frisco, and even produced a long

poem in one of the leading papers. This poem was entitled “The Lay of

the _Loch Torridon_,” and the patriotic Frisco newspaper man takes

care that the British captain is bested in his efforts. The _Loch

Torridon_ sailed on 8th November, in company with the four-mast barque

_Crocodile_. _Loch Torridon_ arrived Liverpool on 14th March, 1904, and

the _Crocodile_ on 31st March, over two weeks behind.

From 1904 to 1909, when Captain Pattman resigned his command, _Loch

Torridon_ was kept on the Australian run, her passages being:—

1904 Glasgow to Sydney 77 days.

Sydney to London 97 „

1905 London to Adelaide 85 „

Melbourne to London 106 „

1906 London to Adelaide 83 „

Melbourne to London 117 „

1907 London to Adelaide 83 „

Melbourne to London 86 „

1908 London to Adelaide 94 „

Melbourne to London 87 „

On her arrival home in 1908, Captain Pattman reluctantly decided to

give up his command and go into steam, his reason that vexed one,

the lack of real sailormen to man her. Besides which, owing to the

unwillingness of good men to remain in sail, he had to put up with an

aged “has been” as mate and an apprentice just out of his time for

second mate.

In 1912 _Loch Torridon_ was sold to the Russians. About the same time

Captain Pattman had his leg broken by a sea whilst on the bridge of his

new command. He was landed at Falmouth and died there in hospital.

[Illustration: “PORT JACKSON.”

_Photo by Captain Schutze, Sydney._]

[Illustration: “PORT JACKSON,” in the Thames.]

The old _Loch Torridon_ survived until 1915, when she foundered near

the entrance to the Channel in the last days of January, and it is

possible that a German submarine caused her end. Her Russian crew were

rescued by the British steamer _Orduna_, and the Liverpool Shipwreck

and Humane Society awarded medals and certificates of thanks to Captain

Taylor of the _Orduna_ and her chief and second officers.

“Port Jackson.”

_Port Jackson_ has always been considered one of the most beautiful

iron ships ever built. She was designed by Mr. Alexander Duthie, and

built by Hall under the supervision of the Duthie brothers; cost

£29,000 to build or at the rate of £13 a ton; was unusually strong

and in every way made as perfect as possible. She was one of the most

sightly four-mast barques ever launched. Captain Crombie was her first

commander, and under him she did some very fine performances, notably

a run of 39 days from Sydney to San Francisco, when she was only three

days behind the time of the mail steamer. Her best run in the 24 hours

was 345 miles. Unfortunately, when Captain Crombie left her, for some

years no one attempted to bring out _Port Jackson’s_ sailing qualities,

and for two years before she was bought by Devitt & Moore for their

cadet training scheme she lay idle in the Thames. After long years of

cadet carrying _Port Jackson_ fell a victim to the war, being torpedoed

by a German submarine in the Channel in 1916.

PASSAGES TO SYDNEY UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1882.

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

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

|_Thomas Stephens_|Channel|Nov. 9|Sydney|Jan. 22, ’83| 74 |

|_Port Jackson_ | „ |Oct. 28| „ |Jan. 13, ’83| 77 |

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

PASSAGES TO MELBOURNE UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1882.

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

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

|_Rodney_ |Plymouth |Nov. 7|Nov. 29|Dec. 22|Dec. 23| 69 |

| | Oct. 15| | | | | |

| | May 3| | | | | |

|_Salamis_ |Lizard |Mar. 31|April 24| |May 17| 71 |

| | Mar. 7| | | | | |

|_Simla_ |Penzance | | | |Nov. 16| 74 |

|_Marpesia_ |Tuskar |Aug. 11|Aug. 30| |Sept. 25| 78 |

| | May 10| | | | | |

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

Notes on Passages to Australia in 1882.

_Port Jackson_ holds the record of being the first four-poster to go

out to Sydney in under 80 days. Her best run was 345 miles in the 24

hours. The _Rodney’s_ best run was 312 miles, made the day before she

sighted the Otway.

_Ben Voirlich_ averaged 300 miles a day from Gough Island to Kerguelen.

_Salamis_ crossed the Cape meridian the same day as the steamship

_Aberdeen_, and the steamer only managed to get inside the Heads on

14th May, a bare 70 hours ahead of the gallant little green clipper.

The _Simla_ was a fine Liverpool ship with a good reputation for speed.

She registered 1260 tons and was built by Royden in 1874. For a change

there were no Lochs out to the Colonies in under 80 days this year, and

Messrs. Aitken & Lilburn had sent their new four-masters to Calcutta.

Notes on Passages to Australia in 1883.

The _Maulesden_, which figured in these tables in 1877, was a 1500-ton

ship, built by Stephen, of Dundee, for David Bruce. She and her sister

ship, the _Duntrune_, were very well known clippers with some very

fine records to their credit. But this passage of _Maulesden’s_ to

Maryborough, Queensland, made a record which has never been approached.

It will be noticed that she crossed the line 17 days out, doubled the

Cape 39 days out, and passed Tasmania 61 days out, a truly phenomenal

passage. Running the easting down, she made 24-hour runs of 302, 303,

304, 311, 317, 322 and 335 miles, whilst her best weeks were 1698,

1798, 1908 and 1929 miles. From Maryborough she went across to Frisco,

and from there to U.K., calling at Queenstown; and the whole voyage,

including detention in port, was only 9 months 13 days. I have a

photograph of her, and she is a typical iron clipper very like the _Ben

Voirlich_.

PASSAGES TO AUSTRALIA UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1883.

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

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

|_Maulesden_ |Greenock |Mar. 19|April 10|May 2|Maryboro. |May 10| 69 |

| | Mar. 2| | | | | | |

| _Plimsoll_| Apl. 6| | | | | | |

| | May 16| | | | | | |

|_Salamis_ |Dartm’th |Mar. 23|April 23|May 6| „ |May 9| 74 |

| | Feb. 24| | | | | | |

| _Torridon_| Mar. 8| | | | | | |

| | July 24| | | | N.S.W. | | |

|_Candida_ |Ushant |July 10|Aug. 3|Aug. 27| „ |Sept. 1| 78 |

| | May 8| | | | | | |

|_Aristides_ |Start |June 30|July 26|Aug. 14| „ |Aug. 15| 79 |

| | May 28| | | | | | |

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

I have put all the passages together this year; of the ships bound to

Sydney, only the _Candida_ rounded Tasmania, the skippers generally

preferring the shorter route through Bass Straits.

A notable return this year to the Australian trade is the wonderful

little _Cutty Sark_, commanded by Captain Moore, this was her first

passage to Newcastle, and I believe she was one of the first ships to

load wool at Newcastle. In future we shall see her somewhere near the

top of every table.

The _Samuel Plimsoll_ did well to the south’ard again, averaging 278

miles for 13 consecutive days, her best day’s work being 337 miles.

The little _Salamis_ made her second appearance in Port Jackson.

She arrived on the same day as her composite sister, _Thermopylae_.

_Thermopylae_, however, had a terrible passage, the worst of her

career, being actually 107 days from the Start. Held up by continual

gales, she did not cross the equator until her 45th day out, 8th March,

the day _Salamis_ passed the Cape Verde. She crossed the Cape meridian

on 7th April, six days before _Salamis_, and passed the Otway on 5th

May, only one day ahead of _Salamis_, so _Salamis_ had been closing

steadily on her the whole passage.

_Dharwar_ arrived with 414 emigrants, and had measles and fever on

board so had to go into quarantine.

The _Candida_ hailed from Liverpool, a 1200-ton iron clipper. She

brought out 35 passengers and a general cargo from London.

_Mermerus_ had now made 12 consecutive passages to Melbourne, averaging

78 days. Her best runs this passage were 311 and 314 miles.

_Ben Cruachan_ and _Ben Voirlich_ made passages of 85 and 87 days

respectively. _Ben Cruachan_ certainly must have been severely

handicapped by a foul bottom, as I find this was the third voyage since

she had been docked!

The “Derwent.”

The _Derwent_ was a very up-to-date ship, with numerous innovations.

She was built to the specification of Captain Andrew, her first

commander, and he overlooked her construction with an eagle eye.

_Derwent_ was one of the first ships to cross steel topgallant yards,

substitute rigging screws for deadeyes, to have a donkey with winch

barrels, etc.

[Illustration: “DERWENT,” off Gravesend.]

[Illustration: “MOUNT STEWART.”

_Photo by Captain Schutze, Sydney._]

She sailed on her first voyage on Xmas Eve, 1884, her crew consisting

of captain, 3 certificated officers, 8 midshipmen, 12 apprentices,

bosun, sailmaker, carpenter, donkeyman and 12 hands in the fo’cs’le.

The start was not very propitious. She sailed from Glasgow, dragged her

anchors off the Tail of the Bank, and then her crew refused duty. The

weather was so bad that she sought shelter at Queenstown, 11 days out

from Greenock. Here advantage was taken to prosecute her insubordinate

crew, who received sentences of from one to three months’ imprisonment.

The _Derwent_ was never considered a fast ship, but a good sea boat and

excellent cargo carrier; nevertheless she made some very good runs,

notably:—

Sydney to Lizard 77 days.

Sydney to Penzance 74 „

In 1904 Devitt & Moore sold her to the Norwegians, and she was still

afloat when the war broke out, being owned in Larvik.

PASSAGES TO AUSTRALIA UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1884.

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

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

|_Sobraon_ |Plym’th | | | | „ |Dec. 13| 75 |

|_Loch Long_|Clyde | | | | „ |Aug. 15| 75 |

| | Apl. 11| | | | | | |

| _Castle_ | Mar. 26| | | | | | |

| & Co.) | | | | | | | |

| _Italy_ | Nov. 27| | | | | ’85| |

| | May 30| | | | | | |

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

Notes on Passages to Australia in 1884.

A good many ships this year were just into the 80 days; for instance

_Dharwar_, 80 days to Sydney; _Samuel Plimsoll_, 80 to Sydney;

_Trafalgar_, 81 to Sydney; _Loch Vennachar_, 80 to Melbourne;

_Romanoff_ 80 to Melbourne; _Salamis_, 82 to Melbourne; _Patriarch_, 82

to Sydney.

_Miltiades_, _Cimba_ and _Loch Long_ had a good race out. The _Star of

Italy_ was Corrie’s crack jute clipper; this was her tenth voyage, and

her first trip to Melbourne. She was nearly lost when about to sail

through a fire in her sail-room.

_Cutty Sark_ had a fine weather passage to the Cape, but she scared

her crew running the easting down. On one occasion she was pooped by a

big sea which jammed the helmsmen in the wheel, and she came up in the

wind and swept her decks clean, taking the boats off the after skids,

breaking in one side of the monkey poop and gutting the cabin. At the

change of the watch at midnight that night, the apprentice keeping the

time, in order to call his mates, had to go up the mizen rigging and

come down the stay to get to the apprentices’ house her decks were so

full of water; for three or four days after this she ran like a scared

hare before a mountainous sea, which rose up so high astern that it

took the wind out of her topsails when she was in the trough.

Captains Bully Martin and Douglas of the two Bens changed ships this

year, and Douglas in the _Ben Cruachan_ arrived Melbourne on 5th June,

90 days out, whilst Martin in the _Ben Voirlich_ arrived Melbourne on

10th August, 88 days out.

“Torridon” and “Yallaroi.”

The last of Nicol’s clippers were the _Torridon_ and _Yallaroi._

They were skysail-yarders, and lying in dock alongside the

modern four-poster, looked the real thing, a pair of dainty little

thoroughbreds.

[Illustration: “TORRIDON.”

_Photo by Captain Schutze, Sydney._]

Compared to most ships of their size, they had narrow sail plans,

and with greater carrying power, they were not as fast as _Cimba_ or

_Romanoff_. For some reason Nicol gave up the green and gold colours

of Aberdeen and gave them the conventional painted ports. No doubt the

days were passed when crowds of landsmen thronged Circular Quay of a

Sunday and gaped in awe, reverence and admiration at the tall green

clippers.

Captain Shepherd left _Romanoff_ to take the _Torridon_, but he could

only manage to get her out to Sydney in 90 days from Deal on her maiden

trip, and _Yallaroi_ took 99 from Grangemouth. However, both ships held

on in the Sydney trade until 1906, when they were sold to the Italians,

_Torridon_ for £4250 and _Yallaroi_ for £4400.

_Torridon_ was sunk by a German submarine on 27th August, 1916, but

_Yallaroi_ disguised as _Santa Catarina_ is still sailing the seas.

“Loch Carron” and “Loch Broom.”

The last ships to be built for the famous Loch Line were the two fine

four-mast barques _Loch Carron_ and _Loch Broom_.

The _Loch Carron_ was taken from the stocks by Captain Stainton Clarke,

one of the best known skippers in the Australian trade and the bosom

friend of Captain Pattman, the pair being known in the ports they

frequented as the “Corsican Brothers.” Captain Clarke was brought up in

those beautiful little tea clippers, Skinner’s “Castles.” At the age

of 28 he became master of the _Douglas Castle_, which he used to say

was “one of the prettiest models that ever sailed.” When she was sold

he was given the _Lennox Castle_, and he left her to take the _Loch

Carron_.

_Loch Carron_, though a very fast ship, was also a ticklish ship to

handle, being rather tender, and Captain Clarke always sent down royal

yards when in port.

The following are some of her best performances:—

Melbourne to London 73 days.

Adelaide to Glasgow 75 „

Glasgow to Adelaide 78 „

London to Adelaide 75 „ (twice)

The Semaphore, Adelaide, to Cape Otway 48 „

Cape Town to Clyde in ballast 40 „

Melbourne to the Horn 27 „

Cape meridian to the Leeuwin 19 „ (twice)

Cape Horn to the line 20 „

On one occasion when abreast of the Crozets, running her easting down

in 45° S., she made three consecutive 24-hour runs of 310, 320 and 332

miles. On her maiden trip she went to Sydney, and then for two or three

years left the Australian for the Calcutta trade. In 1887 she took case

oil from New York to Calcutta in 112 days.

In 1889 _Loch Carron_ had a very nasty experience when rounding the

Cape homeward bound from India. It is thus told by Captain Clarke:—

We were bound for London from Calcutta with a cargo of jute and about

500 tons of rice for stiffening purposes. It was new rice and had not

been properly dried. When the jute was loaded on top of it, the rice

began to get heated and we had to take it out and stow it in the main

hatch by itself, boring holes in order to allow the air to enter.

This arrangement of the cargo caused the ship to be top-heavy, but it

was unavoidable. When we got to the Cape of Good Hope we encountered

violent gales, and the vessel could not stand up to them. She was

carried right over on her side, although there was very little

canvas on her. Her lee side was 5 or 6 feet under water and the crew

became so frightened that many of them climbed up the rigging. I let

the sails go and sacrificed them in order to save her. She righted

herself and we ran before the wind all night, going miles out of

our course. Next day we jury-rigged her and I tried hard to make

way on the other tack. We tacked for eight days and then the gale

again seized her and she turned over once more. We quickly stripped

her of sails, but she was so top-heavy and crank that I decided to

send the topgallant masts down. This was ticklish work, and I shall

never forget the scene, as the men struggled against the seas with

the topgallants. The fight against the gales lasted for 30 days and

then we got round the Cape, but I had five men down with broken limbs

and other injuries. The voyage from Calcutta to London occupied no

fewer than 156 days, and was the most exciting in my experience. The

_Bolan_, _Glen Padarn_ and _Trevelyan_, also bound from Calcutta and

Rangoon to London, foundered during the storms and we were lucky to

get through with the ship so crank.

In 1904 _Loch Carron_ had a great race home from Frisco round the Horn

with the French ship _Jules Gommes_. _Loch Carron_ hove up her anchor

in Frisco Bay on the morning of Christmas Eve, the _Jules Gommes_

leaving in the afternoon. After being six days in company the two

ships lost sight of each other. They met again on the equator in the

Atlantic; finally the _Loch Carron_ arrived at Queenstown one morning

112 days out, the Frenchman arriving eight hours later at the same port.

On her next passage the _Loch Carron_ had the most disastrous event

in her career, in her collision with the _Inverkip_. The two ships

were both outward bound, the _Loch Carron_ from Glasgow to Sydney with

general cargo. At 11.20 on 13th August, 1904, the _Loch Carron_ was

about 60 miles to the S. and E. of the Fastnet light, going 6 or 7

knots close-hauled on the port tack, with a moderate gale blowing from

the S.W., when the red light of the _Inverkip_ was suddenly seen ahead.

But it was too late to avoid a collision, and the _Loch Carron_ struck

the _Inverkip_ abreast of the foremast, stem on. The latter ship went

down in a few minutes, only two men, the carpenter and the steward,

being saved out of her ship’s company. These two managed to jump aboard

the _Loch Carron_. Captain Jones of the _Inverkip_ had his wife aboard,

and as the ship went down she was seen praying on her knees aft. They

were both great personal friends of Captain Clarke, and he was so

distressed by the sad accident that his health broke down and he gave

up his command for a voyage. The _Loch Carron_, with a large hole in

her bows, her fore topgallant mast and all head gear carried away,

besides other damages, managed to make Queenstown.

Her repairs came to £1500, and as she was on the port tack and the

_Inverkip_ on the starboard, the Loch Line had to pay over £30,000

damages.

When _Loch Carron_ was again ready for sea, Captain Henderson, of

_Thermopylae_ and _Samuel Plimsoll_ fame, took her out. Captain Clarke

returning to his command on her return home. As late as 1908 _Loch

Carron_ made the run from Melbourne to London in 80 days.

_Loch Broom_ was commanded for the greater part of her career by the

well-known veteran, Bully Martin.

Though they were absolute sister ships according to the tape-measure.

_Loch Broom_ was always a stiffer ship than the _Loch Carron_, and her

sailing records were not quite as numerous, nevertheless she was a very

fast ship.

In 1904 Captain Martin brought her home from Melbourne in 82 days. He

left Port Phillip on 12th January, and was only 24 days to the Horn,

most of the run being made under six topsails and foresail.

On her following passage out _Loch Broom_ took case oil from New York

to Melbourne in 96 days. It was a nasty trip for her officers, as the

hands before the mast were all hobos, Bowery toughs and hard cases, and

had to be driven to their work in the old-fashioned belaying pin style.

In 1907 Captain Bully Martin gave up his command and retired from the

sea, being succeeded by Captain Kelynack, who had been mate under him

for some years.

I have the abstract log of _Loch Broom’s_ last voyage under the British

flag:—

On 4th September at 7 a.m. she took her departure from the Lizard, had

light breezes and calms to the 19th when she took the N.E. trades,

crossed the line on 6th October, crossed the meridian of Greenwich

on 26th October, ran down her easting on the 40th parallel, her best

24-hour run being 272 miles on 12th November before a moderate gale

from W.S.W. in 40° 37′ S., 60° 00′ E., and she anchored off Port

Adelaide at 2 p.m. on 4th December, 91 days from the Lizard.

She left Melbourne homeward bound on 23rd February 1912. On 15th March

in 50° 58′ S., 135° 26′ W., she ran 278 miles with a fresh S.W. gale,

passed Cape Horn on 27th March. On 29th March Captain Kelynack remarks,

“Fresh W.S.W. wind, thick misty rain, four-masted barque in company on

lee quarter but falling astern, (nothing passes the _Loch Broom_ but

birds.)”

And on 2nd April I find the following testimony to her qualities:—“Lat.

46° 50′ S., long. 40° 04′ W., distance 213, course N. 51° E. Fresh N.W.

gale veering to W.N.W., high sea running, ship going 12 knots, dry as a

bone.”

The line was crossed on 29th April. On 24th May in 46° N., 20° 55′ W.,

_Loch Broom_ ran 301 miles in the 24 hours before a fresh southerly

wind and moderate sea; and on the following day 282 miles. “Fresh

S.S.E. wind. Barque in company at 6 a.m. on starboard bow, out of

sight astern at noon.” On 31st May at 7 p.m. _Loch Broom_ anchored off

Gravesend, 98 days out.

The _Loch Carron_ and _Loch Broom_ were both sold to the foreigners

in 1912 for about £5000 a piece, and now, I believe, belong to

Christianssand, Norway, being disguised under the names of _Seileren_

and _Sogndal_.

PASSAGES TO AUSTRALIA UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1885.

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

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

| | Mar. 20| | | | | | |

|_Patriarch_ |Start |Mar. 25| |May 21 |Sydney |May 23| 75 |

| | Mar. 9| | | | | | |

| | Mar. 23| | | | | | |

|_Argonaut_ |Start |July 10|Aug. 1|Aug. 27 | „ |Aug. 31| 78 |

|_Bay of_ |Start |Mar. 28|April 20|May 19 | „ |May 23| 78 |

| _Cadiz_ | Mar. 6| | | | | | |

| | Jan. 20| | | | | | |

|_Harbinger_ |Lizard |June 30|July 27|Aug. 21 | „ |Aug. 21| 78 |

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

Notes on Passages to Australia in 1885.

The race of the year was that between _Cutty Sark_, _Samuel Plimsoll_,

_Sir Walter Raleigh_ and still a fourth ship, the _City of York_, which

was off the Start on 2nd April—crossed the line 23rd April—crossed Cape

meridian 26th May—passed the Otway on 18th June—and arrived Sydney on

21st June, 80 days out.

It was Captain Woodget’s first voyage in _Cutty Sark_. He went as high

as 48° S. in search of good winds, but had a lot of thick misty weather

with light northerly winds, and no steady westerlies. He only had two

chances. In 70 hours from 21st to 23rd May, the _Cutty_ ran 931 miles,

braced sharp up against a strong N.E. to E.N.E. wind; and on 4th June,

with the wind fresh from N.E. to N.N.E. she ran 330 miles in 47° S.,

99° E. None of the other ships made any specially big runs.

_Miltiades_ this year was taken over by Captain Harry Ayling, and

arrived in Hobson’s Bay on 29th October, 85 days out from Torbay.

[Illustration: “MOUNT STEWART.”

_Photo by Captain Schutze, Sydney._]

[Illustration: “CROMDALE.”]

_Mermerus_ arrived Melbourne on 24th July, 88 days from the Lizard,

and _Thomas Stephens_ was 87 days from Antwerp to Sydney, arriving on

20th October.

The _Milton Park_ was an iron ship of 1500 tons, built by McMillan, of

Dumbarton in 1882, a typical Clyde-built ship. The _Bay of Cadiz_ was

one of the Cardiff “Bays.” _Siren_ was one of Carmichael’s, a 1482-ton

ship, built in 1881. She had a number of fine passages to her credit,

and came to a curious end, being rammed and sunk by H.M.S. _Landrail_

off Portland in July, 1896.

We have now had 12 years of outward tables, and space and, no doubt,

the patience of the reader are both growing exhausted.

However, as these beautiful ships kept up their wonderful averages

until well into the nineties, fighting all they knew against the

ever-growing competition of steam, I give here a table of times from

the Channel to port from the year 1886 to 1894 for the seven most

regular ships in the trade.

PASSAGES TO AUSTRALIA 1886-1894.

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

| Ship | Destination | 1886 | 1887 |1888|1889|1890|1891|1892|1893|1894|

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

|_Cutty_ | (1887 and | To | 88 | 76 | 77 | 75 | 79 | 88 | 81 | 79 |

| _Sark_ | 1892) | | | | | | | | | |

|_Salamis_ |Melbourne | 78 | 86 | 70 | 84 | 86 | 79 | 77 | 87 | 80 |

|_Patriarch_|Sydney | 97 | 79 | 79 | 77 | 87 | 82 | 80 | 99 | 77 |

|_Mermerus_ |Melbourne | 84 | 96 | 82 | 88 | 89 | 85 | 86 | 85 | |

|_Miltiades_|Melbourne | 83 | 78 | 83 | 82 | 90 | 91 | 86 | 92 | |

|_Cimba_ |Sydney | 97 | 84 | 88 | 85 | 89 | 93 | 83 | 93 | 88 |

|_Samuel_ |Sydney | | 93 | 76 | 81 | 84 | 78 | 87 | 79 | 79 |

| _Plimsoll_| 1886 & 1887 | | | | | | | | | |

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

“Mount Stewart” and “Cromdale,” the last of the Wool Clippers.

The last two ships to be built specially for the Australian wool

trade were the magnificent steel skysail-yard ships _Mount Stewart_

and _Cromdale_. The former was launched in May, 1891, and the latter

in June, both from Barclay, Curle’s yard. They were identical sister

ships, and were the very latest development of the full-rig ship. They

were of course good carriers, with the modern short poop and long sweep

of main deck. Yet, in spite of their carrying powers, they both made

some excellent passages out and home.

The _Cromdale_ was specially lucky in having Captain E. H. Andrew

as her first master, a very experienced and up-to-date sailing ship

captain, who had been mate under his father in the _Derwent_.

The _Cromdale_ came to grief in 1913 when commanded by Captain Arthur.

She was 126 days out, bound home from Taltal with nitrate and was

heading for Falmouth. There had been a dense fog for some days, when,

most unfortunately, a steamer was passed which advised Captain Arthur

to alter his course. Not long after a light was suddenly seen through

the fog ahead, but before the ship could be put about she struck on

the rocks right at the foot of a cliff. This proved to be Bass Point,

close to the Lizard light. The ship was so badly holed that the captain

ordered the boats out at once. Luckily it was calm weather, and some

rockets brought the Cadgwith and Lizard lifeboats upon the scene, but

the _Cromdale_ settled down so quickly that there was only just time to

save the ship’s papers and the crew’s personal belongings. Lying on the

rocks in such an exposed position, it was of course hopeless to think

of salving the ship, and the _Cromdale_ became a total loss.

The _Mount Stewart_ is, I believe, still afloat, and still has Aberdeen

on her stern.

Perforated Sails.

At first glance a sail with a hole in it would hardly be considered

superior to a sail without one, yet sails with holes in them, or

perforated sails, as they were called, became quite popular with the

most experienced of our sailing ship skippers in the early nineties.

Perforated sails were said to be the idea of an Italian shipmaster in

the eighties. This Italian captain’s theory was that a cushion of air

or dead wind, as he called it, was collected in the belly of every

sail, and acted as a buffer, thus preventing the sail from receiving

the whole strength of the wind. He advocated making a hole in the

centre of the belly in order to allow this cushion of air to escape,

and allow the true wind to blow against the surface of the sail. An

important point was the proper placing of these holes; in fore and aft

sails they were cut about the centre of the belly made by the clew;

the holes in square sails were also cut near the clews, but they were

also cut higher up in the sail on a line from the clews to the bunt:

topsails and courses generally had the four holes and topgallant sails

and royals only two, one in the lower part of the sail towards the clew

on each side. These holes were from 5½ to 6 inches in diameter and

roped with grammets.

It is easy to understand that this system was more advantageous when

one was close-hauled than when running free. But even when running free

many shipmasters claimed that it had its merits and held that, though

wind certainly did escape through the holes, it was mostly dead wind

and even then was caught up again—the mizen by the main, and the main

by the fore, so that in the end there was very little real wind that

did not do its work in sending the ship along.

A further advantage of perforated sails was their aid in spilling

the wind out of a sail when the sail had to come in in heavy weather.

The advocates of the holes claimed that they prevented a sail from

ballooning up over the yard, and made it very much easier to muzzle and

put the gaskets on.

The perforated sails were also considered very useful in light airs and

calms, because on the calmest day there always seemed to be a draught

through the holes, and this kept the sails “asleep” and stopped that

irritating flogging of canvas against the masts which is so trying to

a skipper’s temper and also constantly necessitates the hauling up of

courses in the doldrums.

Captain Holmes, who always used them in the _Cimba_ and _Inverurie_,

wrote to me that he considered them specially valuable in light winds,

and he did not adopt perforated sails without testing their efficiency

in every way he could.

He even had sand bags made to fit the holes, and thus was able to test

his sailing when in company with another ship, first by seeing how he

did with holes, and then filling up the holes with sandbags, by seeing

how he altered his bearing when without holes.

By this means he proved the benefit of the holes very clearly once when

going down Channel.

The _Cimba_ was in company with another outward bound ship of nearly

the same speed; and it was found that as soon as the sand bags were put

in the holes the _Cimba_ began to drop astern, whereas, with the holes

open, she went ahead. Captain Holmes also tied a rag on the end of a

stick, and held it up to the holes, and even in very light airs the rag

was sucked through the perforations. In this way with a handkerchief

on the end of a long rod, he tried to find out the result of the holes

on the crossjack, by walking it all over the after part of the sail.

And he told me that the handkerchief flopped stupidly about in the

dead wind until it was abreast of the holes, when it at once blew out

straight.

Captain Pattman, of _Loch Torridon_, adopted perforated holes in 1892:

Captain Poppy used them on the _Aristides_, and Captain Cutler, when

he took over _Port Jackson_, had her sails cut for holes, and his

successor continued to keep them in the sails.

All these four captains were noted passage-makers, and unless the

perforated sails had had very certain advantages, it is hardly likely

that they would have adopted them.

Hine’s Clipper Barques.

Before turning to the New Zealand trade I must not forget to mention

the fine little fleet of barques belonging to Hine Brothers, of

Maryport, which brought home wool from Adelaide, Brisbane and the two

Tasmanian ports.

The following will still be remembered by the older inhabitants of

these ports.

_Aline_, wood barque 474 tons, built by Hardy, Sunderland 1867

_Abbey Holme_ iron barque 516 tons, built by Blumer, Sunderland 1869

_Hazel Holme_ wood barque 405 tons, built by at Barnstaple 1890

_Aikshaw_ iron barque 573 tons, built by Doxford, Sunderland 1875

_Eden Holme_ iron barque 794 tons, built by Bartram, Sunderland 1875

_Myrtle Holme_ iron barque 902 tons, built by Bartram, Sunderland 1875

_Castle Holme_ iron barque 996 tons, built by Bartram, Sunderland 1875

_Brier Holme_ iron barque 894 tons, built by Thompson Sunderland 1876

They were rarely much over 80 days going out, and generally under 90

days coming home.

The _Myrtle Holme_, under Captain Cobb, and the _Eden Holme_, under

Captain Wyrill (late of _Berean_) had perhaps the best records, and

maintained their fine average right into the twentieth century.

For instance, in 1899 Captain Wyrill brought the _Eden Holme_ from

Launceston to the London River in 88 days after experiencing 17 days

of calms and variables to the north of the line. This was her fourth

passage out of six, in which she had come home in less than 90 days

from Tasmania.

In 1895, the _Myrtle Holme_ went from Beachy Head to Adelaide in 77

days, and in 1901 went from Dover to Adelaide in 81 days; whilst in

1902 the _Eden Holme_ went from the Start to Launceston in 83 days.

The _Eden Holme_, _Brier Holme_ and _Castle Holme_ were all transferred

to the Tasmanian trade from that of Adelaide on the death of Mr. Walker

and the dispersal of his fleet.

The _Eden Holme_ was wrecked on Hebe Reef in 1907. The _Myrtle Holme_

was sold to Arendal, Norway, and renamed _Glimt_, a few years before

the war. She was torpedoed in the North Sea in 1915.

[Illustration: “BRIERHOLME.”

_Photo by De Maus, Port Chalmers._]

The _Brier Holme_ came to a tragic end in 1904. She sailed from London

for Hobart in September of that year, commanded by Captain Rich, an

experienced and skilful seaman who was making his last voyage. She

was three months overdue and much anxiety was being felt, when some

fishermen landed on a bleak and unfrequented part of the West Coast of

Tasmania. They found some jetsam on the shore in the shape of packages

of cargo, marked and numbered so that they could be identified.

Footprints and the remains of a rude hut also pointed to a wreck on

the coast; a close search was made but no signs of the wreck or of

life could be found. The fishermen then took the packages back to

Hobart and they proved to be part of the cargo of the _Brier Holme_.

Thereupon the Government sent out a steamer with a search party. The

remains of the wreck were found under water, but though the bush was

scoured, fires lighted and guns fired to attract attention, no survivor

was discovered, and the search party returned to Hobart. Some weeks

later the fishermen who had found the packages landed again on the

coast and found a man, who proved to be the sole survivor out of the

_Brier Holme’s_ crew. He had been wandering about in the bush trying

to find his way to the nearest habitation, first loading himself with

provisions washed up from the wreck, he had tried to construct a raft

across a river but without success, and he was continually compelled

to return to the shore and replenish his stores. He reported that the

_Brier Holme_ arrived off the S.W. Cape of Tasmania at night during

thick stormy weather and was hove to to wait for daylight. But being to

the north of the Fairway having overrun her distance, she crashed on to

the rocks and soon went to pieces.

The _Castle Holme_ is now owned in Frederickstadt, Norway, and sails

under the name of _Estar_.

Iron Barques of Walker and Trinder, Anderson.

Hine Bros. were not the only owners of iron clipper barques in the

Australian trade. Mr. T. B. Walker had four very well-known ships—the

barques _Westbury_, _Decapolis_ and _Lanoma_ and the ship _Barossa_;

whilst Trinder, Anderson & Co. had the _Barunga_, _Oriana_, _Mineru_,

_Morialta_ and _Kooringa_.

Of the above, Walker’s _Lanoma_ was probably the fastest. She has been

credited with a run from Tasmania to the Horn in 21 days, another of

21 days from the Horn to the line, and again a third of 21 days from

the line to soundings, which if they had all been on the same passage

would have given her the record from Tasmania home. The _Westbury_ and

_Decapolis_ were both good for an outward passage round about 80 days.

A year or two ago a correspondent in the “Nautical” claimed that the

_Decapolis_ went out to Launceston in 56 days on her maiden trip, at

the same time he claimed a 57-day trip to Melbourne for my old ship the

_Commonwealth_. He had, of course, got his dates wrong somewhere, as

the _Decapolis_ ran regularly to Brisbane until that trade was captured

by steamers, she was then diverted to Launceston.

After the death of Mr. Walker, _Decapolis_ was sold to the Italians and

renamed _Nostra Madre_. Her name is on the Sailing Ship Roll of Honour,

as she was torpedoed in the Mediterranean during the war.

_Barossa_, a fine little full-rigged ship, ran for many years as a

passenger ship to Adelaide. She eventually turned turtle in dock and

was sold to be broken up.

The Loss of “Lanoma.”

_Lanoma_ was lost in March, 1888, on what promised to be her best

passage home. She was coming up Channel, only 76 days out, in thick,

blowing south-westerly weather, under a very experienced commander,

Captain G. Whittingham.

_Berean_ was also coming up Channel, it was the time when she had the

narrow squeak of piling up on the Wight owing to the wrong notice about

St. Catherine’s light.

In the case of _Lanoma_, Captain Whittingham had had no observations

for several days, and so an extra smart look-out was being kept. Just

before midnight it must have cleared a bit for the land suddenly loomed

up close to on the starboard bow. The helm was at once put down and the

ship brought to the wind, and Captain Whittingham tried to stay her.

Unfortunately she missed stays and fell off again, there was no time

to wear her, and she stranded broadside on to Chesil Beach, inside the

Bill of Portland.

Like many another catastrophe of the same sort, the ship and her crew

were hurtled from fancied security to destruction in a few minutes of

time. And even so, the crew would probably have all been saved, if she

had not fallen over to seaward, so that she at once began to break up

in the heavy surf. The rocket apparatus was manned from the shore, but

it was only in time to save a few, and Captain Whittingham and 11 of

his crew were drowned.

Trinder, Anderson’s ships were all well known in the London River at

one time, specially the little _Mineru_, a 478-ton barque, built by

Stephen, of Glasgow, in 1866. Fremantle, the Ashburton River and Sharks

Bay were her wool ports.

_Morialta_ was an iron ship of 1267 tons, built in 1866 by Royden,

of Liverpool, for Beazley, her first name being _British Consul_.

_Barunga_ was the old _Apelles_ built in 1863, whilst _Kooringa_,

a 1175-ton barque, built at South Shields in 1874, had been the

_Ravenstondale_.

Messrs. Trinder, Anderson bought several other well-known ships in

their time, notably the _Kingdom of Saxony_, a 538-ton wooden barque,

ex-_Deerhound_. Anderson’s _Darra_, and Thompson’s _Ascalon_ also ended

their days under the Red Ensign with Trinder, Anderson.

It is a curious coincidence, but in looking through the list of

their ships I cannot find two by the same builder, though I find the

following all represented: Dudgeon, of London; Moore, of Sunderland;

Denton & Gray, of Hartlepool; Scott, of Greenock; Hall, of Aberdeen;

Stephen, of Glasgow; Royden, of Liverpool; Hood, of Aberdeen; Softley,

of South Shields; and R. Thompson, Jun., of Sunderland.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, just before going into

steam, Trinder, Anderson & Co. bought the fine ships _Wasdale_ and

_Hornby Castle_, but the century was not ten years old before steamers

only were flying the blue with yellow cross and black swan, as the

house-flag of the combined firm of Trinder, Anderson and Bethell, Gwyn.

Occasional Visitors in Australian Waters.

Though this part has run to greater length than I had at first

intended, nevertheless I fear that many of my readers will complain

because old favourites have not been mentioned.

I have tried not to leave out any regular Colonial trader, and space

only admits of the bare mention of many beautiful and fast ships which

occasionally visited Sydney, Melbourne or Adelaide in the course of

their general round.

Of these perhaps the finest were:—Carmichael’s _Golden Fleece_, one of

the handsomest ships ever launched, with a run from London to Sydney of

72 days to her credit.

Williamson & Milligan’s _Cedric the Saxon_, whose 72-day run from

Liverpool to Calcutta is the iron ship record. This magnificent clipper

once went from Calcutta to the Adelaide Semaphore in 28 days during the

S.W. monsoon.

D. Bruce’s Dundee clippers _Maulesden_ and _Duntrune_; the first famous

for her wonderful passage of 69 days from Glasgow to Maryborough,

Queensland, in 1882.

The beautiful Belfast ship _Star of Italy_, one of Corry’s Irish

“Stars,” which in 1884-5 went out to Sydney in 78 days and came home in

79.

Beazley’s _British Merchant_, which in 1881 arrived in Melbourne, 78

days out.

The _Sierra Blanca_, one of those yacht-like white “Sierras,” which in

1883-4 went out to Sydney in 77 days.

Carmichael’s _Argus_ and _Argo_, the former with a 76-day run to

Melbourne and the latter with a 78-day run to Sydney.

Cuthbert’s _Ballochmyle_, Skinner’s _Brodick Castle_, Beazley’s _John

o’ Gaunt_, Patton’s _Hesperides_, Alexander’s _Glengarry_, Bowring’s

_Othello_ and _Desdemona_, and my old ship the _Commonwealth_.

Then coming to the later days of the four-poster, there were McMillan’s

_Swanhilda_, which in 1894 made the wonderful run of 66 days from

Wallaroo to Queenstown; Mahon’s _Oweenee_, which as late as 1913 made

the run from Dublin to Newcastle, N.S.W., in 73 days; Troop’s _Howard

D. Troop_, which in 1906 brought 3500 tons of wheat from Sydney to

Falmouth in 82 days; that extraordinary four-mast ship, the _Lancing_,

which in 1908 ran from Christiania to Melbourne in 75 days; Mackay’s

_Wendur_, the rival of _Loch Torridon_; the beautiful skysail yarder

_Queen Margaret_; Carmichael’s _Glaucus_; and the _Lord Brassey_, which

went missing on her first voyage, after having made a fine outward

passage of 77 days to Melbourne in 1892.

Footnote.

[C] This passage of _Cutty Sark_ has been wrongly given in my _China

Clippers_. She left London for the second time on 2nd December, not the

12th, as there stated. The mistake was made in the shipping reports of

the day and never corrected, and I have only lately been able to prove

it.