Notes on Passages to Australia in 1877.

Loch Maree left Glasgow on 5th May, but was held up for four days in sight of Tory Island, first by calms and then strong S.W. winds. Between 21° S.—the limit of the S.E. trades—and the Cape meridian, she had ten days of strong N.W. winds, during which she logged over 300 miles a day for several days in succession.

Ben Cruachan had such favourable winds in the Channel that she carried the Channel pilot on to Madeira, where she landed him on 25th April. She made very steady running down south, for her best day’s work was only 296 miles. Her sister ship, Ben Voirlich, on the contrary, made a run of 350 miles on 26th July in 35° 37′ S., 22° 10′ W., though she took 83 days from Achill Head to Hobson’s Bay.

Pericles, with 489 emigrants on board, made a good start in her career, like all Thompson’s ships. Between the 23rd and 24th November in 44° S., she ran 354 miles before what Captain Largie called a hurricane, so it is not surprising that Brilliant failed to catch her in spite of an average of 261 miles a day for 22 days between the Cape and Otway. Brilliant, however, instead of emigrants, had 4000 tons of general cargo on board.

Patriarch, who very rarely suffered damage in bad weather, took a very heavy sea over her poop during a W.N.W. gale on the 2nd September in 100° E., and lost 9 feet of her taffrail and three stanchions over the side. This sea would not have been a pleasant one for Loch Vennachar or Sir Walter Raleigh, both of which had their decks lumbered up with horse boxes full of draught stock.

Samuel Plimsoll as usual made some good running down south, her best week’s work being 2050 miles.

Thermopylae was hard chased by Cutty Sark, in spite of a 17-day run from the Lizard to the equator. It is a pity the two ships did run their easting down on the same parallel, as they must have been neck and neck down south, but Cutty Sark kept in 46° S., whilst Thermopylae did not go higher than 44° 30′ S. Both ships by the way were forced by bad weather to put back to the Downs on their first attempts to get down Channel.[C]

PASSAGES TO SYDNEY UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1877.
Ship	Departure			Crossed Equator		Crossed Cape Meridian		Passed S.W. Cape Tasmania		Arrived		Days Out
Cutty Sark	Lizard	Dec.	6	Dec.	28	Jan.	18 ’78	Feb.	13 ’78	Feb.	16 ’78	72
Patriarch	Start	July	3	July	26			Sept.	12	Sept.	15	74
								(Otway)
Pericles	Plymouth	Sept.	20	Oct.	17	Nov.	7	Nov.	30	Dec.	3	74
Brilliant	Start	Oct.	2	Oct.	31	Nov.	26	Dec.	10	Dec.	20	79
								(Otway)
Samuel Plimsoll	Plymouth	June	9	July	7	July	28	Aug.	23	Aug.	27	79
								(Otway)
PASSAGES TO MELBOURNE UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1877.
Ship	Departure			Crossed Equator		Crossed Cape Meridian		Passed Cape (Otway)		Arrived		Days Out
Loch Maree	Cape Clear	May	13	June	3	June	24	July	19	July	19	67
Ben Cruachan	Lizard	April	17	May	13					June	23	67
Thermopylae	Lizard	Dec.	3	Dec.	20	Jan.	17 ’78	Feb.	14 ’78	Feb.	15 ’78	74
Mermerus	Start	June	30	July	28	Aug.	19			Sept.	13	75
Miltiades	Start	June	13	July	10	July	31			Aug.	27	75
Loch Vennachar	Channel	April	7	May	2	May	29			June	22	75
Romanoff	Lizard	April	1	Apl.	25	May	19			June	15	75
Loch Fyne	Tuskar	Dec.	20							Mar.	5 ’78	75
Salamis	Start	July	7	Aug.	1	Aug.	26			Sept.	21	76
Thomas Stephens	Tuskar	Aug.	12	Sept.	9	Sept.	30	Oct.	26	Oct.	27	76
Loch Ryan	Tuskar	Mar.	6	Mar.	27	Apl.	23			May	21	76
Theophane	Holyhead	June	30	July	30	Aug.	21			Sept.	15	77
Parthenope	Holyhead	Aug.	17	Sept.	19	Oct.	10	Nov.	1	Nov.	2	77
Sir Walter Raleigh	Lizard	July	5	July	30	Aug.	22			Sept.	20	77
Loch Garry	Qu’nstown	July	11	Aug.	10	Sept.	2	Sept.	25	Sept.	26	77
Maulesden	Tuskar	Mar.	4	Mar.	26	Apl.	24			May	22	79

“Cimba.”

In April, 1878, Hood launched the beautiful little Cimba for A. Nicol, and with her green hull, gold scrolls and lion figure-head she was a familiar visitor to Port Jackson for close on 30 years.

An out and out wool clipper, she was very heavily rigged, her chief measurements being:—

Main lower mast	60	feet.
Fore and main yards	82	feet.
Fore and main lower topsail yards	76	feet.
Fore and main upper topsail yards	69	feet.
Fore and main lower topgallant yard	58	feet.
Fore and main upper topgallant yards	52	feet.
Fore and main royal yards	41	feet.

Her lower masts were short compared to some clippers, but her lower yards were very heavy, her fore and main yards weighing over 4 tons each.

Her first master was J. Fimister, who had her until 1895, when Captain J. W. Holmes took her over until she was sold abroad in 1906.

Under Captain Fimister her best passages were:—

1880	Channel to Sydney	71	days
1882	Channel to Sydney	82	days
1884	Channel to Sydney	79	days
1889	Sydney to London	75	days
1891	Sydney to Channel	84	days
1892	Channel to Sydney	83	days
1893	Sydney to Channel	86	days
1894	Channel to Sydney	80	days

On her maiden trip she left London 27th June—left Channel 2nd July, 5 days out—crossed the line 28th July. 26 days from departure—crossed Cape meridian 20th August, 49 days from departure—arrived Sydney 29th September, 89 days from departure.

A curious notoriety came upon the new clipper in Sydney owing to Captain Fimister, in his eagerness to get loaded and away in good time for the wool sales, jumping Patriarch’s loading berth at Circular Quay.

The berth was vacated by Nineveh on a Saturday.

“CIMBA.”

Photo lent by F. G. Layton.

[Larger image] (233 kB)

The port arrangements in those days allowed ships to go alongside in the order in which they had booked the berth. On this occasion Patriarch had booked the berth on 18th August, Smyrna on 20th August, Cairnbulg on 9th September, St. Lawrence on 13th September, Centurion on 26th September and Cimba on 30th September—the day after she arrived.

On Nineveh sailing, Patriarch should have hauled alongside, but her captain had been told that as it was Saturday he need not come alongside until Monday. The Patriarch, being in no particular hurry as a good deal of her wool was still up country, therefore remained where she was. Hearing of this, the enterprising Captain Fimister proceeded to hire a tug and move his ship from Smith’s Wharf where she was lying to the vacant berth at Circular Quay, all ready to load the wool which was waiting for him. He took the precaution, however, to take his shorefasts through the quay rings and aboard again. This defiance of the harbour authorities was allowed to go unnoticed until Monday morning. Then Captain Fimister received an order to remove his ship. Of this he took no notice. His action, as may be supposed, was the talk of the port, especially amongst the captains of the wool clippers. One of these skippers threatened to moor his ship in Sydney Cove, ready to be the next to jump the berth. Others complained in person to the Colonial Secretary.

On Tuesday morning Captain Bell, the harbor-master, went in person to the Cimba to order her removal, but the undaunted Captain Fimister triced up his gangway ladder and threatened to throw him overboard if he attempted to gain the deck. By this time all the legal lights of Sydney were puzzling their heads over the legal aspects of the case; Messrs. Dangar, Gedye & Co., the ship’s agents, upholding the captain. Finally the Colonial Treasurer sent the President of the Marine Board an order to remove the ship. So at 6 a.m. on Wednesday morning, Captain Hixson, the assistant harbourmaster, with 20 men and half-a-dozen water police, boarded the ship, only to find that Captain Fimister and his whole crew had flown after first removing every means of weighing the anchor. But a harbourmaster is not easily balked, and Captain Hixson let go the shorefasts, slipped the chain, and with the aid of a tug took the Cimba out and moored her at the man-of-war buoy off Fort Macquarie.

It was now time for Dangar, Gedye & Co. to take action. They immediately enlisted the help of Sir John Robertson, who moved the adjournment of the House in order that an explanation of the harbourmaster’s high-handed proceedings might be given. The House was already divided into two factions over Captain Fimister’s action, but the Colonial Secretary firmly upheld the Marine Board, and in the end Captain Fimister was fined 20 shillings and 5s. costs and ordered to pay £28 4s., the cost of removing the Cimba from the berth.

All this trouble really arose firstly through the Patriarch’s being ahead of her cargo, and secondly owing to Circular Quay being a free berth. This was shortly afterwards rectified, but the Patriarch did not get away until a month after the Cimba for want of cargo.

In 1889, the Cimba made her best wool passage, as follows:—

October 22—Left Sydney.
November 18—Passed Cape Horn	27	days out.
December 11—Crossed the equator	50	days out.
December 25—Passed the Western Isles	64	days out.
January 3 ’90—Signalled in the Channel	73	days out.
January 5—Arrived London	75	days out.

Captain Holmes, who took the Cimba in 1895, had had a long experience in clipper ships. He had been third mate of the Salamis, chief mate of Hallowe’en and Blackadder, and commander of the Lencadia, a smart ship built for the China trade.

The Aberdeen ships were, however, very clannish, and being a stranger and not a Scot, he had his reputation all to make, the standard set being a very high one. However, he knew how to carry sail, and he managed to keep the Cimba moving, though she was always a tender ship requiring a master hand.

Under him, her best passages were:—

1895Lizard to Sydney82 days.

Her best week’s work was 1860 miles, and her best 24 hour’s run, made on 6th June in 39° 51′ S., 34° 54′ E., 336 miles in a fresh gale from S.W., during which the second mate was lost overboard.

Other good runs on this passage were:—300, 302, 308 and 312.

1896Sydney to London78 days.

Cimba left Sydney in company with Thessalus and Argonaut on 17th October. Passed the Horn on 15th November, 29 days out—on 18th November in 51° 31′ S., 55° 47′ W., ran 316 miles, the wind blowing a strong gale from W.S.W. to W.N.W.—crossed the line on 8th December, 23 days from the Horn—passed Fayal, Western Isles, on Xmas Day, and signalled the Lizard at 1 p.m. 31st December, 75 days out.

This was really a splendid performance, for the Thessalus, which was really a much faster and more powerful ship, signalled the Start on 31st December at noon, whilst Argonaut, which was certainly quite as fast as Cimba, did not arrive until a month later.

1898Sydney to London81 days.

Passed the Horn on 2nd November, 25 days out, having run 3422 miles in 14 days—crossed the line on 29th November, 27 days from the Horn—passed the Western Isles on 20th December, Lizard light abeam at 8 a.m. on 26th December, 79 days out.

In 1899 Cimba went out to Rockhampton and loaded home from Brisbane. In 1901 she went out to Sydney in 85 days, her best run being 310 miles.

By this time sailing ship freights were in a very bad way, and a profitable charter in Sydney grew more and more difficult to obtain, thus in 1905 we find her making the record passage between Callao and Iquique for a sailing ship. As this may be of interest, I give her abstract log below:—

ABSTRACT LOG OF CIMBA FROM CALLAO TO IQUIQUE RECORD SAILING SHIP PASSAGE.
July 2-7 p.m. got underweigh.
		Lat.	Long.	Course.	Dist.		Wind.
July	3	12° 48′S	79° 24′W	S50° W.	80	mls.	S.S.E.
„	4	14° 30′	80° 15′	S46°	150	„	„
„	5	16° 47′	81° 49′	S34°	165	„	„
„	6	19° 20′	82° 54′	S22°	165	„	S.E. by E.
„	7	21° 48′	84° 17′	S28°	168	„	S.Easterly
„	8	23° 52′	85° 52′	S35°	152	„	„
„	9	25° 32′	86° 34′	S21° W.	160	„	„
„	10	23° 57′	84° 41′	N47° E.	141	„	S.E. by S.
„	11	23° 8′	82° 24′	N69°	135	„	South, S.W.
„	12	23° 10′	81° 35′	S87°	46	„	N.W. Westerly
„	13	23° 53′	78° 00′	S78°	202	„	W’ly to S.S.W.
„	14	22° 42′	75°7′	N66°	175	„	S. Easterly
„	15	21° 38′	71° 00′	N75°	246	„	„
„	16	20° 57′	70° 48′	N15°	43	„	„
„	17	20° 31′	70° 22′	S11°	31	„	„
	(2080 miles in 14 days.)

This was Cimba’s last voyage under the British flag; she came home from Caleta Buena to Falmouth in 85 days, and was then sold (March, 1906) to the Norwegians owing to the death of her owner.

Under the Norwegians she made a remarkable passage from Dublin to the St. Lawrence in 14 days; lumber was now her chief cargo and she used often to be seen discharging firewood from the Baltic in the Aberdeen Bay, East India Dock, where she had so often loaded general for Sydney.

PASSAGES UNDER 80 DAYS TO SYDNEY IN 1878.
Ship	Departure			Crossed Equator		Crossed Cape Meridian		Passed S.W. Cape Tasmania		Arrived		Days Out
Loch Etive	Scillies	Jan.	17	Feb.	6	Mar.	4	Mar	28	Apl.	3	76
Thomas Stephens	Plymouth	June.	15	July	18	Aug.	1	Aug.	21	Aug.	31	77
PASSAGES TO MELBOURNE UNDER 80 DAYS IN 1878.
Ship	Departure			Crossed Equator		Crossed Cape Meridian		Passed Cape (Otway)		Arrived		Days Out
Thessalus	Lizard	Mar.	7	Mar.	28	Apl.	20			May	14	68
Parthenope	Tuskar	July	7	July	31	Aug.	20			Sept.	16	71
Aristides	Start	July	3	July	27	Aug.	18			Sept.	15	74
Miltiades	Start	May	31	June	30	July	21	Aug.	13	Aug.	14	75
Loch Vennachar	Smalls	July	10	Aug.	4	Aug.	29			Sept.	23	75
Old Kensington	Lizard	June	5	July	2	July	24	Aug.	19	Aug.	20	76
Aviemore	Start	June	29	July	27	Aug.	18	Sept.	15	Sept.	16	79