Other Amusements at Sea.
During the time of the Crimea, if there happened to be a soldier or two aboard, a corps of volunteers was raised and drilled daily. A parade in bad weather was a great source of amusement to the onlookers, if not so pleasant for the performers.
In the fine weather deck games such as quoits, shovel board and deck billiards were as popular as they are nowadays, but I find no mention of sports, cock-fighting or ship cricket.
Below draughts, whist, chess, backgammon and dominoes all had many devotees; and on the homeward passage nap, poker, blackjack, euchre and other gambling games robbed many a returning digger of his pile and sometimes led to such trouble that the captain had to interfere.
Under captains of Enright’s stamp, there was very little disorder and the sailing ships seem to have carried a much happier crowd than the auxiliary steamers.
The ill-fated Royal Charter’s passage home in the summer of 1856 presents an example of a badly run and disciplined ship. The food was bad, everyone had a growl about something, drunken riots occurred constantly, fighting in which even the crew and stewards took a part was of almost daily occurrence, and excessive gambling ruined scores of returning diggers on the lower deck. I am glad to say that I can find no such instance of disorder and lack of discipline amongst the ships which relied upon sail power alone.
Best Homeward Passages, 1855-56.
The honours for the year 1855 were, however, taken by the Duthie built Aberdeen clipper Ballarat, 713 tons, owned by Duncan Dunbar, which went out to Sydney in under 70 days, and came home Melbourne to Liverpool in 69 days with 110,000 ounces on board. The Ocean Chief, Captain Tobin, was a Black Baller on her second voyage. On her previous passage home in the autumn of 1854 she made the run in 86 days, during which she was embayed by ice for three days in the Southern Ocean, had the unusual experience of being becalmed for three days off the Horn and finally had N.E. winds from 18° N. to soundings.
| Ship. | Port from | Date Left | Gold on Board | Date Arrived | D’ys Out. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1855 | 1855 | ||||
| Oliver Lang | Sydney | Jan. 3 | Mar. 20 | 76 | |
| James Baines | Melbourne | Mar. 11 | 40,000 oz. | May 20 | 69 |
| Indian Queen | Hobart | „ 17 | June 5 | 78 | |
| Shalimar | Melbourne | „ 24 | 42,000 oz. | „ 5 | 75 |
| Lightning | „ | Apl. 11 | 69,000 oz. | „ 29 | 79 |
| Ocean Chief | Sydney | June 3 | Aug. 26 | 84 | |
| Marco Polo | Melbourne | July 26 | 125,000 oz. | Oct. 20 | 86 |
| White Star | „ | Aug. 31 | 80,000 oz. | Nov. 27 | 88 |
| Donald Mackay | „ | Oct. 3 | Dec. 28 | 86 | |
| 1856 | |||||
| Champion of the Seas | „ | „ 27 | Jan. 25 | 90 | |
| Lightning | „ | Dec. 27 | 12,000 oz. | Mar. 23 | 86 |
| 1856 | |||||
| Red Jacket | „ | Jan 12 | Apl. 8 | 86 |