The Colonial Clippers

by Basil Lubbock

A great deal of my material has been gathered bit by bit through the past 25 or 30 years. Alas! many of the old timers, who so kindly lent me abstract logs and wrote me interesting letters, have now passed away.

The illustrations, I hope, will be appreciated, for these, whether they are old lithographs or more modern photographs, are more and more difficult to unearth, and a time will soon come when they will be unprocurable.

Indeed, if there is any value in this book it is because it records and illustrates a period in our sea history, the memory of which is already fast fading into the misty realms of the past. To preserve this memory, before it becomes impossible, is one of the main objects, if not the main object, of my work.

Note.—As in my China Clippers, when using the word “mile” I always mean the sea mile of 6080 feet, not the land mile of 5280 feet.

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CONTENTS

PART I. THE EMIGRANT SHIPS
		PAGE
The Power of Gold		[1]
Steerage Conditions in 1844		[3]
Discovery of Gold in Australia		[5]
Melbourne and its Shipping in 1851-2		[6]
First Gold Cargoes Home		[10]
Great Rush to the Gold Regions in 1852		[11]
Maury’s Improvements on Old Route to the Colonies		[13]
Early Fast Passages Outward		[14]
Rules and Customs aboard the Eagle in 1853		[15]
Liverpool Shipowners in the Australian Trade		[22]
James Baines, of the Black Ball Line		[23]
The Marco Polo		[26]
Captain James Nicol Forbes		[29]
Marco Polo’s First Voyage to Australia		[32]
Marco Polo’s Second Voyage to Australia		[36]
After Life of Marco Polo		[40]
Most Notable Clippers of 1853		[41]
Ben Nevis		[42]
The Star of the East		[42]
The Miles Barton		[43]
The Guiding Star		[44]
The Indian Queen		[44]
The Famous Sovereign of the Seas		[48]
Best Outward Passages for 1853-4, Anchorage to Anchorage		[52]
1854—The Year of the Big Ships		[52]
Extraordinary 24-hour Runs		[57]
The Lightning		[60]
The Red Jacket		[62]
Race across the Atlantic between Lightning and Red Jacket		[63]
Red Jacket’s First Voyage to Australia		[66]
The Lightning’s First Voyage to Australia		[71]
Champion of the Seas		[73]
The James Baines		[77]
Record Voyage of James Baines to Australia		[81]
The Donald Mackay		[83]
Blue Jacket, White Star, and Shalimar		[85]
The Wreck of the Schomberg		[87]
Best Outward Passages—Liverpool to Melbourne, 1854-5		[90]
1855-1857—Captain Anthony Enright and the Lightning		[91]
Best Homeward Passages, 1855-6		[103]
Best Outward Passages, 1855-6, Liverpool to Melbourne		[104]
James Baines Overdue		[105]
James Baines, Champion of the Seas, and Lightning race out toIndia with Troops in the Time of the Mutiny		[110]
Burning of the James Baines		[112]
America Sells her Clippers to Great Britain		[113]
Notes on the Later American-built Passenger Ships		[114]
Black Ballers in the Queensland Emigrant Trade		[115]
Sunda and Empress of the Seas Carry Sheep to New Zealand		[115]
After Life and End of the Liverpool Emigrant Clippers		[116]
The Burning of the Lightning		[117]
Blue Jacket’s Figure-head		[118]
The Loss of the Fiery Star		[118]
Some Famous Coal Hulks		[120]
Loss of the Young Australia		[120]
The Fate of Marco Polo		[121]
PART II.—THE WOOL CLIPPERS
The Carriers of the Golden Fleece		[122]
The Aberdeen White Star Line		[129]
Wood and Composite Ships of the Aberdeen White Star Fleet		[131]
The Phoenician		[132]
The Lucky Nineveh		[134]
The Jerusalem		[134]
Captain Mark Breach’s First Encounter with his Owner		[136]
The Thermopylae		[137]
The Centurion		[137]
The Aviemore		[137]
The Fate of the Early White Star Clippers		[138]
Duthie’s Ships		[140]
Passages of Aberdeen Ships to Sydney, 1872-3		[142]
The South Australian Trade		[143]
The Orient Line		[146]
The Orient and Her Best Outward Passages		[148]
Orient nearly Destroyed by Fire		[149]
Orient Delivers her Carpenter’s Chest to the Lammermuir in Mid-Ocean		[151]
The Little Heather Bell		[152]
The Murray		[153]
The Orient Composite Clippers		[154]
Yatala		[155]
The Beltana, and Captain Richard Angel		[156]
The Wonderful Torrens		[157]
Torrens’ Outward Passages		[161]
The Great Sobraon		[163]
Messrs. Devitt & Moore		[176]
City of Adelaide and South Australian		[178]
The Speedy Little St. Vincent		[179]
Pekina and Hawkesbury		[180]
Mr. T. B. Walker		[180]
Walker’s Clipper Barques		[181]
The Beautiful Little Berean		[183]
Captain John Wyrill		[185]
The Berean’s Races		[187]
Berean as an Ice Carrier		[190]
Loss of the Corinth		[191]
The Little Ethel		[192]
The Hobart Barque Harriet McGregor		[192]
The Fremantle Barques Charlotte Padbury and Helena Mena		[193]
PART III.—THE IRON CLIPPERS
Introduction of Iron in Shipbuilding		[195]
The Ironsides, First Iron Sailing Ship		[200]
The Martaban		[200]
The Builders of the Iron Wool Clippers		[202]
The Darling Downs		[204]
City of Agra and Sam Mendel		[204]
Dharwar		[205]
Strange Career of the Antiope		[206]
Theophane		[208]
Messrs. Aitken & Lilburn, and the Loch Line of Glasgow		[208]
Clan Ranald, Ben Nevis and Loch Awe		[209]
Patriarch—First Iron Ship of Aberdeen White Star Line		[212]
Thomas Stephens		[214]
First Six Ships of the Loch Line		[219]
King’s Island—A Death Trap for Ships		[224]
Miltiades		[225]
Carmichael’s Superb Wool Clipper Mermerus		[227]
Devitt & Moore’s Collingwood		[230]
Hesperus and Aurora—The First Iron Ships of the Orient Line		[231]
Brassey Cadet Training Scheme		[232]
Ben Cruachan and Ben Voirlich		[235]
Samuel Plimsoll		[240]
Loch Maree—The Fastest of the Lochs		[245]
Tragedy of the Loch Ard		[247]
Devitt & Moore’s Crack Passenger Ship Rodney		[251]
Nichol’s Romanoff		[254]
Duthie’s Cairnbulg		[254]
The Speedy Thessalus		[255]
Passages to Australia in 1874		[257]
Loch Garry		[259]
Loch Vennachar		[262]
Salamis—An Iron Thermopylae		[265]
The Colonial Barque Woollahra		[270]
Cassiope and Parthenope		[270]
Trafalgar		[270]
Passages to Australia in 1875		[271]
Sir Walter Raleigh		[273]
Loch Fyne and Loch Long		[274]
Aristides—The Aberdeen White Star Flagship		[274]
Smyrna		[275]
Harbinger		[276]
Argonaut		[280]
Passages to Australia in 1876		[282]
Brilliant and Pericles		[282]
Loch Ryan		[284]
Loch Etive, of Captain William Stuart and Joseph Conrad fame		[284]
The Wreck of Loch Sloy		[286]
The Loss of Lochs Shiel and Sunart		[287]
Passages to Australia in 1877		[287]
Passages to Australia in 1878		[295]
Sophocles		[296]
Passages to Australia in 1879		[296]
Passages to Australia in 1880		[297]
Passages under 80 days to Sydney in 1881		[300]
Passages to Australia in 1881		[301]
The Big Illawarra		[301]
Orontes		[302]
Loch Torridon		[302]
Loch Torridon’s Voyages, 1892-1908		[316]
Port Jackson		[323]
Passages to Australia in 1882 and 1883		[324]
Derwent		[326]
Passages to Australia in 1884		[328]
Torridon and Yallaroi		[328]
Loch Carron and Loch Broom		[329]
Passages to Australia in 1885		[334]
Mount Stewart and Cromdale—The Last of the Wool Clippers		[335]
Perforated Sails		[337]
Hine’s Clipper Barques		[339]
Iron Barques of Walker and Trinder, Anderson		[341]
The Loss of Lanoma		[342]
Occasional Visitors in Australian Waters		[344]
PART IV.—THE NEW ZEALAND TRADE
The Mayflowers of New Zealand		[346]
Edwin Fox		[347]
Wild Duck		[347]
Shaw, Savill & Co.		[348]
Crusader		[349]
Helen Denny and Margaret Galbraith		[349]
End of Some of Shaw, Savill’s Earlier Ships		[350]
The Loss of the Cospatrick		[351]
The Loss of the Avalanche		[354]
Patrick Henderson’s Albion Shipping Company		[354]
Wild Deer		[355]
Peter Denny		[362]
Albion Shipping Company, 1869 Ships		[362]
Christian McCausland Loses her Wheel		[363]
Origin of the Albion House-flag		[365]
New Zealand Shipping Company		[365]
Otaki’s Record Passage Home		[369]
Turakina, ex-City of Perth		[370]
Robert Duncan’s Six Beautiful Sister Ships		[376]
Wellington and Captain Cowan		[380]
Wellington Collides with an Iceberg		[382]
Oamaru and Timaru		[383]
Marlborough, Hermione and Pleione		[384]
Taranaki, Lyttelton and Westland		[384]
Lutterworth and Lady Jocelyn		[385]
Outsiders in the New Zealand Trade		[386]
The Pretty Little Ben Venue		[387]
Hinemoa		[387]
APPENDIX.
Appendix	A—Extracts from Lightning Gazette, 1855-1857	[391]
„	B—Later American-built Passenger Ships to Australia	[410]
„	C—Iron Wool Clippers	[411]
„	D—Log of Ship Theophane, 1868—Maiden Passage	[414]
„	E—List of Clipper Ships Still Afloat and Trading at theOutbreak of War, August, 1914	[416]
„	F—The Wool Fleet, 1876-1890	[417]

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