The Oliver Lang, 1236 tons, was called after her designer, being a British built ship from the famous Deptford yard.
Best Outward Passages 1855-56, Liverpool to Melbourne.
I have failed to point out before that the Black Ballers always sailed on the 5th of the month from Liverpool, and the White Star on the 20th; it thus becomes an easy matter to pick out the ships of the rival lines.
At such a time it is only natural to find Golden a favourite part of a ship’s name. Golden Era, Golden City, Golden Eagle, Golden Light, Golden State, Golden West, Golden Age, and Golden Gate were all down-east clippers, built for the Californian gold rush.
| Ship | Date Left | Date Arrived | Days Out. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1855 | 1856 | ||
| Ocean Chief | Dec. 7 | Jan. 25 | 80 |
| Mermaid | „ 21 | Feb. 10 | 82 |
| 1856 | |||
| Oliver Lang | Jan. 7 | April 3 | 87 |
| Champion of the Seas | March 8 | June 1 | 85 |
| James Baines | April 7 | „ 24 | 78 |
| Mindoro | „ 22 | July 13 | 82 |
| Lightning | May 6 | „ 14 | 69 |
| Red Jacket | „ 20 | Aug. 13 | 85 |
| Golden Era | June 20 | Sept. 9 | 81 |
| Morning Light | July 6 | „ 17 | 73 |
| Mermaid | „ 22 | Oct. 17 | 87 |
| Ocean Chief | Aug. 5 | „ 19 | 75 |
| White Star | „ 21 | Nov. 5 | 76 |
| Marco Polo | Sept. 5 | Dec. 2 | 89 |
The Morning Light was a monster New Brunswick built ship, registering 2377 tons. She was on her first voyage and must not be confused with the American clipper of that name, owned by Glidden & Williams, of Boston, and built by Toby & Littlefield, of Portsmouth, N.H., a ship of half her size.
The “James Baines” Overdue!
In the autumn of 1856 there was tremendous sensation in Liverpool, when the famous James Baines, considered by many to be the fastest ship in the world, was posted as overdue when homeward bound. All sorts of rumours spread like wildfire, and as the weeks went by and no definite information was obtained from incoming ships, something like consternation began to reign in shipping circles.
The James Baines sailed from Melbourne at 1 p.m. on 7th August, 1856, passing through the Heads the following morning. On the 9th she made her best run, 356 miles, royals and skysails being set part of the time, the wind fair but squally. She made one more good run, of 340 miles, and then was held up by light airs and calms all the way to the Horn; here she encountered heavy gales, snowstorms and high cross seas. She was 36 days to the pitch of the Horn; then from 26th September to 8th November another spell of light and baffling winds delayed her passage, and she was 65 days from Port Phillip to the line.