If further proof is wanted that Captain Enright did not allow 60 miles to a degree, but only 44 as he states to his passengers, here are the noon positions found by observation, not account only, from which the runs can be verified on the chart.
- March 18, Lat. 42° 34′ S., Long. 17° 04′ W.
- 19, Lat. 43° 0′ S., Long. 7° 17′ W.
- 20, Lat. 43° 0′ S., Long. 0° 55′ E.
The following is a list of all runs of 400 miles and over, which I have been able to verify.
- March 1, 1854.—Lightning 436 miles.
- March 19, 1857.—Lightning 430 miles.
- February 6, 1855.—James Baines 423 miles.
- February 27, 1855.—Donald Mackay 421 miles.
- June 18, 1856.—James Baines 420 miles.
- February 27, 1854.—Red Jacket 413 miles.
- January 27, 1855.—James Baines 407 miles.
- July 6, 1854.—Red Jacket 400 miles.
All these performances were made running east, making the day’s work under 24 hours.
Several other ships claimed runs of over 400 miles, but I have not included these as I have not sufficient particulars to verify them.
Marco Polo is supposed to have done a run of 428 miles under Captain McDonald on 7th January, 1854, and Shalimar 420 miles in 1855 on her first passage to Australia, under Captain Robertson. With this general account of their powers I must now return to a more detailed description of the giant clippers themselves.
The “Lightning.”
The Lightning was built by Donald Mackay to the order of James Baines in the winter of 1853-4 at a cost of £30,000, and on her arrival in Liverpool was furnished and decorated below at a further cost of £2000.
