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.

“BRIERHOLME.”

Photo by De Maus, Port Chalmers.

[Larger image] (202 kB)

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.