To show the extraordinary way in which luck clung to the Torrens as long as Captain H. R. Angel commanded her, I will give the following instance, given me by Captain Angel himself.
On a certain homeward passage, the lamp oil ran short or was lost through some mismanagement. This caused Captain Angel to grow very anxious as the Torrens approached the mouth of the English Channel, in whose narrow crowded waters lights are naturally of the utmost importance. But before soundings were reached a barrel was passed, floating on the water. Angel at once hove his ship to and lowered a boat, picked the barrel up and took it aboard—and, on being opened, it was found to contain oil.
As commodore of the Elder Line, Captain Angel flew a white flag with red crescent and stars at the masthead of the Torrens, instead of the ordinary house-flag with red ground, white crescent and stars.
In the autumn of 1890 Captain Angel retired from the sea and handed over the Torrens to Captain Cope. With the change of captain, the Torrens luck deserted her. On her first passage out under her new commander the Torrens lost her foremast and main topmast in 6° N., 27° W., and put into Pernambuco to refit; and before she was refitted she caught fire. However, the fire was put out, she was remasted and she eventually reached Adelaide 179 days out.
Whilst Captain Cope had her, the Torrens had the honour of having Joseph Conrad as mate for a voyage. This was in 1893, and Conrad made two important literary friendships whilst on the Torrens, for W. H. Jacques made the voyage in her and Galsworthy was a passenger from Adelaide to Capetown.
In 1896 Captain F. Angel, the son of Captain H. R. Angel, took over the command of the Torrens, and again the Goddess of Fortune objected to the change. On his third voyage, young Angel ran foul of an iceberg in the Southern Ocean; and with her bow stove in and partially dismasted, the Torrens managed to struggle into Adelaide, for the second time in her career over 100 days out.
Her last passage, also, under the British flag was a disastrous one. She left Adelaide on 23rd April, 1903, and before she was clear of Kangaroo island a storm burst on her and she had difficulty in clawing off the land. Then when she got down to the Cape latitudes another heavy gale forced her back towards Mauritius. However, at last she got into Table Bay. She had little cargo from Adelaide on board, and as no cargo was offering at Capetown, she went on to St. Helena, and took in a load of explosives for the British Government—ammunition, etc., returning from the Boer war. But even when the Thames tug had got her hawser, the dangers of this passage were not over, for whilst the Torrens was in tow a vessel tried to pass ahead of her, between her and the tug, and was cut down and sunk by the sharp forefoot of the famous clipper. When the collision was seen to be unavoidable there was almost a panic on the Torrens, owing to her cargo of explosives. However nothing happened, the Torrens was uninjured and Captain Angel was not held to blame.
But old Captain Angel had had enough of it—her cost for repairs since he had given her up had come to more than her original cost to build; and he sold her to the Italians.
“Torrens’” Outward Passages.
When inspecting Torrens’ wonderful times, two things in her favour must be remembered, firstly that she sailed from England at the most favourable time in the year, and secondly that, carrying passengers, she was always in perfect trim. On the other hand, everything was done to make the passengers comfortable, especially as many of them were invalids or consumptives going for the benefit of the voyage, thus she was never driven as she might have been.